The Arden Experiment...

is what I'm calling my card today. Hi everyone, Micki here. I think I should be known as the gal that will make mistakes and figure out how to blend these mistakes into something that can still be used, lol.

Before I show the card, I have to fill you in on the 'mistake'. I had finished coloring Nikki Burnette's Arden with Copics and wanted to do something a little different with the background. Since I'm still working on "arranging" my craft room, my eyes fell on these pastel chalk pencils which I've had for eons but never used. I'm thinking they should work like any other chalks as in the Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks, right? Well, perhaps it would have worked like that but you know me..... oh I can't leave well enough alone.

After I used the blue chalk pencil, I then went over all the blue because it was a little too vibrant with the white chalk pencil thinking it would soften the overall color. Ugh, the white chalk pencil acted like a blender pen. I then grab a blending stump and Futuro Floor Polish (I know - don't ask, it was late and obviously I wasn't thinking) and blended.
Here is what it looked like:

Maybe if I had colored more of the white background, it would have worked but I was trying for a gradual lightening (I can't think of the word ....). Soooo, I broke out the heavy weapons:
acrylic paint and glitter. And I mixed the Martha Stewart Aquamarine Crystal glitter with the paint. Using a foam brush I dabbed it all around the image:

Did you notice it? The texture? To blend it in a little more I used Sapphire on Ice Twinkling H2O's applied with a water brush then dabbing any excess 'puddles' with a paper towel. I love it.... now you guys may have known about that, but I didn't so I was sort of thrilled, lo.

My coloring was really off especially on the hair. (You may not know it, but I am very VERY intimidated to color these beautiful images because of the tiny details). Also had a couple of goof ups on the wings, so I just added micro seed beads to the wing tips. The orange part of the wings is Distress Stickles. The flower centers are 2mm Gold Rhinestones and for the green vines, I used regular Stickles.

All in all, I learned a lesson. Next time before I use a new medium, I should perhaps read up on it before almost ruining a project :-). But I do like the end result - something a little different and besides, Nikki Burnette's Arden which you can get as part of Plate #82 is gorgeous! It truly is hard to mess up any project with this gorgeous stamp.

I hope you enjoyed my 'experiment'.