ATC à la Chunky Style!

Bonjour! Ça va? Well, it's Monday again so I'm jumping straight in with my latest creation for Simon Says Stamp & Show! Grab your passport, because we're on a whirlwind tour...Paris, London and New York. Take your pick! Don your nostalgic beret as I'm taking you back to the City of Love in 1889.

I took my inspiration from the wonderful Paris Exposition stamp set by Artistic Outpost and decided a chunk of wood would be the perfect base to build on. I used Rusty Hinge Distress Stain to colour my block and then set about adorning each side. I went old school vintage style with lots of torn edges, aged papers and layering...

I covered scrap card with an old French book page, swiped it with Gesso and stamped various words in Archival Inks, stitching and distressed the edges before gluing it to the block. Then I swooshed Manilla cardstock with Stormy Sky and Rusty Hinge Distress Stains, stamped the balloons did some fiddly snip-work, re-stamping and layering the balloon wording.

I love the blast of colour against the vintage tones!
I hammered two rows of brass tacks into the wood and zig-zagged some copper thread around them to create some extra detail and a base for the bigger balloon so it could really 'float'...

I aged a small tag with generous doses of Distress Stains, Distress Ink and lots of manhandling!
The background is randomly stamped and the Parisian mademoiselle is stamped onto a lighter scrap, cut out and layered on top.
I wasn't fussy about any creases or marks that were already on the papers...it all adds to the mood of yesteryear.

On the other larger side I set my gents against an inky stamped background. I created a frame from Grungeboard which has been heavily 'antiquified' with Vintage Photo Distress Stain and Embossing powder. I re-stamped and cut just the men, and set them directly on top of the frame

 I added a few more details and wording to the frame and then moved onto another side and the Eiffel Tower...

I stamped the tower onto card and then gave it a good inking and folding to add age. I layered it up with a scrap of a vintage French map using the wording from another stamp in the set.

And so finally, we reach the summit... I think it's my favourite part.

I love clusters and just piled on the scraps, a piece of a metal ruler and an old brass knob, coloured with Alcohol Ink to finish.

I think it's fabulous theme this week! Hop over to The Design Team Blog and feast your eyes on the loveliness from my wonderful teamies! We love seeing your artwork and really look forward to seeing what you'll come up with! Don't forget the great $50 prize from Simon Says Stamp - just perfect for all those new CHA goodies!
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who called by last week with such lovely words about my Tissue Wrap dress! THANK YOU! Now I must be awaying... Sarah.