Watching the Flowers Grow ...

Good morning friends - I hope you are well. I'm not sure what has happened to the UK weather this last week, but it seems as though Spring has turned her back on us!!!

It's new challenge time at Whoopsi Daisy and this week we're really hoping that Spring has sprung as we'd like to see your May Flowers ... just in time for the first RHS Show of the season, Chelsea Flower Show! Those of you who are so talented at embellishing your projects with beautiful flowers will love this challenge ... for me this was more than a slight challenge!

As usual, Linnie is offering our lucky prize winner one sheet of images from the Whoopsi Daisy Store, unless you've used a Whoopsi Daisy Image for your project in which case you can choose two sheets of images. Linnie invited the DT to peruse the store again, but I chose to use this sweet image which was a freebie on the store blog, I think last summer (although if anyone knows better, please let me know!)

My project recipe is as follows:

• Base Card - made from Centura Pearl in Snow White which I cut and scored to make a 15cm square card
  
• Design Papers - are both from a collection called Emma's Garden which was a magazine freebie. I've edged this with a deep raspberry coloured border which I've tool distressed
• Image - as I've said, this beautiful image was a freebie last year, and it's called Girl and Butterflies. I brought this idyllic scene to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens and chalks in the following colours:
• Skin - FS2, FS3
• Hair - GB7, GB8
• Top -  BP1, BP2
• Trousers - EB2, IB1, IB2, IB3
• Hat - EB1, EB2
• Butterflies - IB2, GB1
• Flowers - CG3, GB4, BP5, BP7
• Background - Craf-T Chalk in Light Blue, Dark Brown, Light Brown, Dark Green and Green 
• Sentiment - is by Paulette at Create with TLC and I think this Happy Birthday Flag has to be one of the sentiments I use most regularly. I changed the colour of the sentiment by taking in into my word processing programme and recolouring it to one of the shades of blue so it fitted in with the card.
• Flowers - were made by taking a floral patterned sheet from  Emma's Garden Collection and punching the flower shapes with my flower punch. Once the shapes were adhered to the card, I then stuck Gems from stash onto them to "bling" them up a bit!
• Ribbon - is a thin pink organdie ribbon from my stash (originally from a local haberdashery store). I used 2 strands which I twisted together a couple of times in the middle to give the unusual style.

I do hope you'll come over to Whoopsi Daisy Challenge and have a look at the wonderful floral creations made by the Divas. Then come back and show us your projects featuring May Flowers. Don't forget that if you're using a Whoopsi Daisy image then you don't have to follow this week's theme!!! This challenge closes on Sunday 26th May 2012.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Day 134 - Overlapped at 365 Cards
• Challenge #54 - Squares at Ruby's Rainbow
• Challenge #217 - Recipe (1 Image, 1, Sentiment, 2 Patterned Papers, 3 Embellishments) at Dutch Dare Card Challenges - my embellishments are the flower punch shapes, gems and ribbon twist
• Girls, Girls, Girls at Joanna Sheen
• Feminine at The Stamp Spot - Second Entry
• CMM69 - Punches at Card Makin' Mamas

I'll be back later this week with some more DT projects. In the meantime, have a good day!

Hugs, Helen x