Mice are nice for Mother’s Day.. :)

Hey folks!! :)

I’m back to finally share an actual card with you... been trying to get here all week but, well, life keeps getting in the way :S I did actually make my first card in a month last week (yay!! :) kind of a relief as I was beginning to wonder if how long the card drought would last!!lol) but it’s my DT project for this weekend’s challenge at Dream Valley so will have to wait to share that... in the meantime though, I have the card I made for my Mum for Mother’s Day to share :)

When I sat down to make this the night before M’s Day, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do beyond using this particular gorgeous stamp and one of the paper doilies I got from Joanna Sheen last year (and were still sitting unopened!! Tut tut!!lol)... so I looked through my papers, found some I loved, decided the best colour match for them would be my DIs not PMs and then that, as I didn’t need to use blending card without pens, I would stamp onto cream card for a change and go for a much softer vintage/shabby look... and that’s the whole process in a nutshell... all that was left was the doing... which took quite a while and would have been better for me spread over a couple of days, but I loved making it- which was a first in a while- and I, and most importantly my mum, loved the result, too!! :)

The stamp is, of course, LOTV and I got it in their sale before Xmas last year- I just love the cute little mice and the pretty flowers are positioned so well for a great spread of colour :) My desk was virtually invisible under all the DI pads I used... I’ll try to list those I can remember later but it may not help much as I did my usual when watercolouring and mixed everything with a bit of everything else so it all toned in!!lol The colours of the DIs worked so, so well with the beautiful Desert Blooms papers!! :)

I cut circles into spirals for the flowers myself- I don’t have a rolled flower die as I don’t make them often enough to justify it... and to be honest, I kind of like the more uneven appearance you get from cutting them yourself anyway :) I’ve not tried putting pearls in the centres before, though, and had a right faff with the largest flower as the pearl kept falling into it sideways... ended up shoving a screwed up bit of towel roll in the gap first to hold it up... but no one need ever know that, right!?!!!lol Oh, and I inked the doily with Antique Linen DI to tone it in with the cream of the card and then spritzed it with Perfect Pearls mist for a pretty shimmer :)

The List:

• 6" Sq. scalloped cream card blank
• LOTV Mice Are Nice Flower Shop image stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa
• Distress inks to colour- Victorian Velvet, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky
• First Edition Desert Blooms papers
• Nesties- Labels 17 and Circles (for the flowers)
• Marianne D Leafy Swirl (Branch Garden) die
• Frond Die from Memory Box
• Xcut Scalloped border punch
• Doily from Joanna Sheen
• Perfect Pearls Shimmer Mist in Pearl
• LOTV Postage Stamp Sentiments set plus tiny flower from an old Woodware clear set
• Cream Cotton Lace from The Ribbon Girl
• 8mm white and 4mm Mink Flat-backed pearls
• Sakura Clear Stardust pen

I’m actually going to enter this in a few challenges this time, so it’s going into the following: Lili’s Little Fairies – Diamonds and Pearls (the diamonds are the glitter in the papers and on the image) :) ; Joanna Sheen – Someone Special :) ; Crafter’s Companion – Four-legged Friends :) ; Charisma –Shabby Chic :) ; Cupcake Craft Challenge – Material Girl (if my lace is sufficient fabric-ness?!) :)

Right, that’s it from me for today then- thanks for stopping by and for your lovely comments!! :) I’ll be back again on Sunday with my DV card- it’s a fab challenge this time, the DT have all loved it so make sure you check it out then!! :)