shrINK ME

Dear Reader

Here is a card I've made for the Magnolia Down Under Challenge. An interesting challenge this one. We were told to use black/grey/white for the image and coloured backing papers. The Challenge is called Olden Days. Hmmmmm - what to do? Brain cells had to go into overtime for this one and at one point I swear smoke was coming out my ears! Yes I know I exaggerate but you get the picture - inspiration was not leaping through the door.

Then I thought of the Graphic 45 papers that I used for my ATCs. Now they've hit the light of day again they're in danger of being all used up! I do like their vintage feel though. I've used the Tilda with the quill again as what could be more vintage than that and then lots of 'olden days' writing ephemera to go with her, including a bottle of ink, some nibs and a stamp. I often wonder what she's writing in the book (haven't I got enough sensible stuff to think about you might well ask) . I've decided she's writing a novel that she's going to send to be published. Mind you, if that's the case with the thickness of her volume - she's obviously well into writing a boddice ripping blockbuster - I should probably have used at least three stamps. It's never going to get through the miserly Post Office measuring slit thingy.

I've also used a random page from a very old rhyming dictionary that a friend bought me so many moons ago that it doesn't bear thinking about. It's got nicely aged yellowing pages - just the thing for vintage. When I opened a random page the word 'sentiment' jumped out at me. It's a word crafters use all the time and it's a word with a nice vintage feel to it, so I went with it. With such a cute image I didn't want to go too grungy so I lightened the feel of the card with a pearl flourish I made from an E.design, some tiny white silk flowers with silver centres that I aged with a grey archival pad. Strangely it had the effect of turning them a vintage silver colour which I quite liked. I also used a pearl embellishment from Prima on top of a black velvet ribbon. To me nothing is more vintage than black velvet. I love it! When I was going to be seven my great aunt said she would buy me a new frock for my party. She took me to Guy & Smiths and let me choose one. I chose a thick black velvet one with integral net underskirt and a white lace collar. Gorgeous! Only trouble was my birthday is in August and it was a boiling hot day. But I still wore it. As granny always said "You have to suffer to be beautiful!". Do you know, I've just noticed that the word 'dress' appears under the word 'sentiment'. Coincidence or what! Wish I could say I planned it!

Anyways, back to the card. But surely there can't be any more to say on it they cry! Well I suppose I should just mention that I coloured Tilda with a gray watercolour crayon and stamped her onto glossy white card to give the impression of a photo. The sentiment is from Clarity Stamp and has been put onto a Woodware punched tag and edged with liquid pearls for a bit of vintage glamour. I've also used Stickles but sparingly just to lend a bit of magic. The bottle of ink reminds me a bit of the bottle in Alice in Wonderland and as it's out of proportion with Tilda makes her look as though she too has been shrunk. Who knows, perhaps Tilda's dress is velvet and she will get to go to the Mad Hatters Tea Party!?

Hope you like the card and thanks to the DT team for the inspiration. A real challenge but a very enjoyable one.