MOVING ALONG WITH THE TIMES - #188 - SPRING

Welcome back to Moving Along With The Times and our challenge of Spring.  There are so many ways of interpreting Spring and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

I've used Alison Bomber's gorgeous Apple Blossom stamp set again as I do love to see my apple trees in blossom.  They are very young trees and so far we've only managed a few apples of them but I live in  hope! 

I used some watercolour paper for my background and added some subtle Distress Oxide in Speckled Egg and Spun Sugur.  I added some extra background stamping from the same set - stamped off in Versafine Morning Mist to keep it subtle.  I stamped and cut out the main apple blossom stamp and coloured it in with Distress Inks in Spun Sugar and Peeled Paint. I stamped the lovely birds nest ephemera stamp in Versafine Verdant to give a contrast to all the subtle colours.

PEARLY SPARKLES - #118 SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

Welcome back to our challenge at Pearly Sparkles this month and it's my choice of Something Old Something New.  I'm sure lots of us received new goodies over the Christmas period - maybe even some we haven't used yet so now is your chance.

I recently purchased some new dies from Lou Collins Textures - the set is called Clipboard Coverings Vol II.  I don't really go for dies unless they are Tim Holtz but I really loved this clipboard set and all its little embellishments like the paper clip, the bulldog clip and the actual clipboard.  It also has two great add on dies that give a stitched edge and as I don't do sewing that's great for me.

I've created my little clipboard to go into my journal. I'll use it as a tuck spot to add some journaling behind.   The old part is the stamp set from Alison Bomber EAB46 Apple Blossom.  

After cutting out the clipboard with the die I used some Paper Artsy paint in Sea Glass and Snowflake to add some interest.  I also cut out the inner which gives the frayed edges.  This was a gel press paper I had which had been made with an old stencil and a new stencil - the new one was from 13 arts called Back in Time Dress Circle and one of the stamps from Apple Blossom.  I then stamped an extra flower stamp and added it to the surface keeping the colours soft and muted with some Prismacolor pencils.  I added a little tag with one of the paper paperclips and some netting and a number.  The butterfly was cut from some new decoupage paper from Lou Collins.