Whimsical & ecclectic.

When I first saw the Noveau girls from Some Odd Girl, I knew I had to have them. Not only were they beautiful, they were so different from any of the stamps I own. And because they were inspired by a period of art history, they appealed to me even more.

I have always been into art as far back as I can remember. I recall preschool art projects that consisted of pencil sharpening bits glued on paper to make flowers. My mom taught me how to do figure drawings and faces. I always doodled borders and letter art in high school.

While I was envious of my childhood friends who took up dance and sports, I felt lucky enough to take part in art classes and piano lessons. I dreamed of majoring in graphic design but eventually gave in to my parents' insistence to take up something more financially 'stable' and 'practical.'

I love my nursing career and do not regret my decision. Yet there is always going to be a small part of me that long for the arts. I am very grateful for my hobbies of papercrafting, stamping, scrapbooking, and photography. I am blessed to live so close to so many amazing art museums. So even if I don't get to make art for a living, I sure am lucky to be able to include it in my life.

Anyway, I am digressing...

I finally got to work with my Noveau girls. I went all out with this first creation of Grow. To me, she looks part Marie-Antoinette-ish, part fairy tale princess. I pictured her in an exotic and lively forest full of wonderful creatures. Or walking in front of a big window in her fanciful castle.

There are a lot of elements mixed in here, and I love them all! Call it a whimsical & ecclectic card if you will :). To me, it's very artsy. The way all the leaves flourish and grow...lots of flowing lines and dynamic curves. A little bit like a modern art noveau style? Hee hee, not quite sure but I'd like to think so.

The stamped images that make up the inner borders are from Grow as well. I really like them because I used to always doodle something similar to those. The sentiment is from Bliss. The PP are both from Basic Grey. The leaf pins are from an old Taylored Expressions kit. The shiny leaves embellies are from a kit I won from Gauche Alchemy. The images are colored with my beloved Copics.

Thanks so much for visiting and reading my post!