Spring Bling

This is a pretty design I have created for the latest Country View Challenges challenge http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ .  The theme is 'Make a Background' which is something I love doing anyway,  using several different techniques and products.  I have used one of my all time favourite stamps in this project, a script stamp by Hero Arts; and  floral stamps and matching dies from Sheena Douglass' 'Perfect Partners' range.  I have also used a butterfly die and some foliage dies.  I have coloured the background panel with yellow, green and brown  DI's, and used gold gilding wax on the base card.  To brighten things up and add some 'bling' I used gold glitter texture paste and some gems.  I also used three different stencils and an embossing folder.  On a piece of white card I blended the green and yellow inks, then faux bleached with water.  Next I stamped the script randomly over the panel in green, then inked through a stencil with brown ink to add distressed diamonds.  I used another stencil and green ink to add a Buddlea bush.  I used the stencil several times to make a larger bush.  I have several Buddlea's in my garden and I love using this stencil.  I then edged the panel with brown ink and dried it with a heat gun.  I spread glitter texture paste through  a leafy border stencil along the top of the panel to add dimension, texture and bling.  While that was drying I die cut some flowers, foliage and a butterfly.  I attached some old book pages to some card to cut the flowers out of.  I cut the foliage out of Kraft card and the butterfly out of black card.  I also embossed all the die cuts, and added colour to the flowers and butterfly while they were still in the dies.   I added colour to the foliage with some cut'n'dry foam.  I stamped the outline of the flowers onto the die cuts, and layered the dies to make three flowers.  I added a gem to the centres after colouring them with a Pro Marker.   I also added gems to the antenna on the butterfly.  The base card is black and I embossed it in a folder through a machine, then added gilding wax to highlight the pattern.  I attached the background panel to the base card, then attached all the die cut elements with dimensional glue.  I really enjoyed making this project and all the messy crafting it involved!  I think this is a lovely card for a special occasion, and it's good for men and women.