Richly Floral

Hi everyone. I wasn't planning on posting today but then yesterday heard the news that I'd been given a Highly Desirable award by the team over at Vintage Stamping Challenges for my Flights of Fancy card! What an honour and a thrill, especially as it's not often I get the chance to enter challenges these days and this is such a wonderful one. Thank you so much to the VSC team.

Talking of challenges, Linda is still calling for you to 'Love Those Leftovers' over at Our Creative Corner, IndigoBlu are looking for 'Monochromatic' projects and Eileen Hull's Art with Heart challenge this month is 'May Flowers'. This card ties all three themes together (though bear in mind it's not a DT piece or my entry to Eileen's challenge - that's yet to come!!!);

This started as a 'mop up' exercise from something I can't share right now (sorry, so many things in the pipeline I'm dizzy!) but involved stencilling the central panel through a TCW stencil called Mini Flower Garden using altered Translucent Embossing Paste leftover from another project.

As well as spritzing it with various mists (including Biscotti Perfect Pearls spray) I used techniques demonstrated so clearly by Vivian Keh at Contadina K. She showed the different effects you can get by adding water at different stages of the inking process. Having stencilled 'borders' allows you to flood those areas with colour and the water helps to give a more 'organic' feel to the finished project.

I lined up the central panel on a piece of card from the Prima Cartographer collection and stencilled onto it with Distress Ink so there would be a continuous pattern across the card. The delicate embroidered lace strips created a frame for the panel - I love the little rosebuds on this lace!

Then it was down to finishing touches. Keeping with that monochromatic theme I went with metal leaves, a couple of layered May Arts white ribbon flowers layered and some burlap string. The sentiment was stamped onto a coordinating piece of card from the same Prima collection.

Once in a while things just fall into place when you least expect it, so grab some of those leftovers and throw some inks and sprays at them - you never know where it's going to lead you! As there just happens to be a 'Botanical' challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday (sponsored by Simon Says Stamp) it would be rude not to enter - have you seen the design team's samples this week? off the chart gorgeous!

Happy Thursday everyone and take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - Translucent	Prima Designer Paper Cartographer- 6” x 6” Pad	Ranger Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Ink Pad - Gathered Twigs	Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists - Biscotti	Embroidered Sheer Lace - 1/2 Inch Wide	May Arts White Frayed Flowers Ribbon	Burlap String - 12 Colors	6 Piece Bronze Leaf Embellishments	4 Piece Antiqued Bronze Round Filigree Pieces	Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Simple Sayings
Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink - Watering Can	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black