Happy Easter!

Here is a layout I made about two weeks ago.  I had taken a photo previously, but it didn't turn out in focus.  A lovely friend sent me a lens she no longer needed, so I spent yesterday making her something as a present which I will share after I give it to her. 

Here are some piccies I took at last year's Chelsea Flower Show - I just love wrought iron - the look, the arts and crafts/art nouveau era, so decided to scrap a double layout about the sculptures ...

I incorporated two challenges in one here. The first was to scrap about a gift, a handmade embellishment, and use an old but reliable tool. The gift was the ticket to Chelsea by my FIL - he didn't want to go. Handmade embellie - well, I altered the Bazzill Just the Edge strips by embossing them and inking and grunging up, then highlighting the edges with a copper pen. The old but reliable tool is my heat gun - I don't use it so much these days.

The second challenge was to use a dark base, use something not normally associated with scrapping, and use lots of bling. I used the dark purple, old potpourri, and the lots of bling was the metal flowers, sequins and stickles. I also used some jewellery fixings on top of the flower to layer up the metal. 

I have a whole box of metal embellishments yet to be used.  Here, the copper flowers were a pack of Becky Nunn.  The arts and crafts copper scroll bar is Architexture.  These have been sitting in my stash for about 5 years.  I layered up both branded and generic flowers, and was really pleased to also finish up a pack of layered K & Co dimensional paper flower stickers.  The Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (Meadow Green, hat an appropriate name, lol!) doesn't show up so well but still adds some grunge. You can see it IRL. 

I shaded the flower below using my Promarkers - I use them much more for "altering the look" of things, rather than specifically colouring in stamped images.  I stuck bronze coloured sequins and stickles on top to add some unity to my "meadow" of flowers.  The K & Co patterned paper added some contrast to the purple.  I used up some Karen Foster metals by cutting out my title using my trusty Quickutz Squeeze and "Eliza" alphabet.

 I was trying to originally weave something with the fibres in the corners, but I regret adding that now.  You can see the glitter being shed off those purple velvet potpourri petals!  The black trim reminded me of wrought iron gates and was sent as part of a swap. I  love incorporating eclectic bits and pieces to add to the feel of a page - I think this might turn out to be one of my favourites.