One layer of thistles

Hello crafting friends!

 

I'm fascinated by thistles, which always seem like some kind of prehistoric throwback plant to me. I love the architectural shape of their heads and their bright flare of petals. But they're perhaps not the plant to be skipping through with bare feet, which leads me on to today's card!

 

It's a quick and simple one layer card made with Funky Fossil's Thistle stencil which I haven't used for a while. Taping the stencil off the edge of a thick card base, I sponged Stampin' Up's Mint Macaroon and Fresh Freesia inks into the image and then added more thistle heads to build up the design.

 

Sometimes, when life gets tough, it can feel a bit like walking through a garden of thistles barefoot, so I thought this would be a comforting sentiment to go with the image. I finished with some clear enamel dots to make it look as if it had been raining too. Probably should have added some mud... lol!

 

CHALLENGES

I've seen some amazing cards around Blogland using a mint and lilac colour combination courtesy of Color Hues, so I shall link this card up there; at Make My Monday the theme is Love and, as Valentine's Day is past now, I hope my 'Love and Prayers' card fits the bill! I'm also joining in at the Stencil Fun Challenge where Anything Goes with an optional theme of Love/Hearts.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I'm always amazed at the way dogs just gallop through fields of thistles - and nettles for that matter! I understand that their feet pads are like leather so it's as if they are wearing shoes, but pushing their way through nettles and brambles must hurt their little noses surely! Apparently not! My OH comes from the northeast of England where the folk are well known for their tolerance of inclement weather conditions and if you ask tenderly about his well-being, he replies "Felt nowt!"

 

Sending hugs,

A layering of stencils

Hello, crafting friends!

Welcome to another fabulous challenge at  CAS Colours and Sketches! Samantha, our lovely hostess, has chosen a gorgeous colour combination for us to try.

I have a lovely thistle stencil from Funky Fossil which I thought would suit these colours. 

I started by masking off the edges of a card base and blending pink ink out to a fade from the bottom left hand corner. The same ink was used through Funky Fossil's Fancy Trellis stencil over the top and then I placed the thistle over the top of that and inked the green and purple through it. 

The green and purple look much darker than in the colour palette doesn't it, but I did actually use Sea Foam and Highland Heather, so it must just have been intensity of the sponging. Finally, I stamped a bold sentiment from a retired Stampin' Up set and added some clear gems.

So now it's your turn! Do check out the inspiration from the team at the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge blog! You can link up your creation there too - but don't forget we are a clean and simple challenge and we like to see plenty of white space and the minimum of layers :) Have fun!

CHALLENGES

I'm joining in at the Die Cuts and/or Stencils challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More; I'm also linking up with the Anything Goes themes at Happy Little Stampers Stencil challenge and Stamplorations Stencil Challenge.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The thistle gets a pretty bad rap but I think they are beautiful plants. According to Symbol Sage, the thistle symbolises resilience and, in Celtic regions, represents 'devotion, bravery, determination and strength.' Sounds pretty positive to me! The blog has all sorts of interesting things to learn about the thistle including some brilliant myths and stories, so do check it out :)

Sending hugs,