A Touch of Shabby Chic

Hi folks

Today I want to share with you a card I made for the birthday of a special friend recently. I had to go outside my comfort zone a bit to produce my version of the shabby chic style. To do this I've used (quite) a few techniques to add texture and interest to the card including embossing, distressing, sponging, spritzing and stitching (yes, the real thing with a sewing machine!).

The card is in the style of an easel which I really like as it sits nicely to display your handiwork and yet folds down flat for ease of posting (although this is slightly tricky with the embellishments I've used, in which case a small box is the way to go).  Finding a place to write your message is the slightly challenging issue though.

Due to time constraints I had to photograph it at night so the light is quite harsh.  One benefit is that I learned more about Photoshop elements in the process to cut out the background shadows. Without further ado, the first photo is the side view, showing the easel style:

The next photo is of the flower detail. I tried out a process that Shelli Gardner demonstrated at Convention this year. This involves using a bone folder to soften the DSP (or cardstock) so that the layers of the paper start separating to give a shabby, frayed appearance.

Here are the details of the products used: