In The Garden

Hello all... how did it get to be May already?!  I can hardly believe it...

But it is May 1st, and that being so, there are new challenges starting left, right and centre.  I have two for you today here at Words and Pictures alone.

Later today I'll be sharing the new Our Creative Corner theme, but right now it's time to find out what's on the cards at The Artistic Stamper this month.

Our challenge to you this month is to share with us what's In The Garden.  You can make any kind of project; it doesn't have to include Artistic Stamper stamps, but if it does then you'll get two entries into the prize draw at the end of the month.

Do hop over to The Artistic Stamper to see inspiration from some more of the Design Team, and check out the full rules and guidelines, but here's my starter for ten.







No mistaking my inspiration - I'm still playing with the lovely double-stamping technique Tim shared with us in March, but the stamps I've used this time are from Katy Fox's Encyclopaedia Botanica.

I coloured the flowers on the stamp using Distress Markers and stamped onto to two manila tags in succession.









I used a little ink and a water brush to gently colour in the petals, while not disturbing the stamped lines too much.















Then I stamped the flowers again on a spare bit of paper and cut a mask.













I used my marker spritzer (sadly an ancient bright red one, not the new sexy black TH one!) over the mask to create the speckled sky "behind" the flowers, layering on several different colours.












The little beetle is again stamped with Distress Markers, coloured straight onto the stamp... 














... Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap and Black Soot if memory serves.












The little butterfly perched on the Idea-ology linen ribbon has been created the same way...















... and cut out to create a dimensional embellishment.












And I used Distress Paints to alter a couple of Word Sticks...













... to add a touch of metal to proceedings.














Simple raffia and a little knot of linen ribbon - well frayed of course - finish things off...














... providing an echo of the linen ribbon around the middle of the tags.






So what's In The Garden round your way?  Do pop over to The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog and see what's at the bottom of the garden for my team-mates, and then we'd love to see your take on the theme over the course of the month.  

As I said, I'll be back later in the morning with the new Our Creative Corner challenge but, until then, have a lovely few hours!!

Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden?
Robert Brault

I'd like to enter these in Not So Mellow Yellow at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  It's not a colour I use very often, but it seems to come out in Spring!!
And at the Stampotique Designers Challenge, they're playing with Flowers this week.  I haven't had much chance to play this month, so I'm leaping in at the last minute with this one!