"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS" AND FAUX DIAMOND DUST

This photo captured the glitter.

Last week, Julie posted a Freestyle Fridays project featuring a heat-embossed technique that made her die-cut card stock look like a smooth, shiny piece of metal.  It was gorgeous!  Every other week, she issues a mission . . . something challenging for me to take into consideration when I prepare for the next Freestyle Fridays project.  My mission this week was to use embossing powder, a product that I hardly ever use.  Back in the day, when I was a new stamper, I enjoyed the magic of embossing powder and tried every technique that I could find that called for it.  I am reminded of Joseph's Coat--the one technique that I finally had to put on the "dead to me" list of failed attempts.  I should probably try it again, but it's okay to be beaten by one technique.  Oh, but there's also Jacob's Ladder.  What is it about Joseph and Jacob?  Those rascals!  About my card . . . I chose to revisit Faux Diamond Dust, and it's such a beautiful technique--super easy, but difficult to photograph.  On Very Vanilla card stock, I stamped the image using black permanent ink, and then used Q-tips to color the leaf and pear with Old Olive and Daffodil Delight ink.  The stamped image was die-cut with one of the Window Frames Framelits dies, covered the card stock with VersaMark ink, and then sprinkled with Iridescent Ice embossing powder, which was set with a heat tool.  I adhered the stamped image with Stampin' Dimensionals to an Old Olive die-cut layer, which was adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals to one of the Apothecary Accents die-cut labels.  I chose Summer Starfruit card stock for the card base, to which I adhered a torn piece of Modern Medley designer paper.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Sassy Salutations stamp set, and the finishing touches of crochet trim, linen thread, and designer button are also from Stampin' Up!  Even though I might have frowned when I first read Julie's mission for me, I proved to myself once again that challenges are good because they might force us to do something that we think we won't like, but there's always something positive to take from challenges.  Pass or fail, they help us (or our "dead to me" list) grow.

See the sparkle?  It's quite sparkly in person but hard for the camera to pick up.

ETA:  I neglected to mention that the main focal point--the pear image--is from Stampin' Up!'s retired hostess set, Faith in Nature.