Susan's Garden Clematis

 There are many different colors and varieties of Clematis flowers.  In Susan's new Susan's Garden flower collection she has included dies for beautiful Clematis.  I chose to create a purple variety I found a picture of on Pintrest.  I have a tutorial below to show you how I created this variety of Clematis.  The delicate doily on this card is the Marianne Design Anja's Fillagran Heart. There are four dies in this set and I have used two of them on this card.  The Bird  Silhouette die cut is also a Marianne Design die (CR1264).

 Here is a picture of the  Susan's Garden Clematis Dies and the flower I created.

 I love how realistic the flowers turn out with Susan's Garden dies. I think this looks like a real Clematis!  Susan has designed all the dies necessary  to create a complete flower with leaves, includes a picture of the flower on the package,  has instructions on the inside, and a plastic "Seed Packet" to store your  dies in for easy filing.  Susan has completed videos for all the new flowers but they have not been released from Sizzix yet.  As soon as they are released, I will let you know so you can watch them for additional information on completing your flowers.

TUTORIAL FOR COMPLETING MY PURPLE CLEMATIS

 I die cut all the petals using a light purple card stock.  I used the leaf tool and green leaf pad from the Susan's Garden Flower Tool Kit to draw a line down the center of each petal.  The petal was creased down the score line then white Pan Pastel from the Susan's Garden Pan Pastel Kit was rubbed on down the seam.  To give the edge of the petals more definition, I sponged on Dusty Concord Distress Ink.  In the picture above you can see how much better the petal looks with the purple ink sponged on. 

 After the petals were colored, I turned them over and used the 3mm end of the Susan's Garden Loop Tool to add texture to the petals.  I drew the loop tool from the edge of the petal over to the center score line, going at an angle.  In the picture, on the left is a petal with out texture, in the center the left side is shaped and the petal on the right is complete.  I then used the 8mm ball stylus in the kit to press down in the center of the petal to shape it.  Next, I turned the petal over and used the 5mm stylus to press down on the tip to give it a little curled up tip. 

 Susan includes two types of calyx with these dies so you can create different varieties of clematis.  I used the calyx with four projections and created two separate rows that were glued together, for an eight petal flower.

Here are the two different layers.  I used four larger petals on the left layer and four smaller petals for the layer on the right.  The smaller petals where glued on top of the larger petals, alternating the petals.

The Clematis I created was a different variety than the one Susan has directions for, so I created my stamen differently, using the same stamen die in this flower package.

 I used two stamen pieces to create a very frilly stamen.  My stamen needed to have a green center surrounded with some yellow, then the longer stamens needed to be purple on the bottom and white on the top.  I used a green marker to color the green and yellow stamens.  On one I colored two stamens green and three yellow.  On the bottom stamen I colored three green and two yellow.  The other two levels of stamens were sponged with purple ink.  The top stamen shows how it looks when you die cut it.  I wanted very frilly stamens so I cut each point three times as shown on the bottom die cut.

 This is how the stamens looked after both were cut to create thinner stamens.

 I added glue to the bottom edge of one of the die cut stamens (in top picture). 

Next I glued the two pieces together but notice how I placed the top piece so there are no gaps between the stamens.  This gave me three green stamens and three yellow stamens on the smaller end.  There are no gaps now so when it is rolled, you will have a very full stamen.

As soon as the stamen pieces are dry, roll it using the self-closing tweezers, starting with the smaller end.  Add glue to the end and hold in place a minute so it remains closed.

The stamen is then glued to the center of the layered petals. 

I hope you enjoy seeing different varieties of flowers using your Susan's Garden dies.  I know you will have a lot of fun being creative with styles and colors.

You can purchase the following items from Ellen Hutson, LLC:

Susan's Garden Clematis Dies

Susan's Garden Flower Tool Kit

Susan's Garden Pan Pastels

PanPastel Sofft Knife and Covers

Ultimate Glue

Marianne Design Anja's Fillagran Heart Die

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