A Recipe Challenge

The BFF came over for a scrapbooking session and we decided to do the Scrappin' Patch Recipe Challenge.  I have to say; it was a real challenge for me and the BFF will testify to that by the amount of muttering and cursing that was coming from me. I thought starting with a sketch was a challenge but a recipe challenge is even harder!

Here's the recipe:
3x Patterned Papers
1x Doily
2x Buttons or Brads
1x Staple (I used 2 - shhhh!)
Ribbon
Masking/Masking
Layering

You could use inks, pens and sprays and one other thing.

The first challenge, for me, was the 3 patterned papers - I struggle with mixing patterned papers and I am concerned with the cost of using so many papers on one layout. The next challenges were ones that both the BFF and I struggled with - the masking and the staple. How do you add masking when you are already using three patterned papers? Isn't it busy enough? Then, one staple? And where do you put it? I ended up using 2 staples. My one other thing is the ricrac.

I've never struggled so much with a layout or a challenge and it took me so long!

PS The ribbons on the photo corners are actually bright teal green - it just doesn't show up in the photo. The doily was spritzed with charcoal spray ink through a damask stencil - again it doesn't show up well.

The details for the challenge are  here

Materials: Papers (Kaisercraft, Echo Park), Stencil (Prima), Spray Ink (Tattered Angel), Staple (Tim Holtz), Buttons (Doodlebug), Ink (Tim Holtz), Doily, Ribbon