Allsorts Challenge #714

Good morning everyone, it’s Saturday so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week it is Lynn's turn to host and she has chosen the theme

*** Anything Goes -  option “I Love ...”  ***

If you choose to follow the option you could interpret it by using your crafty loves (stamps, equipment, techniques etc.) or by making a love occasion card such as Valentine's or anniversary. However we welcome all your makes so long as they follow our simple rules.

This month’s prizes come from WOWVOW, Craft Stash, AALL and Create and Ruth Hamilton Design. Please click on the links to visit their individual websites, and you can read more about them on our Patrons’ page.

Here's my card for this week. 

There are so many crafty things I love that it’s difficult to know where to start, but this card was inspired by the fact that I love snowdrops, and I saw the first ones of the year last weekend when we went out for a country walk with a couple of friends. Also I love Uniko stamps, particularly the spring flowers and sentiments, and I won this fabulous Spring Botanicals set a year ago but received it just a bit too late to make any snowdrop cards so it has had to wait until now! I also love distressing, Lavinia stamps and spattering, all of which I have managed to incorporate on this card. Last but not least I love motivational sentiments, and this one from the same Uniko Spring Botanicals set is a real good one!

I cut a square of kraft card and stamped the focal flower, which I coloured with Distress Watercolor Pencils and then re stamped using my stamping platform.  I grounded the flowers with blended Distress Oxide ink, stamped my background wording in sepia, and sponged around the edges with 2 colours of Distress Ink before roughing up the edges with my distressing tool. I added a little sparkle to the flower petals with my Sakura Stardust pen, added some white Posca pen spatter and when dry stamped the sentiment in green and heat embossed. Finally I matted onto green card stock which also had the edges distressed, and attached to my card blank (the matting is more of a leaf green shade than the camera shows).

I realise this card is a bit unusual for a spring card as it is in grungy vintage tones. This was largely inspired by the fact that I wanted to play with my new Distress Watercolor pencils, and stamping on kraft card gave me the opportunity to try the white pencil. Although I have watched various videos, I’m still experimenting with how they work best for me… so far I’m getting the best results if I pick up colour on a wet paint brush and paint with them.  

Stamps: Uniko Spring Botanicals - Snowdrop; Lavinia Words of Spring;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils (Picket Fence, Peeled Paint); Distress Oxide ink (Mowed Lawn); Distress Ink (Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Shady Lane); clear embossing powder; Posca pen (white); Sakura Stardust pen (clear);

Tools: Tim Holtz distressing tool.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Crafts (February) - Be Sentimental

Crafts Galore Encore #108 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #623 - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Creative Crafters #60 - Anything Goes

NBUS #47 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff

(Mine is the snowdrop stamp and sentiment)

Papercraft Challenges #90 - Anything Goes

Path of Positivity #108 - Anything Positive Goes (3rd entry)

QKR Stampede #460 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #581/582 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,