Vintage Pastel Shabby Chic

For my first DT project of the month for More Mixed Media Challenge, I've created a card. The theme was pastel, and well, I'm not really a pastel sort of person- although I do like to see what others make with those colours, just not something I do myself very often. I decided to challenge myself and go with something more vintage and shabby chic looking. It's a look I like but haven't really attempted myself to any degree of success.

I started out choosing some papers and decided on Websters Pages - Petite Papers in a peachy pink and a green blue. I ripped these and started adding to a Kraft card base. I started with the corners, using the more decorative parts of the peachy pink papers with floral detail to frame the card. I ripped the green blue and did the opposite corners, then alternated the papers until the entire front had been covered. I used Deco Art Matt Medium to glue and seal the papers. I added Liquitex Heavy White Gesso over the top in a thin layer with a credit card in the middle and spread some across to touch the outer areas. Whilst this dried I found the focal point for my card.

I had bought some beautiful papers from a scrapbooking website from a new product line by 49 and Market. I had fallen in love with these. It's called Vintage Artistry and is beautiful. I fussy cut two butterflies, fern and some postage/book keeping empherema images from one of the papers and then from the other I cut two beautiful flower bunches. I got my Stampin Up mini inks out and using a couple of mail style stamps, I stamped out a few times these images around the edge. I used the two colours - Certainly Celery and Pale Plum, to edge the backing papers, as well as stamp the images. I edged the empherema in Distress Ink - Old Paper. Before sticking it all down, I needed something extra, and found some white mesh type material someone had given me. I cut a rough square of it and using the ink pads I'd edged the papers with, I coloured the material to match the other elements. I roughed the edges of the empherema to look old, rolling and ripping and inking to give it an aged look. Once they were layered, I added the mesh, then the bunches of flowers I blended together, and added the fern at the bottom to hide the bottom of the stems. The butterflies were glued just on the bodies so they had dimension, and the word 'FLY' was stamped using a little alphabet stamp set by See D's I bought ages ago. It's a great font and I didn't want anything fussy or large - there wasn't space anyway even if I did!!

I hope you like my latest make. It's part of the DT inspiration for this month's challenge over at More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything Goes Optional Pastel. I hope we see you there!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Anything Goes with Optional Summer Moments
Classic Design Team Open Challenge - #04 Anything Goes 
A Bit More Time to Craft - #23 Anything Goes

Michelle xx

April's More Mixed Media Challenge project

Spring is in the air!! Where's the time going? April already. For this month's More Mixed Media Challenge, the DT were tasked with using Yellow. It's not my favourite colour to work with, but I do adore seeing it in nature, so cheery!!.I had a quirky stamped image that I had in my stash and I decided to work on something a little different - and perhaps wishful thinking with wanting warmer weather and sitting on the beach.... so here it is - Life's a Beach:

I used a variety of scraps of card and paper (I have a big bag full so good time to use at least a small portion of it) in blues, greens, cream and yellow. I tore and layered up the various colours to depict sea or sand on top of some card I'd colour washed with blue paint. The stamped image with coloured using Promarkers and then fussy cut out and layered on top. The flip flops were hand cut out from a piece of patterned scrap paper and the tiny thongs cut and stuck on and a little crystal on each for some bling. I used a flower die cut for the sun, to finish off the quirky card, alongside a die cut birthday wording and some crystals dotted around.

I do hope that you join us for April's Yellow challenge at More Mixed Media Challenge Blog - we always look forward to seeing your work and of course, you have the opportunity to win some lovely papers, courtesy of Lozzy and be in our Top 3.

I am also entering this card on the following challenges:

The Mixed Media Card Challenge #22 - Sunshine


Enjoy your week and I shall be posting about some wedding projects I've been working on.

Michelle xx