Shabby chic Bella Toile

At the Make My Monday challenge site this week they're looking for shabby chic cards involving tearing and crumpling. Hmm. Sounds like a normal day in my crafting square metre! Well, I had a little think and came up with this:

I made a background with the fabulous Bella Toile background stamp using Pear Pizzazz ink then masked the edges and sponged Blushing Bride ink over it. I've only recently discovered Blushing Bride, which is one of this year's in-colours, and I love it - it's a pale coral really, not sugar pink at all.

A Blushing Bride paper was used to make my torn and crumpled flowers. The paper is from a big designer paper stack which is just one of the options you can choose as a free gift with an order of £150 or more - and you get to choose other freebies too!

The flowers are really easy to make: you just tear rough circles out of the paper, crumple them up and open them out again, layer them up and secure them with a brad. I used these gorgeous circle ice jewel brads - they come in a mixture of sizes and colours - turquoise, pale blue, lilac and green. I love the way the flowers look with the leaves from the Little Leaves die.

I used my favourite Confetti Cream card stock again and the Bella Toile background stamped beautifully onto it. This sentiment from Sincere Salutations seemed ideal to layer over the top.

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Bella Toile, Sincere Salutation

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke

Card stock: Confetti Cream, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke

Other: In colour designer paper stack (hostess gift), Circle Ice rhinestone brads, Little Leaves die, Eyelet border punch

You can buy any of these supplies from me and I can have them delivered to your address in the UK. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

Friday night was a hectic night for me. All the children were doing different activities and I'd scheduled meals and car journeys with military precision. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, my final task of the night was to collect my daughter and some of her friends from the cinema in a nearby town where they'd been watching the final Harry Potter film. It was nearly midnight when we got home and I was tired. But my spirits lifted when I opened the door and found this note on the rug from my youngest son.

Aaaaah! I really am blessed.

I feel very lucky to have you visiting me and leaving comments for me too, so thank you, and a very big welcome to my new followers. I'll be back here tomorrow with a handy way of making bees and other flying creatures. Do come back and see what I've been up to!