Sugar and Spice with Polka Doodles

Oh no my half term week is flying past rather too quickly for my liking and I still haven't finished all the tasks i set myself for this week. The main one and the hardest, is decorating my youngest son's bedroom! Trying to gauge what he would like from a grunt and "whatever","don't mind", "sounds good" has been very painful to say the least. He finally made a decision yesterday (aaaahhhhhhh) but that could be because I brought home this very gaudy purple, silver and lime green wallpaper .... it was obviously the incentive he needed!

On to the crafty, sanity side ..... the theme this week over at Polka Doodle Challenges is "Sugar and Spice" and I decided to actually stick with the themes title and make a card to welcome a new baby girl. Well Spring is (allegedly) around the corner and the season of new arrivals .....

I have used a complete array of Polka Doodle yumminess of my card as had a definite idea in my head which I was determined to follow .... inside my head is not the easiest place to be I assure you ... hee, hee, hee. I started by making my own postcard background and using Antique Linen and Tattered Rose distress inks. I stamped around one edge with the rose image from the Shabby Roses Set, adding postmarks from the Vintage Ephemera set and finally adding my sentiment using the Distressed Typewrite stamp set, but this time used Walnut Stain distress ink.I have inked the edges with the same ink pads to give a soft, aged look to my postcard.

The backing paper and teddy bear are from the Sundae of Season CD (Spring section) and they have had the distress inks rubbed all over them too! I added a heart to sit behind the bear as an added layer ... no other reason really.

When I layered up the pieces I had already created, I thought my card was missing something (not a CAS girl me) and reached for the Pretty Petal Bunting stamp set. I have stamped the bunting in Tattered Rose distress ink and watered coloured each piece too. All edges were also lightly inked. Finally each piece was mounted on to white card to ensure they stood out from the background. The gaps between the bunting were filled with lace bits (really small bits I had kept for some bizarre reason), buttons and half a flower (don't ask).

I finished off my card with some border die cuts and one being the Tim Holtz Tattered Butterflies .... can you just about spot it? I cut it from wax paper as wanted the butterflies to look floaty and just act as a layer, not a focal point ... (told you that the ideas in my head can be "random"). I added another border (from Spellbinder Lace Doily Accent set) and a ribbon off cut. Finally finished with some ribbon roses, a butterfly, a pin and a button.

Phew .... think that is everything and I hope I haven't bored you too much with my explanation and am looking forward to visiting your blog to see how you have interpreted this weeks theme.

have a great weekend everyone,

Lou
x x x

I am entering my card in to the following challenges:
Milk Coffee Challenges - anything goes
Crafty Girls - anything goes
Sweet Stamps - anything goes
Crafters Cafe - shabby chic
Divas by Design - rubber stamps
Elphine House - make your own background
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - lots of layers
Shabby Tea Room - baby themed challenge
Papertake Weekly - lovely layers
Fantasy Stampers - BINGO - pink, flowers, button

Polka Doodle products used on my card. Click on photo to be taken to the shop ...

                           

Additional items used: buttons, half a flower, lace offcuts from my stash