Azalea in Bloom

Hello and Happy Spring to you!.  I have a little spring garden in a birdcage to share with you today. I was given the honor of having my creation showcased at Our Creative Corner for this month's Top Talent.  I encourage you to visit this inspirational challenge blog to see all the terrific work by the hugely talented Design Team, and while you are there you can read  a little bit more about me, if that interests you.

These are the real deal! Pretty!

I have been wanting to make some azalea blooms using Tim Holtz' Tattered Florals Bigz die for quite some time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Azaleas are big here in this area, and we even celebrate with a weekend long Azalea Festival here in Wilmington. Many gardens and homes are on tour and Azalea Princesses dressed in Vintage gowns welcome you. We even get some national talent come to perform in our sleepy little town for the event. Somehow, Mother Nature always makes sure the azaleas are in bloom for this weekend. Wilmington has the most amazing display of these ubiquitous flowers, and they range in colors from white to purple and everything in between. The purplish- pink ones are my favorite, and I've tried to duplicate them using Distress stains-Seedless Preserves, Picket Fence and Spun Sugar.  I didn't have any stamens, so I made my own using string and micro beads.The flowers are made from coffee filters. The foliage is just green card stock cut from Tim's Tattered Poinsettia die, distressed a little, and inked with some Distress ink.  Not exactly as Mother Nature would have it, but I think they rather resemble the flower.

I also made some little wispy something-or-others to resemble unopened buds, and altered a metal vine garland using alcohol inks and Distress paint.  I find I can stretch my crafty dollar with a little dumpster diving every once in a while, and I found this lovely moss on a wreath a neighbor tossed out.  Hot glued over some oasis, it makes a nice base.  I was inspired by Mixed Media Monthly Challenge "Birds of a Feather" to use a birdcage to house my flowers.  Donna says get creative, and create something that reminds you of birds!  Well, not a feather or egg in sight, but birds outside my window seemed to say "let something else be in the cage for awhile"!     The bird cage was a black one I've housed some bats (these are mammals, but having wings they remind me of birds!) in for Halloween.  I spray painted it white and added some alcohol ink colored pearls for a little shabby look.  It IS shabby and pretty beat up!

I decided at the last minute to make some sparkly butterflies.  I used Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers butterflies and cut them from acetate waste packaging.  I used Perfect Pearls and Pearl Ex powders dusted over Glue and Seal and when dry, I painted on some Distress Paint.  I heated them slightly with my heat tool and bent the wings.  I wound some wire around the bodies along with some seed beads and twisted up the antennae.  The really sparkly butterfly is made as previously described and then I layered it with a second butterfly also cut from acetate, dry embossed and wiped with Stickles. The yellow butterfly inside the cage also has Stickles dotted on it for extra bling. I used thin wire to make them appear to be hovering over the flowers.

The hardest thing about making this birdcage garden display is that there are NO OPENINGS and I had to make it like a ship in a bottle. It was equally difficult to photograph!  Here are a few more shots!

I hope this brings you a little breath of spring-like fresh air!  Thank you so much for visiting today and leaving all your lovely comments! Hugs!

Sara Emily

I would like to enter this into the following inspirational challenges:

Altered Eclectics "March Already"

Inspiration Journal "Spring Blooms"

Country View Challenges "Anything Goes"

Frilly and Funkie "Bring On the Bling!"

That's Crafty! "Wings and Things" Challenge

Mixed Media World "Anything Goes"

A Sprinkle of Imagination "Anything Goes"

The Mirror Cracked #7 "Wings"

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #10 "Birds of a Feather" In my text I mentioned how I was inspired to use a bird cage--this reminds me of birds!

Craft Hoarder's Anonymous "Go Green" This is their last challenge! :(.  I stretched the color theme a bit, but I just wanted to enter for their last!)