GDT at Sugar Creek Hollow

Hi there, I'm so excited to be GDT at Sugar Creek Hollow for this weeks challenge, its a real pleasure to join such a talented team of ladies. I always admire their beautiful shabby chic and vintage projects so it was such an honour to be invited :-). This week's theme is 'Go Girly' and one lucky winner will receive a digi stamp of our choice and a winner's badge to display on their blog. In addition, the Design Team will choose one project as Card of the Week, the creator will receive a badge and be in the running for a Guest Designer spot!

For my GDT project I've used a gorgeous stamp from Crafty Individuals (a birthday pressie from my lovely MIL and FIL). I stamped the image with sepia versafine and watercoloured with distress inks (Tea dye, Vintage photo, Victorian Velvet). I made the background by stamping words onto card stock with distress inks, coating with gesso and then overlaying scrunched up tissue stamped with text stamp (from Chocolate Baroque's Paisley Elephant stamp sheet). To create the edge I cut the tissue paper larger than the card and once it was dry, ran a wet paint brush around about 1/2cm from the edge, this lets you tear the tissue in a straightish line but leaves a lovely feathery edge.  I've also added stitching with shimmery embroidery floss. 

I've gone to town with lots of girly embellies, pearls, iridescent gems, seam binding ribbon, lace, irridescent beaded trim and some lovely sparkly pins from Crafty Boots. The sentiment stamp is from Chocolate Baroque. I've added some hand made flowers too, rolled ribbon roses and the larger flowers were created with crinoline fabric from Linda, The Funky Junkie's Etsy store. I die cut the fabric using Crealies dies, coloured with Victorian velvet distress ink and scrunched up to dry. Once they flowers were dry, I layered them up and added iridescent seed beads to the centre. The punched leaves are made from kraft glassine.

The shimmery heart was made using a technique I saw on the Particraft blog,  (I think its on Sue's dvd too). This is the first time I've used it but definitely not the last as its so easy and really effective. To get the heart shape I stamped a heart stamp on some scrap card, cut out the shape and then spread pva glue over the reverse of the shape.  I added a good dusting of mica powders in pink and pearl and then blasted with my heat gun.  

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Clearly Inspired: Pastels
Crafters Companion: love is in the air
Crafty Creations: Valentine
Crop Stop: Distressed vintage or shabby
I brake for challenges: Fancy folds
Pretty Little Ribbon Shop: Be my valentine
Scrapbook Sisters: Sweet Valentine
Simply Create Too: love is in the air
Totally Papercrafts: Make your own flowers
Wags'n'Whiskers: Valentine/love


Thanks for calling by today. I hope you're having a good weekend
hugs
Claire xx