How does your garden grow

Edit: this was made and written before mum's accident! This is the last scheduled post she has so she's really sorry that her log will be so quiet for a while. She hopes to be mended and back to crafting and work soon! (Typed by Freya)

The theme at Country View Crafts Challenges is 'How does your garden grow'. For my second piece,I took the idea I had from my first project and decided to make a complimentary plaque so I could display them together. This is a little hanging using the fabulous PaperArtsy stamps designed by my incredibly talented friend Lin Brown. The little MDF plaque was covered in Snowflake and then Beach Hut PaperArtsy paints as I did before but added a layer of Grunge Paste through a stencil to change the background a little. Grunge Paste is fabulous stuff – really worth buying a pot and experimenting! I added a little Broken China and then Gathered Twigs Distress Inks on the edges of the plaque finished the background off!

I stamped the leaves with Hyde Park paint on to grungepaper and cut them out. The two layered flowers were made by painting grungepaper with a little Butternut paint first before stamping the flowers with more white and blue paint. Once I had cut them out I added a little Broken China Distress Ink on the very edge of the petals. I stamped the sentiment on some blue painted grungepaper but it was a little too long for my little plaque so I cut it so it says 'Secret Garden' instead of ‘Secrets of the garden’. I distressed the edges of the words and then added a little more Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to the edges to emphasis the shape.