Just Wondering

 Morning all!  I'm still in the mood for Asters so today's offering showcases them as well.  I really like these, they are such a different shape from the rose type flowers we usually get.  I love the fact that these dies give us more options for variations in  floral sprays.  I started with a very pale grey background to which I added a decorative lace border in a darker shade of grey to the bottom.  I stamped the Palace Entry stamp from Heartfelt Creations (isn't that a great gateway!)  I coloured it with a combination of distress markers and cut it out  (by hand).  I stamped it a second time and cut out just the archway part of it. I mounted the archway with 3D foam for dimension then placed it over the same area on the gate.  A little tip, when cutting out images by hand, use a black marker around the edge to hide any imperfections in your cutting.  It will take away that paper edge so it will be less noticeable.  I always do this by holding the item towards me and using the marker from behind.  That way, if my hand slips (as it often does) it won't ruin the front of your nicely coloured piece (does that make sense?).  I made several of the asters, this time inking the petals with Mustard Seed distress ink and using the centre piece.  I glued them around the card with some leaves from the set and added some swirly bits from the Bella Rose die (I love the swirly part of that die!)  I stamped my sentiment on coconut white card and cut it out with Fancy tags two.  I cut one more in grey and cut it in half to use as a subtle shadow.  I matted the card with grey card and then used the Cosmic Shimmer silver PVA glue to create little pearl dots around the edge. I hope you like this one as I was chuffed with how it turned out!  Finished dimensions are  7" x 8" in size.  All for now, Sue x