Butterflies or Bugs at FSC!

Fashionable Stamping Challenges is in search of "Butterflies or Bugs" and in my case that would be both!  First let me remind you that we are all about stamping and that use of digi background papers is just fine.  We just want to see the focal point of your lovely creations with stamped images.  Don't forget that Marina of Cottage Crafts is our sponsor and there is always a nice stamping prize.  BTW, that is one of my New Year's resolutions, to use the enormous amount of stamps I have!!!  With that in mind, all of my stamps are from Stampin Up.  I have several of their butterfly stamps, which are among my favorites as far as butterflies go.  We were putting away Christmas decorations and I had to move my unused gourds, so that is where the idea came into play.  My Mom and I bought several gourds for decorative painting and since I no longer paint :-( the idea of adding stamps was born!  Here it is!  No Shirley, I am leaving out that part!  It is an inside joke!  We are also linking this up to Lisa's Bloggers Challenge, "Wings and Things" and Gingersnap Creations #133, "Use a Set or a Line of Stamps."

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Since I really liked the natural state of the gourd, I just added sealer, before any stamping activity!  Now I stamped both on tissue paper and a few directly on the gourd.  Don't waste your time stamping directly on the gourd, much better to stamp on tissue paper, cut out closely and then apply.  There is this Palette black glue pad that I purchased some time ago and had never used.  Did some searching and did not really find what I was looking for, so did it my way!  I inked up my glue pad with the black glue and then stamped on the tissue paper.  With the black glue, unless you are going to add embossing powders, you have to heat set.  Once I heat set, I applied perfect pearls in a color pattern I liked.  I brushed off the excess and then turned it over to color on the backside of the tissue paper.  On the blue butterflies, I applied an iridescent foil leafing and it is difficult to see, but there are some really pretty sparkle specs.  After I was done with my butterflies and dragonflies, I wanted some greenery and also did touches of crackle to give this a more rustic/vintage feel.  All layers were done using Mod Podge, which I really love.  I am still thinking if I want to add sprinklings of glitter or beads in areas.  This will most likely be a gift for my daughter, who will have a birthday in February.  I was once her age!! 

Thank you all for visiting and I sure hope to see you at FSC for some great fun!

Palette Black Stamp & Stick Gluepad
Perfect Pearls:  Blue Raspberry, Mint, Forever Violet, Forever Blue, Perfect Copper, Cappuccino, Mandarin, Perfect Gold, Green Patina
Stampin Up Markers:  Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Bordering Blue, Bashful Blue, Crushed Curry, Close to Cocoa, Apricot Appeal, Creamy Caramel
Multi colored foil leafing
Rock Candy Crackle
Distress Ink:  Vintage Photo
Sealer, Mod Podge