Sweet Rosemary

One of my two favorite stamp stores is having a bi-monthly contest. You are given a baggie of miscellaneous items including a stamp and have to make something of it. Nothing else can be used except glue, a one phrase stamp and Stickles. In the case of this contest-orange was the base color for the card. Since I could not find any more paper similar to the contest paper, I had to wing it making my samples before deciding on one to submit.

This was a reject. It was also my 2nd favorite of the six I made. I used a rub-on instead of a stamped word. I could have stamped it but the rub-on was in my stash and it matched.

The background stamp is from Great Impressions and it was the stamp of the month in May. I stamped the orange base using Versamark ink and embossed in clear detail. I can see in my photo I am now a bit off on aligning it tho. I cut a swatch of strip to cross the middle of the card and rubbed up the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Burlap. I hand scalloped with a corner punch the green textured card stock and also distressed it before affixing the two small pieces to the striped swatch. I die cut a smaller piece of green and another piece with flowers similar in size and inked them for the middle. Now the place where I tied the ribbons-that is from a die cut too. It was originally a handle on a purse-the green in the middle is also from the purse. I don't like purses, so hacked it up for pieces.

I then stamped some of the daisies from the SOTM and cut them out with detail scissors and Stickled them in two colors. I pop dotted them on the green piece and off-set them a bit. I tied a bow of two pieces of ribbon-one dotted, one grosgrain. It needed a bit more color so I had this piece of baby ric rac and slid that in for color and texture.

I wasn't sure on a word, so I went ahead with the rub on. When I look at it now, I realize most people are gonna want to turn it so the fold is on top, but the true intention is the way it is photographed-fold on the left.

The contest entry had brite orange, neon green and hot pink papers, and I was very frustrated because I never found those colors in the stores-until after the contest entry was submitted. I will post my entry later but honestly-I hate it and my hubby had to grab my arm and make me post it. I still hate looking at the photo. I always seem to like the one I CAN'T enter.

BTW-the night after I took this photo outside, we had a frost and my rosemary plant took a beating. I am trying to nurse it back, but it's cold and rainy again tonight. Basil plants did not make it tho.