School Maisie Belle

It's Wednesday and I'm a day early with my card for the Delightful Inspiration Freebie Image challenge ....OMG what is wrong with me? I'm so organised this week but it won't last LOL

The gorgeous little schoolgirl is the last offering for this month from Faith at Designed 2 Delight. I have managed to complete 2 months back to back so am very proud of myself and have got lots of goodies for my hard work so it's a win win for me :)

You may need sunglasses as it's really bright even for me! The papers were free from a magazine. I love the bright circles and dots in mainly primary colours and I felt it went well with the colours I had chosen for my image. The strip matted onto black cardstock as lots of numbers on it, perfick for a school girl.

The image was coloured in with my trusty Promarkers. I used a Nesties die to cut the shape adding faux stitching and inkpad distressing.

The ABC's are chipboard circle letters from Colorbok which I had from a QVC kit about 3 years ago. It had loads of sheets of different letters and shapes and I have oodles and oodles of it left. I used a nail file around the edges to get the little bits off and inked the bare sides.

The sentiment is a freebie from Ginger's House which has been cut out with a Nesties die and inked in black Sharpie around the edge. I felt it went well with the image as the little girl has her pockets stuffed with arty accessories, it is also very poignant to me.

As some of you know I am battling depression. I have my ups and downs, unfortunately just at this moment there are more downs and I am trying very hard to pull myself out of it. I have a fabulous therapist and together we have looked at all the trauma I have had in my life and one thing that has become very evident is that Art and Craft in it's many forms has been the thing that kept me going through it all. Whilst many children hated school I loved it, loved to learn as it was a way to better myself and get me out of some very unhappy situations at home. I was always striving to make things better both from learning and creating beautiful things . It was a way to absorb my thoughts and escape my situation. It is a realisation that has come only very recently and has helped me understand more about myself, what makes me tick and also what makes me happy. I'm sorry if this is a bit personal for some of you but I know it helps others to know you are not alone, even on those days when you REALLY feel like you are :)

Anyhoo, I hope this bright little card has brought a smile to your face because it certainly has to mine. Hope Maisie doesn't trip up with those scissors in her pocket, Heath & Safety would have a field day with that at school and how many incident reports would you have to fill in for that eh?

Materials Used in this card are as follows:-

Card Size - A5

Image - School Maisie Belle by Designed 2 Delight

Sentiment - Ginger's House

Sketch - Annabelle Stamps (can't enter challenge as too many others)

Paper - Magazine Freebie's

Embellishments - Colorbok Chipboard letters

Tools - 3D Foam & Scissors, Promarkers, Fiskars Treading Water punch and 2 sets of Nestabilities Dies

Techniques - Faux Stitching, distressing, die cuts, punches

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order):-

• ·         2 Cute Rubber Stamps – Anything Goes
• ·         Allsorts #118 – Back To School
• ·         Alphabet Challenge ‘O’ – Only 3 Embellishments
• ·         Aud’s Sentiments #36 – Card for a Girl
• ·         City Crafter’s Challenge #72 – All Dressed up
• ·         Craft Garden – Bold Bright & Loud
• ·         Crafty Creations #134 – 3 diff dies & Punches
• ·         Crafty Pad #136 – Distressing & Tearing
• ·         Creative Card Crew – Anything Goes
• ·         Creative Stamp Friends #32 – School
• ·         Daisy Doodles #41 – Anything Goes
• ·         Dare to Be Sassy #87 – Back to School
• ·         Delightful Inspiration – Progressive freebie image
• ·         Digi's With Attitude! #32 - Anything Goes
• ·         Fairytale Challenge #22 – Back to School
• ·         Fresh Brewed Designs #62 – ABC 123
• ·         Gingersnap Creations GC113 – Babes & Tots
• ·         Hotspot #7 – Pantone Colours (Bamboo)
• ·         I Love Promarkers #81 – Anything Goes
• ·         Jellypark Friends #4 – Die Cuts or Punches
• ·         Kich N Bleus #5 – Include Some Green
• ·         Little Red Wagon #96 – Border Punches
• ·         Make It Monday #52 – Link Up Party
  Mygraphico Challenge #110 - Back to School
• ·         My Mum’s Craft Shop – 123 Recipe (1 image, 2 DP, 3 bellies)
• ·         One Stop Craft Challenge #146 – Anything But Square
• ·         Outlawz Greeting Card Monday GC082911 – 123 Recipe
• ·         Paper Issues – Learning Curve
• ·         Paper Pretties Monday – Back To School
• ·         Paper Shelter #29 - Anything Goes
• ·         Paperplay #34 – Back To School
• ·         Partytime Tuesday #31 – Anything Goes
• ·         Passion For Promarkers #115 – Anything Goes
• ·         Pile It On #35 – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
• ·         Pixie Cottage #85 – Back 2 School
• ·         Scrapbook Sisters #50 – Anything Goes
• ·         Sentimental Sunday #70 – Back To School
• ·         Sew Many Challenges #66 – Edge Punches
• ·         Simon Says Stamp and Show – Anything Goes
• ·         Stamp Insanity #74 – Back to school
• ·         Stamp n Doodle – 2 or More Circles
• ·         Stamp Something – Back to School
• ·         Totally Gorjuss #95 – As You Like It
• ·         Totally Papercrafts #81 – Back To School
• ·         Use It Tuesday #14 – Back to school (chipboard shapes)