Hope always

Happy 2018!!  Welcome to the first challenge of the year from the Love To Scrap Challenge Blog!  Here's to another fabulous year full of inspiration and challenges.  This month the theme is: Anything Goes.  Our sponsor is Cas-ual Fridays Stamps:

I combined two of their stamp sets to create this simple, but fun card:

 I was going to color the flowers all the same color.  I had the first row colored and had started on the second, when something made me think about creating an ombre look.  I had the perfect amount of markers in this color family and I think it turned out really cool.  I did the same with the yellow dots atop the flowers.  I stamped the "hope" in black, used a white get pen to outline it where it overlapped the flowers to help it stand out a little more and then I used a clear wink of stella pen to cover the entire word for some subtle sparkle.

Oh, and I did manage to use a piece from my "bits and pieces" stash--the little banner that 'always' is stamped on.  I am on a roll!!  : )
I hope you will get a chance to play along with us this month.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Supplies:
Stamps: Cas-ual Fridays "Powerful Words" sentiment and "Mon Ami" flowers
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle

Challenges:
Sweet Stampin'--anything NEW (the sentiment stamp set is new; sent to me for this challenge)
Hiding In My Craft Room #333--freestyle
Cardz TV #28--anything goes
Cute Card Thursday #510--anything goes
C.R.A.F.T. #448--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes
MFT #365--sketch

 Word Art Wednesday #313--anything goes with uplifting sentiment