Stencil Bouquet with Distress background...

Good afternoon, Blogger buddies! I am back to share another card I made using my Stencil Bouquet precoloured toppers...

I remember being at a show a good few years ago and chatting with a fellow stall holder who asked what I did, to which I replied CD/digital crafting...I will never forget her reply, that "CD (digital) crafting stunts creativity!"...

I never really understood this...digital crafting is a tool and medium that can be used alongside any other and I hope that the card I'm sharing today proves this...

I used the oval precoloured Peach topper and fussy cut some of the extra elements to decoupage onto the image (I must admit, I got a bit scissor happy and had intended to leave a white border around the decoupage elements, but inked the edges instead).

I then proceeded to make a background, inspired by the talented Gina K...I wanted it to look like an old painted wooden board and dragged Iced Spruce and Broken China Distress Oxides over the cardstock in a single direction, to give the impression of a grain. I softened some of the lines with a blending brush and added some colour in places with the brush too. I cut to size (17 x 12cm) and then inked the edges with Tuxedo Black Memento using a blending brush (how did I craft without these?!) before attaching to a 5 x 7 inch card blank.

I cut a cream and black oval using my Spellbinders Petite Oval dies and mat the image on top. I added a band of aqua blue polka dot from my scrap drawer, which was also mat onto black and attached this across the card slightly above middle, then attached the topper.

I felt I needed to bring the pink back in somewhere as the card was looking a bit dark, so cut a 1cm strip of pink polka dot, inked the edges with Abandoned Coral and attached across the bottom third of the card.

I embellished with some Dew Drops on the rose hips, diamantes to the flower centres and silver border waste to look like nail heads.

I added a stamped sentiment in two parts, matting one onto pink card and fussy cutting the other, leaving a white border...

I hope this goes to show that no individual element of crafting can ever stunt creativity, the creativity comes from what you do with those elements and enjoying the process. I have been very lucky to have some wonderful feedback and comments from fellow crafters about my creations, but it is surprising how just one negative one can stay with you forever...so remember...be kind, support and encourage!

Crafty hugs,