Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 102

This time, our challenge at Crafty Cardmakers was set by Betty, and she's chosen Shabby Chic. Our sponsors are:

See the challenge blog for details.

Now, when I started this, I had no idea what shabby chic meant. (I'm not sure I get it now, either, but I've tried to follow suggestions from my team mates.) I see people using the description about their own creations, and I can't say I've seen a common thread. Some are very heavily embellished and feminine, others much plainer and obviously distressed in some way. But, I decided to set off on a journey of discovery.

My first attempt had me looking through my stamp collection, and I finally came up with this:

I stamped an Inkylicious image with a Big and Juicy Mountain Meadow stamp pad, arranging it so the leaves towards the bottom were green, while the flowers above shaded from blue, through purple to red. I used some cut and dry foam and Ink Dusters to edge and distress the background using the same ink pad. Again using the Mountain Meadow pad, I created a background paper using Ink Dusters and some Tapestry stamps I've had for years but rarely use. I added a couple of lengths of wide lace and put a finished with a punched border top and bottom with added glitter glue.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Happy Campers where they want us to 'show our flowers',
Addicted to Stamps and More where anything goes,
Lady Anne where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,




My second attempt uses an image from our sponsor, Milk Coffee.

I coloured the image with Promarkers before cutting it out. The background paper is from my all-time favourite digital set. I've had it for a couple of years now. It's from Panda Bear Designs via the Stitchy Bear shop, and I just love the rainbow shades over beautifully fluffy clouds in this one. I lightly sanded the paper, giving it a slightly scuffed appearance. (I'm not mad about things that look really 'shabby' or 'distressed', so it's fairly subtle.) I gave the image a little shaping before attaching it using glue gel. I created a frame using some lace, and finished with some punched flowers centred with glitter glue.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Artistic Impressions where they want us to 'make it girly',
4 Krafty Girlz where anything goes,
My Heart Pieces where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes.