Happy 80th birthday, mom! Part 1

Not too long ago my mom asked me to make a floral piece to go over the headboard of her bed.  She brought me the one that I had made years ago (for another house); it was in extremely sad shape.  Fortunately I had a photo of it so I could remake it.  The colors were perfect for the wallpaper border in her bedroom.  I hemmed and hawed and didn't really feel up to working with artificial flowers.  Her birthday was coming up so I decided to use this for her gift.  Might as well use some of the dies, cardstock and a frame I had sitting in my happy space.

The unfinished frame (approximately 12"x14") I had picked up at a thrift store for 50 cents; the butterfly came from an old floral arrangement. 

On chipboard I applied 2 coats of gesso, not evenly.  Once dry I smeared brown distress inks and stains to accentuate the texture.  The 6"x6" stencil is by The Crafters Workshop (didn't use the flower on the left side of the stencil); Studio 490 white embossing paste was colored with Watering Can archival re-inker.  The dies are by Sizzix (Bird Branch, Tattered Florals, Garden Greens, Hexagon Strip, and Jumbo Tattered Florals).  The leafy fern punch is by Martha Stewart.  I used Bazzill card stock and textured handmade paper by Sizzix (o-l-d stuff!).  Plenty of distress inks, distress stains and alcohol inks were used as well.

Some of the flower centers were created using buttons while others are some of the berries from the picks seen at the top and bottom of the floral swag.  I texturized the flowers and leaves to make them more realistic by dampening them, using a ball stylus, my fingertips or a tweezers, or even crumpling them.

Even though this isn't a replica of what she had before, I hope it works in the same space and that she loves it.  (Isn't there a rule about a mother having to love every piece of art her child creates???)