Penny Black challenge and a candy win

Well, where do I start. I guess first it has to be to tell you all that I have been oh so lucky to win Claire's blog candy. Claire is a fantastic artist and has just opened her own shop which you will find here selling the most yummy and detailed digi stamps. The prize Claire offered was "You give me a theme and I will create you a digi image and also send you the coloured original - so it's all yours!" So no prises for guessing that I have asked if I could have something with 'wings'. I am so looking forward to working with it and sharing my cards with you.

Moving on to this weeks Penny Black challenge which is "Lace and Pearls". The other day when visiting Sally and looking at one of her beautiful creations, she said she was inspired by a very talented lady called Michelle Zindorf . The name rang a bell and when I visited the blog realised it was one I used to visit but blogging being what it is you drift off in other directions, so I was pleased for the reminder and this card is my take on one of Michelle's tutorials.

I brayered onto glossy cardstock using Tim Holtz inks, first mustard seed to the top half of a piece of white gloss cardstock (rolling off on scrap paper to reduce the intensity of the ink on the roller), then spiced marmalade, again rolling off the excess followed by fired brick across the top. On the bottom half I brayered shabby shutters first, then peeled paint. To achieve the grass effect I ran the edge of the brayer randomly (sort of like doing a wheelie).

The tree is Partridge in a Pear Tree from Penny Black 30-305 which I stamped with verafine black and embossed with detail clear. The fence was created by drawing three lines freehand.........this is as near to drawing as I can achieve.......then adding fence posts with a ruler using a black permeneant marker pen. I stamped the little birdies twice more and placed one on the fence and one on the greeting which is Art Impression E3145. The fence and tree has been highlighted with a white Inkssentials pen, and I stamped across the top with the edge of Hero Arts H3317 Delicate Weave to add a bit more interest and distressed the edges with TH peeled pain.

Pearls have been added to the tree to represent the pears and a border punched from Martha Steward embossed zigzag, some black lace and a few more pearls.