Love sweet potato vines, I think it is the chartreuse color that appeals to me.  This is a new plant in one of my front flower pots.  I know that when they start growing they can overtake the area they are planted in but I solve that by planting them in a large pot so I can keep them contained and it is easy for me to keep them trimmed back.

I thought this would be a great way to start this posting since I’m going to show you how I make my leaf embellishments.

I did not come up with this idea (duh!); however, I did elaborate on it and came up with an additional technique.  I have tried to go back and find the originator of this idea but can’t find the person’s name or the video.  So, I have to apologize up front that I can’t give that person the credit.  I’ll continue to search and when I find them I’ll be sure and give them the credit.

I found the Aida 14 count Cross Stitch material at M’s.  I started going through all of my stamps and pulling those stamps that was a good size for leaves and flowers.  Let me say that those stamps that are not too detail seemed to work the best.  I discovered that I finally migrated to a particular stamp for the leaves and I also discovered I could draw a simple draw a leaf that I liked.

I used various color of inks with the flowers and leaves.  I cut out a block of Aida and stamped randomly all over and then I cut them apart.

Also, you want to make sure you use an ink that won’t bleed or run when water is applied to it.  Memento is a great brand to use and I also used Stampin’ Up ink on this project.

Don’t hand trim them completely down to the shape, just yet, cut them apart to separate the elements.

Here is where I started doing a little R&D (research and development) of my own.  I took the stamped leaf and my alcohol ink pens in two colors and started coloring in the leaf.  I put the darker color down the leaf side and around the bottom of the leaf.

I took the lighter color and colored in the right side and went over some of the area on the left side.

Even if the stamping is fuzzy you can still use the outlined to see the shape of the leaf.

I took an alcohol ink pen and drew a line down the center.  This gives it more of a leaf look.  I used the alcohol ink pen to draw in what I missed stamping.

I thought I would try adding some luminare art water colors to add some shimmer and additional color to the leaf.

I also used the water color to add lighter color down the right side and again on the left side to give the leaf some veining.

What I discovered is that the water color bleeds outside the lines of the leaf but this works perfectly because you will be trimming around the leaf and this part will be cut off.

The water color bleeding also helps with the various colors from the alcohol inks and the water colors to blend together and give it a more realistic look……bonus!

Once the leaf dries, I “fuzzy” cut the leaf then  I took Scott’s Quick Drying glue and spread it over the entire leaf.  At this point you can add glitter and shape the leaf.

What is “fuzzy” cutting?  This is a term that refers to cutting just around the outline of the object not cutting exactly on the stamped line.  It usually leaves a white space on the element.  What I usually do is use an alcohol ink pen (Adirondack or Copics) to run around that white area and color it in.

After you cover the element completely with glue,  I like to pinch the leaf together at the base and then turn the opposite end (the pointed) up a little.  This gives the leaf a more dimensional look.  Yes, this is a little messy but it gives the leaves or flowers a great look.

You can do the same thing to the flowers that you cut.  I like the texture the Aida gives the leaves and the flower.

You can mix and match various sizes of flower petals and leaves to get a unique look.  However, I will probably use this technique mainly for leaves and use my other flower techniques (lollipop, baking cut, grunge and spiral cut flowers)  for the flowers.

Be sure and experiment (R&D) and see what you can come up with using various materials.  I just saw a video title on youtube that talked about using coffee filters for flowers.  I may have to check that out.

Leave me a message, would love to hear from you.  By the way my website anniversary is coming up so I need to get busy and get my RAK started.   Also, I know I told you we are trying to get it so I can do video’s.  I’m looking for a good video camera and a reasonable price.  I think I want one that does HD.  We’ll see, right now I just need to see if I can something that doesn’t take all my “play” money.