AALL&Create - Ladybug

Hi folks, it's Tuesday and that means it's time to share this week's project for AALL&Create. I've been itching to get inky with the gorgeous Ladybug #161 stamp set designed by Tracy Evans and as luck would have it, one of my friends, who is a keen gardener, has a birthday coming up soon and her age does feature on one of the tiles. I'm not saying which one but I'm sure you can hazard a guess. Ladybugs or Ladybirds as we call them in the UK are truly every gardener's friend and spend their summers happily gobbling up all the nasty insects that love to feast on our plants. And the perfect accompaniment to my garden theme were Stencils #55 Crazy Paving and #65 Flower Dream designed by Autour de Mwa.

I'm sure you'll agree that us crafty folks are guilty of hoarding our patterned papers so I decided to make a teeny weeny dent in that mountainous pile and use a panel from one of my favourite Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Pads - Memoranda.  I trimmed the paper to measure 5" x 7" and applied a very light coat of PaperArtsy Cheesecake Fresco Finish Paint using a brayer. Cheesecake is an opague paint so a light touch is required so that you don't completely cover the pattern.

I used Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink and Stencil #65 Flower Dream to add interest randomly on the background using a mini round blending tool

I stamped a section of the Ladybug stamp inked with Vintage Photo Distress Archival Ink on the panel.

I applied a coat of White Gesso to the back of Stencil #55 Crazy Paving using a brayer, spritzed with water, tapped on to the panel to create a monoprint effect.  I then applied Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste using the same stencil.

I sprinkled Stampendous Chunky White Embossing Enamel randomly on the background and heat set from underneath until melted. While the embossing paste was drying, I stamped the same section of the Ladybug stamp twice on to scraps of the Memoranda paper, fussy cut and coloured with Candied Apple, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo Distress Oxiide inks using a mini round blending tool.

I fixed the images over the original stamping, the ladybugs using Distress Collage Medium Matte and the other images popped up on Tim Holtz/Sizzix Mini Foam Adhesive to create dimension. 

I added an Eclectic Elements White Thread bow to the heart.

I scuffed up the edges of the panel using the blade of my scissors, edged with Black Soot Distress Paint, matted on to Idea-ology Classic Kraftstock, sanded to reveal the kraft core and fixed to a 6" x 8" White card blank.

I've just realised it's the last week of March already, almost a quarter of the year gone. Is it just me that thinks every year seems to pass faster than the one before. I received a replacement credit card in the post yesterday which expires in 2023...who knew things would still be ticking along 19 years after the doom and gloom news that the world would end in 2000 and thank you M&S for your confidence that I will still be alive and kicking in 4 years time.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

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