Graphic 45 May Challenge

I am taking part in the Graphic 45 May Challenge and I thought I would share my layout here too.

This layout was going to include a vine of flowers I made using some of the die cut flowers from the Secret Garden collection but the more the design evolved the less they looked right.  It works like that sometimes.  I spent quite a bit of time getting the details into this layout and much fussy cutting in front of the TV!

I love to find ways to incorporate hidden journalling into a layout and the May Flowers 12 x 12 had the most gorgeous post card designs which I created this pretty panel with and when you lift it up it reveals......

......a great place to journal and a spot for another photo too!  I fussy cut around the ribbon and tucked a photo of hubby and I underneath so we are bound together forever!  You can see I haven't journaled yet as I have decided to make my layout into a canvas as these gorgeous Secret Garden papers will look fab in our bedroom so I may get romantic with my journalling ;-)  So I am sparing your blushes and mine !!!

I have two secret places to journal if you count the little pocket and tag which is from the Secret Gardens Tag and Pockets die cuts - these are so cute.  I shaped some of the flower centre die cuts with my embossing tool to make the little paper buttons top left and bottom right.  I spent ages looking at all my letters.  You know how you do and you can never find the letters you want for the title you have in mind so I decided to mix and match letters and to coordinate them by painting them white with my new Picket Fence Distress Paint and then I added silver gilding.  As you can see I accented the whole layout with silver gilding and I am really pleased with the way it turned out as it compliments the shabby chic look of this layout without overpowering it with too much bling.  A couple of charms strung on strings of pearls and I am ready to put this onto a box canvas.  I might add a bit more of the fussy cut blossom branches to the edges of the canvas as I spent so long cutting it all out!

And I still have my flower vines so I am going to use them on another little project and will share them later along with my finished canvas......so long as there is no peeking at the journalling mind!!!! ;-)

Thank you for popping by and brightening an otherwise very grey day! x