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