Hi-ya, friends! I asked you a couple of weeks ago, what you would like to see from me this year and a great deal of suggestions regarded the way I combine seemingly unrelated products to create a coherent collage - style card. I gave it a good thought and decided that the best way to explain the process will be a series of step-by-step photo tutorials, like the one I created HERE and which was met with quite an enthusiasm.

Frankly, I was battling with the idea of giving it a go at all, since the choices that determine the final look of my freestyle collage cards, are pretty chaotic & unpredictable. I go through a lot of stuff before I settle on the elements, fumble in my die cut, off-cut and whatnot baskets, but I never over-think the process. My work is largely based on intuition. Does it look fine? Yep, slap it on!
That being said, I hope that seeing how I build up my layers will help you open up more to possibilities yourselves. Here’s the card I’m sharing today!

I based it on the following challenges.
(click on the graphics for the hyperlink)

I almost always base my cards on a piece of inspiration, be it a current or past challenge or a Pinterest find. Sketches are my staple since they take the burden of figuring out the initial layout off me and help me visualize the general direction I want to go in. I love inspiration challenges like the WPlus9 Mood Board above as well, since they not only give me an option of colours but patterns, textures and/or style as well.

I decided to have a kraft card base with a layer of PTI Rustic White CS covering the front. I cut it smaller than the card and slightly narrower still, to account for extra bits which I wanted to tuck underneath the panel. I started by sponging Memento Luxe in Dandelion and Peanut Brittle through the Heidi Swapp Polka Dot stencil.

I flicked over some Marigold Glimmer Mist, to break up the regularity of the pattern.

Then I die cut the WPlus9 label (Label Layers 1 die) and gold embossed it using the corresponding stamp set (Filigreed Frames).

I stamped the sentiment from Neat & Tangled Dreams, in Memento Luxe Espresso Truffle. I stamped the banner separately, cut it out and mounted on dimensionals under the sentiment to match the stamp.

On a separate piece of CS, I stamped some leaves from WPlus9 Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, in Provincial Gray Fresh Ink.

…fussy cut all of them, and added shading with Copic markers (C5 & C3).

I mounted the label on the panel and arranged the leaves around it, tucking the stalks underneath. I mounted all pieces on foam tape.

At this stage I decided to add further interest and an extra colour to the background, and stamped some stars from Simon Says Stamp Merry Trees set in a few places, with PTI Ocean Tides ink.

I took a scrap of stripe paper (Basic Grey Fact pad) and adhered it under the bottom left edge of the panel, leaving only a little bit of it to peek out.

For the finishing touches, I added a dot of glitter glue to the centers of the stars, a punched butterfly (Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly) topped with a pearlescent sequin, a May Arts Ivory twine and a light wash of E41 Copic to the banner.

Voila! Here’s the card again, I hope you enjoyed