Claritystamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Seren is a Welsh name meaning 'star'

Why is it when you have wider brief it becomes more difficult to come up with an idea.  This month's Claritystamp challenge is Anything Goes. A lot has been going on here this month and suddenly the deadline for getting my design in was looming.  After a weekend visit by my daughter and her family, inspiration finally came.  I became a grandmother again on Christmas Eve, my first granddaughter, Seren.  She is beautiful, of course.  I have designed this name plaque for her but you could use any name of your choice.

Stamps: Nursery Rhyme Alphabet, Field Mice,  Toadstool from Wee Folk Elves 
Stencil:  Tree Box Frame
Ink:       Adirondack, Lettuce and Stonewashed, Archival Coffee
Other:    Claritystamp Stencil card and stencil brushes, Colouring pencils, fine nib felt pens, sepia pen

• Stamp your name using Coffee Archival ink.  I used this colour because I wanted to colour in the blackbirds on the letter S and thought they wouldn't show up if I stamped in the usual black.

• Cover up the name with post-it notes.
• Tape the stencil to the left-hand side of the card and brush blue ink across from the left taking care not to get a hard edge at the right-hand side  
• Make a hill mask with copier paper and then brush Lettuce across the bottom. The green will mix with the blue to give a darker green.  

• Remove the stencil and clean it before turning it over and repeating these steps on the right-hand side.
• Remove the stencil and then use masking tape to get an edge in the central section.
• Lightly brush on the inks to complete the frame.

• I'm afraid this is where I forgot to keep taking photos.
• Colour in the letters.  I used mainly pencils but also fine nib felt pens for those fiddly bits. 
• Add a wiggly outline with a sepia pen.
• Some shading around the frame and tree branches.
• At this stage I thought it was looking a bit plain and decided to add the mice.
• Make some masks for the field mice using post-its.
• Stamp mice and cover with masks.
• Stamp the Toadstool behind the mice then remove the masks.
• Gently wet inside the mice and blot to remove the green then when dry colour in.
• Add some colour to the toadstool and a couple of Barbara's heart birds in the trees to finish it off.

I have temporarily mounted the card on some brown card but not quite sure yet whether to frame it or make it into a door plaque. I will make that decision another day when I am not in so much of a rush.  I love these Nursery Rhyme Alphabet letters and noticed that you can buy individual letters now.

Looking forward to all your entries this month.

Lesley x