Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Butterflies meet NBUS

I'd already planned this card in my head before Darnell announced the optional theme for this week's NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) challenge. The beautiful Katzelkraft frame stamp was part of a batch of lovely stamps that one of my daughters gave me for Mothers Day last March, but unlike all the others she gave me, it was still sealed up in its original cello bag.

My plan was to stamp and colour it, cut out the centre and place it over a stamped text background and then add the butterflies, sticking to shades of brown so that it could also be an entry for the Butterfly Challenge, which is currently Underneath or Umber (oh, and Mrs A of said challenge has candy on her personal blog, check my sidebar for details!)

Then Darnell made me rethink, when she announced this week's optional theme  which is to use bubble wrap. So I thought "Why not?" and put the script stamp away for some other time.


I used a Walnut Stain Distress Stain to ink the bubble wrap then used it like a stamp on the card. The frame is stamped in brown Memento and coloured with watercolour pencils and a water brush, as are the butterflies (an old Kanban stamp)  and given dimension with Pinflair glue.

The jury's still out on whether the bubble wrap looks better than the script would have done - I think with the script, it would have had more of a "shabby chic" look and lent itself to a fussier treatment, with my whole battery of distressing techniques, lace, doileys, ribbons and pearls thrown at it! But the spots from the bubble wrap echo the circles in the frame, so it's a completely different look.

12 comments:

Fikreta said...

oh this is gorgeous!

Jenny L said...

Hi Jane,
what a very wonderful card, and your design is super.
Love how you have managed to combine 2 challenges that was very astute.
Your stamped image and apperture is lovely, and what a very wonderful bubble wrap stamping too.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.

Jenny L said...

Forgot to say you could join the MAWTT Challenge with this.
It's open till tomorrow afternoon.

Barb said...

Hi Jane, what a good idea to change your original plan to be able to join both challenges. The frame from your daughter is a lovely stamp so I hope we will get to see it with the script behind at another time. Barbxx

Verna Angerhofer said...

Your bubble wrap card is so gorgeous! I love those colors on it too!

Mrs A. said...

I love the bubble wrap background which does echo the circles on the framework very well. Love the way the butterflies are half tucked underneath and the brown shades look great. Thankyou for fluttering by my challenge. Hugs Mrs A.

KandA said...

Fabulous card Jane. Love the bubble wrap background and great design xx

Krisha said...

Awesome card and fantastic bubble wrap print.....all works together wonderfully.

cotnob said...

A beautiful card Jane, your bubble wrap background looks fabulous.
Pauline
x

Carol said...

Lovely stamps Jane and your background looks great. Carol x

crafty-stamper said...

Beautiful card love the bubble wrap background and butterflies
Carol x

Darnell said...

I love it, Jane! It may be just the narco - no, kidding, I'm not on them now - but to me, the bubble wrap stamping reminds me of a beehive! Right? I see you cocking your head to the side. Mmm? I mean, I know those are butterflies and not bees, but they are so often used in the same design, so it still fits in perfectly for the botanical/nature ambience! It's fabulous! Thank you so much for playing in my NBUS Challenge #10 and joining in the optional theme! Hugs, Darnell