Challenge #16 - Shabby Garden Mood Board

Hello Everyone! Lisa here and I am excited to be your hostess this for this month's challenge here at Anything But Cute. Thank all of you who joined us for our challenge last month! Wow! All of the entries are amazing and it's going to be so hard to choose our favorites! Don't forget to check back with us next Friday when Anne and the team announce the winners of the Summertime Fun challenge. Now on to this month's theme.

There is something so relaxing about strolling through a summer garden blooming with fragrant flowers. When I think of a shabby chic garden, so many images come to mind: coming across a timeworn bench that has been painted so many times over the years, the old paint shows through the worn areas; watching birds take a drink from a fountain that has cracked with age but still stands proudly with regal beauty; birds making a home inside a house that has withstood the elements and still provides a safe haven for the babies about to be born; a couple saying their vows beneath a crystal chandelier hanging from a trellis covered in flowering vines, petals lining the ground. Those images were my inspiration for this month's theme.

SHABBY GARDEN MOOD BOARD

For this challenge, we are asking you to take a stroll through a romantic shabby garden. Create any mixed media project strongly inspired by the mood board. Think flowers and plants in cracked pots, peeling paint bird feeders, distressed timeworn furniture, crumbling statues, soft pastels and feminine accessories. Don't forget to tell us how the mood board inspired your project and have fun!

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And now for some inspiration from the talented Anything But Cute design team!

Anne - Redanne

I was so inspired by Lisa's gorgeous mood board that I tried to incorporate a little bit of each photo into my card design. I used loads of bits from my stash and also a gift from a lovely friend....

Autumn - Sew Paper Paint

Branka - Vintage Handmade

I was inspired by beautiful colors of this amazing mood board to alter the clock. I used some of my Decoart supplies, some Prima embellishments and some natural elements to create this.

Lisa - A Mermaid's Crafts

I love everything shabby and I love watching the birds in my yard, so I combined the two to create this mixed media birdhouse!! Covered with mega crackle and dripping a carpet of flowers and vines, I wanted to create a shabby oasis for our feathered friends!!

Niki - Pawsitively Creative Crafts

Lisa's shabby moodboard inspired me to create a peeled/chipped paint design featuring "barn doors" that open to reveal elements of my shabby garden. The shutters inspired the shadow box design.

I used 3 different kinds of chalky paint creating 7 layers of paint, some sandpaper and some CHAPSTICK! Yeppers, chapstick. This was a challenge and I think I have finally figured out how to do shabby chic in my own way. Yippee! Carpe Diem!

Sara Emily - sarascloset

I was inspired by the colors and peeling paint in Lisa's beautiful mood board, as well as the windows and hearts, and of course the sense of romance. I used Distress and DecoArt products to get my peeled paint look and lots of stuff from my stash to make this shabby wedding card.

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Truly inspirational projects by the design team, wouldn't you say! Please hop over to the team blogs to see more photos and get some details on how these projects were made. And don't forget to leave some bloggy love while you're there.

I hope that we have inspired you to get out your vibrant colours and create some wonderful projects for our challenge!

The winner will receive the honour of being our Feature Artist for an upcoming challenge!

Here at Anything But Cute we just love to see all the seasoned and expert mixed media artists, but we also want to encourage those who are just getting their feet wet. Our design team will always be on the lookout for these exceptional projects and artists. You just never know when we might be giving out something special to a lucky mixed media newcomer. We all have to start somewhere, right?

Challenge runs until September 4th - we can't wait to see what you come up with! Happy Crafting from the entire team and thanks for visiting Anything But Cute!

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