Beautiful Peony

I have been looking forward to breaking out my new Altenew stamps and one of my favourite flowers is the Peony. So of course I was excited to use the Lacy Scrolls, which are inspired by the Peony.
The other day on the radio I heard that together with the plum blossom, the peony is a national floral symbol of the  country of China. The Chinese name for peony means “beautiful” and in Chinese  culture the flowers represent riches, prosperity and honour.

I decided to use gold leaf for the scrolls. I've only used this once or twice and I find that I waste a lot and end up with gold on everything else around me, because it is so light and floats away. I love the result though, so I'll have to work out a way to save as much as possible.

I tried to include all my favourite elements in the Altenew inspiration photo - dry embossing, the colours, the book print, the love theme, the bling and the flower. 

 I used a page from Romeo & Juliet for the butterfly to tie in with the love theme.

I used mica beads instead of glitter.

I'm entering this card in the Altenew February : From the Craft Room Challenge.
I'm also entering the City Crafter Challenge, which is to 'Tell someone they matter'. 
ETA: I'm entering this in the Happy Little Stampers challenge - theme _ Embossing.

I would also like to remind you about the Mixed Media Card Challenge which has L.O.V.E. as the theme.