Taylored Expressions provided a sketch for a wonderful challenge. I decided that lately I hadn't used very many of my stamps. I have been so impressed with all the stamping I have seen on blogs in the past couple weeks. There are a few stamp sets that I am saving up for, including some from Taylored Expressions. Anyway, until I have some new stamps I decided to use some old favorites. In fact, I purchased this stamp a year ago and hadn't quite decided how to use it. I think it would be very fitting for Easter or spring. I purposely bought it to use with my Watercolor Wonder crayons from Stampin Up. I felt like this would be a great layout to break it in with! Below is the Taylored Expression Layout:
I started by cutting my circles out and practicing my watercolor skills. After I had my stamp just the way I wanted it, I distressed the edges of the circle with French Blue ink by Color Box. I mounted my stamp to a scalloped circle, cut with my Sizzix Big Shot, which had also been distressed with blue ink. At this point I knew I could figure out the remaining colors for the card. I really debated at this step, I knew I could pull more colors out from the stamped image or go with the white and blue. I am trying very hard to keep up my resolution of not buying any more paper. I went through what I already had and there wasn't anything quite soft enough. I decided that I could go with white and run it through the Big Shot with a Cuddlebug folder. I moved forward and distressed the circle with the same blue ink. Now I only spent a moment thinking about my paper when I remembered the paper I used just the other day. In fact I just realized, it was the same paper I used for the last Taylored Expression Challenge! It is just such a versatile print. I cut it down to size and again softened the edges with my blue ink. Before adding the printed paper to my card, I added a strip of doilie and sheer ribbon. I added three white flowers that I just purchased at Archiver's from Prima Flowers. I added my printed paper to the card, mounted my white partial circle, and used pop up foam adhesive for my scallop circle. I finished the whole card off with some blue beads from the Robin's Nest Spring Bloom collection.
There you have it another challenge done and another wonderful card created.
Sketch number four ended up being my personal favorite card. I have been using more scrap paper lately and these pink scraps were from my Grandma's birthday invitations, so they are extra special to me. I bought the stamp set from friend T. The pearls I had purchased to accent a page about our visit to Pearl Harbour and the beautiful necklace my now husband bought me. Cinderella is my all time favorite movie! I added pearls to the pillow, Stickles to the shoes, and distressed around the edges. My strip of print paper through the middle has been embossed for some texture. Oh and I dressed up my background paper with some Perfect Pearl Mists. 
