Card challenge

I decided to enter one of my cards into a card making challenge  (CAS-ual Fridays).  I am a little bit uncertain whether I am doing everything right because I have never done this before . . .

For those who do not know:  CAS means Clean And Simple.  Clean and simple is not something that comes naturally to me and I always struggle to get the balance right.  So this was quite a challenge to
me ;)   I decided to make a Mother's Day card since  it will be mother's day in South Africa soon.  Here is the card:

The card base is white (always looks pink because of me trying to take photos in bad light at night :/ ) and so is the single flower.  I used my copic markers (G00; YG03; G14; B02 & B05) to make the stripy paper and edged it with my memento Bahama blue ink pad.  The sentiment was stamped in Danube blue, also from memento and then I edged the card with a fine blue felt tip marker and added the blue bling on the corners.

I like the way it looks except that the part of me that struggles with CAS is telling me that it needs something more inside the frame but then it will not be CAS anymore . . .

So, here goes . . .

a First for me . . .

I have been asked to make some cards on order for someone and of course the pleasure is all mine!  She gave me specifics so I could taylor make the cards for her family members.

The one I am showing you today is for her mother.  This kind of card is not what I am used to because I love clean and simple (CAS) cards.  I loved making this one but it was a challenge getting all the little things to fit in such a limited space!  So here it is . . .

I always have bad lighting because night time is when I get a chance to play ;)

I so hope that this card is not too cluttered!  My friend said that her mother likes flowers and so this is what I came up with.  I think that an older lady might like it.

How:

I stamped this Celebrate in Style image from Gina K. Designs on ivory card and cut it out using Spellbinders oval and my Cuttlebug (then built the layers using the scalloped oval dies).  

The dress skirt is paper pieced (for those who does not know how that is done  http://stamptv.ning.com/video/paper-piecing-with-gkd-patterned-paper ) and cut out by hand. 

I liked the sentiment (also from Celebrate in Style) on this card because it seems to suit an older lady since they are always dressed so well!  And of course I had to add some lace somewhere because, to me, these ladies and lace are synonymous!  This was stamped and then cut out using a tag from Fancy Tags One.

It was finished off with some bold paper flowers in "Vintage" colours and pearls.