When I am creating a theme piece, I start with some quiet thought to see what comes to mind.

I love my garden, so I thought how cool it would be if I could go up to a frosty window, scrape away some of the frost, and see my memories of last summer’s garden.

As it turns out, then, I actually started working on this piece last spring, though I didn’t know it at the time. I grew the flowers, then photographed them and scanned them. In PhotoShop, I was able to “cover” them with frost and then “scrape” enough of it away to see the flowers. I also adjusted the color and focus to represent more of a “memory” feeling. When I was happy with the results, I printed them out on Sheer Heaven - which enhanced the dream-like quality. I added dimension and sparkle to my frost by heat embossing - first with “Graniteware” and then “Iridescent” embossing powders.

My window “panes” needed to be framed in a “window” that also had its share of memories, so I created an “old” one with wood and antiquing techniques.

At this time of the year, I long for balmy summer days on my swing amongst the flowers. Working on this piece brought me as close to that feeling as I can get in January in the mountains!