If I had a rose...

When I saw the challenge at Simon Says Stamp "I Ought to Use This More!",  I knew it was going to be fun!  So many choices, so little time!

My first thought was to use some designer paper I keep collecting but never use, and I came upon this Paper Purses  punch out card stock pack by K and Company on my shelf. The front of the pack says "Make a gift box that's a gift!"  I was reminded of my friend's 13 year old son telling me, "When you make us a card, it's more like a gift!".

 As is usually the case when I am in my closet, one thing led to another, and here you have it!

This is constructed of all products that I really ought to use more often, but I haven't used most of them in years!  To give an example, the purse card stock was purchased when my daughter was about 7 years old--she's almost 16 now!  I thought she would enjoy crafting them with me then...NOT!

 I have a weakness for seam binding and other vintage trim, and I must have it in every color. I have been collecting this for years and never use it (thanks to Tim Holtz' crinkled ribbon and Distress stains).  So I dragged it through some Picket Fence DS spritzed with water, rolled in a ball, let it dry, and made a bow out of that...I really should use my colored trims more often. (Psst!!  I like the TH crinkled ribbon SO much better!)

The flowers are leftover pieces from Mother's Day flowers my family made for the mother's in our Church's congregation 2 years ago! (We made over 200 corsages each with many layers of flowers using coffee filters (dyed with diluted acrylic paint and spritzed with Perfect Pearls Mist) and Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die.) Yes, I save EVERYTHING! I glued 6 or 7 of the smallest layers together and scrunched them up.  I centered them with Rangers Liquid Pearls.

 Speaking of pearls, I haven't used that roll of pearl trim in a long time--so I  used that, too!

 Those leaves?  They are stickers from an unopened package by Stickopotamus purchased when my kids were born!  No, they don't stick anymore, but with the help of a glue gun (something else I never use and really ought to use more often) they work fine. In fact, I used that glue gun to assemble the entire project.  

Now here's something new to me: the butterfly stamp is one I bought at a yard sale this weekend.  They are from Basic Grey.  I stamped it in Perfect Medium and dusted it with Perfect Pearls by Ranger (something else I rarely use) and cut it out. The pearl doesn't show up in the photo, but it's there! 

The buttons are from my stash, and started out clear.  I colored them with Tim Holltz Adirondack alcohol inks by Ranger. I need to use these clear buttons and the inks more often.  I attached them using a little bit of wire, so they dance around like flowers in a breeze.

The sentiment is one from a booklet of vellum sentiments I also got at a yard sale--this one, years ago, with the cover torn off, so I don't know who to credit.  I cut it up to fit the tiny box and taped it on with vellum tape.

I think I'll send this to my sister, who grows and sells flowers at her Hilltop Farms. She needs to know I think of her often.

It was so great to pull out some old stuff and to see how it all came together.

I wish to enter this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp "I Ought to Use This More!"

Loves Rubberstamps #109 Handmade Flowers

Word Art Wednesday #138 Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes

Paper crafting Challenge #12 In Summer

Craft For the Craic Something Summery or With Flowers

Crafthazelnut's Patterned Paper June Challenge

Allsorts Challenge How Does Your Garden Grow