Layout for Design Team Call

OOOooo!!!  I am so nervous!  This will be the first time I have tried out for ANYTHING in regards to paper crafting.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high because the competition is very strong but I'm giving it my best try.
The design team I am trying out for is for the blog Creative Critterz Imagination.  The focus of their blog is crafting with the Cricut Imagine, which is the machine I LOVE!!!!  So I thought this would be perfect.

Anyway, here is what I came up with for the challenge.  I wanted to really see what I could do with the Lori's Garden cartridge and I am pretty pleased with the result.  Although it is a 12 x 12 layout, I think I will be mounting it on canvas and using it as home decor.  Not decided yet though.

 I wanted to try and show the full potential of Lori's Garden but I found it impossible because the cartridge has so much to offer so I went with the flowers and mushrooms that were on it.  The frame was cut from the Cindy Loo cartridge using the fit to page feature and filled with the large pink rose pattern from Lori's Garden. The mat and photo mat was cut using the 3:5 built in rectangle cut at 5" and then at 4.7" but that didn't fit quite right so I cut them down by an inch on one short side of each rectangle then used my Creative Memories corner rounder to round the corners.

  I created the entire layout with white textured card stock (Colorbok, from Walmart), pop dots and brown ink.  I think I used like 3 full pieces of paper and then scraps for the rest of the cuts.

 The trio of mushrooms were cut at 2.5" and cut with all the layers.  Behind the mushrooms I placed one of the icons included in the cartridge and it was cut at 4.0".  I think it gives the floral scene a little depth.

 The rose arrangement at the top left of this photo was cut at 3.5" and layered, then I let the spray of flowers on each side of it kind of wind through the other flowers as I placed them.  The blue flowers were cut at 2.5" and 2.0".

 I LOVE this butterfly!  It is so pretty and has many layers with it.  I found that all the layers did not need the antennae so I trimmed them all off but the bottom layer.  I also did not add the tiny tiny little gray strip layer on the body, I found it unnecessary.  It may have worked for a larger cut though. This one is cut at 2.5".  The blue flower flourish with the butterfly is cut at 3.5" using all layers also.  Love the layers!!!

 I just couldn't leave out the long stemmed rose with its many layers.  Lori's Garden gives you plenty of layers to create a full 3D effect on all of its images.  I don't always use pop dots under every layer because it can get way to tall and look funny, so some of the layers I just curled up the petals and glued the center down.  This card stock is nice and heavy so they stay curled nicely.

 The two pink pansies were cut at 2.5" and 2.0 and included in the arrangement on each bottom corner.  It was also fun to kind of weave the mushroom icon through the arrangement also.

The tiny yellow and pink butterfly actually was cut from the mushroom icon but was separate so I put it gently landing on the blue flower and popped up its wings.  As you probably noticed, I inked ALL the edges with brown ink.  For tiny curves and curls and the insides of cuts I use a scruffy brush with really short and stiff bristles and dip it into my ink pad and ink the edges that way.  The ink gives all the cuts definition, hides when my calibration is a little off and gives depth and a distressed look.  The colors and patterns in Lori's Garden are so soft that with out the inking, they all blend together and fall flat.

Thanks for stopping by, wish me luck and maybe the next time you visit you will see a challenge I am creating for the design team.  Who knows???  Right???
Blessings,
Jana