I had a couple of days off last week to make a long weekend and on Friday I crafted and finished off some started but not finished projects that had been lying around. So I've got quite a few posts ready to go and its only Sunday so there might be some more finishing of projects and posts!
So this is the first one.
I'm really loving taking early morning snaps on Instagram (jomyhill if you want to have a look) at the moment, I love May as everything in the garden starts growing and appearing at an alarming rate, its a bit like a teenage growth spurt and you cant keep up with it! The rose is absolutely full of buds and I'll have to start dead heading soon. Just need my floppy straw hat, trug and secateurs and I'll feel like Vita Sackville West gently ambling through her white garden at Sissinghurst (must go back soon). 
So one morning I captured this snail gently nestled in a Valerian (they self seed like nobodies business, mostly pink, but occasionally I get a white one - bliss I can be Vita again!)
I printed the photo on glossy photo paper, cut it out and added a layer of Rock Candy Crackle Paint. (I have a bit of love/ hate relationship with this one in terms of getting cracks, don't think I put a thick enough layer on) and left it to dry.
I'd made the background a little while ago, I wanted to do something texture on white so used some Grunge Paste through a damask stencil and some Dreamweaver Crackle on a 12x12 sheet of textured white card.
Took out my green palette of PaperArtsy fresco paint and started lightly adding some colour. I wanted to keep it faded and light and lots of shadows on the Grunge Paste to add depth. I also got out my coloured Distress Ink pads and used Evergreen Bough over the Grunge Paste (um quite liking these again, might have to have a play).Also added a little bit of stamping in Olive and Fern Green Archival.
Now for the embellishments and layering. Stitched some fabric strips down, hunted out some scraps of toning green and yellow card / paper for under the photo distressing the edges of course. The stamps were from the Sara Naumann Eclectica range and the butterfly from Lin Brown Eclectica range.
Some flowers, washi tape, metal bits and bobs from the bag of stash, staples and some Craftworks candi finished off the layout.
So why snails pace? Well I think I'm a really slow crafter, it can take me quite a while to think about the composition, find the right stuff to add to the composition and place it to make it look good, draw the eye, allow it to linger and slowly wander around the page. bit like a snails journey through life really!
I'm going to enter this for the June Sketch Challenge on Scrapmag 365. Its almost the same, just a little bit of artistic licence on the photo placement! I really like the simple composition of this sketch and may use it again as I really like all that white space top and bottom.
Hugs
Jo
xx
