Patriotic Pocket

Yippee it's Friday!!!! From the reactions to my posts recently and posts by some of my fav bloggers it would appear that time is a seriously shrinking commodity for most of us. So it don't arf 'elp when something that has taken you gallons of it meets the criteria for lots of the best challenge blogs' themes.

My card is going to be entered into the following ones;

• Sunday Stamper Challenge Week 211 - You gotta pick a pocket or two
• Frilly and Funky Challenge - Let's see some texture
• The Stamp Man Challenge - Bling it on
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Sporty or patriotic
• Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Depth of distress

Now there's a line-up!!!

What did I do that took so much time? Well for a start I made the pocket - faux denim recipe; navy card, Picket Fence stain and a weave stamp from Sam Poole's Vintage Sewing set. Make sure to heat set the ink as it will smudge otherwise. I paper-pricked the edges, ran a Picket Fence DM along each line, then sewed the stitches by hand. The top edge got distressed with scissors, the gold detail was hand sewn on and then the bead detail was glued in place having been threaded together. Finally I sewed a button in place with the gold thread.

Now I'll let you into a secret. I created a completely different background by smooching white card in a mix of Walnut Stain and Faded Jeans DI with water and stamping manuscript on it, but when I mounted the lace/ribbon/pocket on top there was something wrong. Drastic measures time! I cut off the background and created another using the same faux denim technique, but with manuscript stamped in Faded Jeans DI on top (v. subtle) and Walnut Stain DI used to distress the edges. If you look closely you can see the old background showing through the red lace.

As well as applying different lace to the background I also stamped swirls with white acrylic paint. The embellies running in a pattern across the page included a couple of brads (one of which was stamped on) a button charm (took the idea from my last TH tag) various buttons, including one created from Coredinations card, a stamped nail head and a material flower.

The whole lot got mounted on white card stained with Walnut Stain DI to match the edge of the background. Finally the pocket contents - a tag embossed with my Stamposaurus Union Jack mask, inked with Memento Paris Dusk and Lady Bug and Walnut Stain DI, stamped with a Sam Poole Art Phrase in Walnut Stain and gold -  and a HOTP glassine envelope stamped with matching swirls and a sentiment, and edged in Walnut Stain and gold. This is ideal for putting money into in a more thoughtful way.

Overall I think it finally works, although I went to bed thinking of ways to make it better!! Hope you like it too. Thanks for all your lovely comments and thank you to my wonderful followers who regularly give me such positive feedback. You are a blessing. Time to dash, mum's taxi to operate/leaving do to attend/last minute tag to create/dog to walk!!! Anyone got a spare tardis?! Hugs, Buttons x