Love Shabby

For those who have followed me and have seen my work 'grow', know that I have a weakness for shabby chic, vintage, retro, and nostalgia.  I truly believe that times were simpler, back when.  Maybe because everything had its 'time'.  You planned for your day, and not too much was 'instant'.  Maybe, I'm just getting old.

Anyways, Sue over @ Our Creative Corner, is our hostess this week, and would like us to create something 'a little shabby chic'.  Sounds wonderful!  Here is what Sue said, 'a little shabby chic means the shabby part of vintage! The challenge requires you to pull elements together, the more old/worn and digressed the elements/images the better, muted colors, layers and roses, burlap and pearls.  You do not have to use all the these elements.  The effect you are aiming for is a soft warm palette.   A picture for your inspiration:

I wanted to make something pretty, vintage, and shabby.  So, I set out to craft!

I found this tutorial, @ Katie's Rose Cottage, on how to make a tattered fabric rose.  And thought how perfect for this challenge.  So, I did.  I really enjoyed the whole process.  The tearing the fabric, tea dying, and the sewing.  But, this flower was too large for my paper craft.  So, I made a different fabric blossom.  I took a piece of white muslin, and cut it into a scallop spiral shape.  I tea dyed the fabric.  Hung it outside to dry.  I sprayed it with starch to help stiffen the material.  I tattered the edges with a blade of a scissor.  I ran it through my sewing machine and gathered it all up.  Then I let the material spiral itself, to create a blossom.  I hot glued a rhinestone to the center.  I then hand-cut two leaves out of burlap and hot glued them to the blossom.

Here is my card:

I started with a scrap piece of pattern paper from my scrap box.  I thought the paper was perfect: some text, swirls, roses, and glitter accents.  Then I ran a pink grosgrain pattern paper through a die to cut those large scallops.  The green rose pattern paper is actually a digital paper.  The green in this floral background paper matches the green in the leaves on the main panel.  I inked a random swirl in VersaMark and stamped onto the right upper corner.  I sprinkled it with clear embossing powder and heat embossed, to add a little visual interest.

The chipboard frame has an embossed design.  I didn't want to cover up that detail with ink, or paper.  So I brushed the edges with VersaMark and dipped those edges in pink vintage embossing powder.  I heat embossed the edges.  I added some half faux pearls to the chip board frame, hoping to add some glamour to the frame.

I wanted to keep my card soft and feminine. So I selected a crochet trim to cover a paper seam.  I thought the trim looked flat, so I added a scrap of pink taffeta ribbon and a scrap piece of kraft seam binding.  I tied the ribbons into a simple knot.  Then the simple knot looked like it was missing something, so I added a heart shape cut from silver glitter paper and added another half faux pearl.   

I like odd numbers, so I added three neutral colored buttons to the crochet trim.  I didn't want the buttons to distract the viewer.  But rather give the eye a place to rest.

The main panel is matted onto a piece of kraft card stock.  The card base is made from a natural card stock.  

Now, I hope that I, or at least my associates have inspired you.  Inspired you to create something shabby chic and a desire to play along with us @ Our Creative Corner.  Thank you for stopping by!