CFC19, LIM32 - You and moi? Ooh la la!!

Hey - Today's card is based on two of my favorite challenges - first up is the CAS-ual Fridays "Falling to Pieces" challenge to use paper piecing on a fall themed card.

I paper pieced these cute little doggies (a•muse|studio Ooh la la!) with patterned paper from the Basic Grey Basics Kraft 6"x6" pad.

The second challenge tackled was the Less is More (LIM32) "Seeing Double" - use two of something on a one-layer card.  It is no secret to Chrissie and Mandi from Less is More that I struggle with having adequate "white space" on the cards that I submit to their challenges.  This card has LOTS of white space - so much so that I think that I should receive a "Certificate of Merit" for my efforts (hee hee - I know that there is no such thing but if there was I'd nominate myself - humble attitude, huh?)

Those little piles of colorful leaves are cute on a card and even on the yard at the beginning of fall until 1) they get rained on, and 2) need to be raked up!!  At that point I curse the very large tree in our backyard which apparently only makes it drop more leaves and maybe even grow new ones to drop down on me in disdain over my bad attitude - when will I ever learn??

Supplies available through my a•muse online shop!!

STAMPS - Ooh la la!, Hearts a Plenty, Polka Dot Patterns, Seasonal Branch (leaves)

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Garden Glory

Time for a new Tuesday Trigger - Garden Glory.  As the days are starting to get a little shorter and cooler it is certainly refreshing to see my favorite spring flower in an inspiration picture.  I love Peonies so much that I used them in my blog banner!

There is one element missing in this gorgeous inspiration picture?  Do you know that it/they are??  ANTS!!  It takes the diligent work of lots of ants to open all the layers and layers of petals on those gorgeous showy blooms.

This fun layout is courtesy of the current Clean and Simple Stamping's FTL157.  The bloom is made with tissue paper and cut with my Tim Holtz' Tattered Floral die (a kinda spendy purchase but one that I use all the time).   A jeweled brad in the flower's center and the brown cardstock are reminiscent of the table in the inspiration pic while the green filigree (courtesy of a Lifestyle Trellis cutting die) is an obvious reflection of the chair.

Sentiment is from the a•muse|studio Monogram Frames set.  Patterned paper from Memory Box (Jubilee Collection).
My 10 year old son is off with some of his younger friends to cavort at Chuck E Cheese's tonight.  Can I tell you how happy I am that it isn't me there?!!  WHOO HOO!  YIPPEE!!

OLW63 - We're Back, Baby!!

WHOO HOO!!  Do you feel my joy??  After a summer hiatus One Layer Wednesday challenges are back!!  Jennifer is hosting this week and the theme is baby cards -
I made this card with the newly pregnant mommy in mind - when the pregnancy is so new that you don't know the gender of the baby; when it is so fresh that there is no way anybody would ever know you were expecting unless you told them and yet you feel "so very pregnant", when suddenly "boring" pregnancy/birth stories are the most fascinating sagas in your friends' lives, when receiving a card acknowledging your pregnant state makes you beam with joy then cry for no reason. . .

All supplies are a•muse|studio and available in my online shop!

Cardstock - Lemon Chiffon, Sugar
Ink - Grass, Sage, Papaya
Stamps - Vintage Labels, Marvelous Marigolds, Essential Sentiments
Accessories - Labels die set, Fern Satin ribbon, Sugar Organdy polka-dot ribbon

FTL156 - Embellish Stripes Challenge

Today's card is based on the current Clean and Simple Stamping's FTL156 and the Stripes Color Challenge from Embellish.  Dug out some of my neglected embellishments - a corrugated flower from Jillibean Soup jazzed up with a Maya Road Red Ruffle Blossom.

The sentiment is from the a•muse|studio Essential Sentiments stamp set - definitely an essential in my book!!

BTW - Have you ever seen this DirecTV commercial where people's heads turn into Benjamin Franklin - do you think he would have appreciated this particular incarnation complete with headband and earrings?  Creepy and disturbing.  Plus, since I had this picture stuck in my head I thought I'd do you a favor and get it stuck in your head too - Enjoy and you're welcome!!

Sweet dreams!

LIM31 - Metal Hello

Time for another Less is More Colour Challenge - this week's task is to use metal.  I've had this metal embellishment for a long time and thought it would look cool on a cardfront.  Such a simple way to make a big impact.  The patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye - Stella Rose collection.  Label sticker Martha Stewart and letters from Basic Grey.

Here's a little peek at some of the goodies I picked up this weekend - I am particularly excited about the big box of oil pastels for goofing off in my art journal.  Corey wants to know if I plan on making teeny tiny ships for the corked bottles - har har.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

PDCC97, CFC18 - Black & White and read all over

This week's CAS-ual Friday challenge was a toughie -

CFC18:  Create a Clean And Simple project inspired by a book, and use the colors black, white and red.

Have you guessed which book inspired this card?  Little Women.  I read that book so many times when I was young - in fact one of the best gifts I ever received was a set of five Louisa May Alcott books from my grandmother.  While most people are familiar with Little Women did you know that there were two other books that went with it?  Little Men and Jo's Boys.  LOVED all of them!  Anyhoo, the March girls (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) spent a lot of time on their correspondence as was common then.  They were also very clever girls - writing their own newspaper and building sets for the plays they would put on in their home.  Seems quite likely that they would also fashion pretty cards to send to their friends.  

I used the retired Art Nouveau Backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms to stamp the background then cut a square from the front with a Nestabilities die.  Martha Stewart Clear alphabet and Maraschino twine from The Twinery add the requisite splash of red for the Play Date Cafe Challenge.

Read any good books lately?  Yesterday, I finished Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill about slavery during the time of the Revolutionary War.  Really good book.  Another favorite in the past few months was These is my words : the diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 : Arizona Territories : a novel  - I particularly enjoy historic fiction - what books do you recommend?

Happy Anniversary, Corey!!

Guess who has been married for 21 years today??!!  Did you guess my husband, Corey?  Then you would be correct - the best 21 years of his life!  Would you believe that he was 20 when we got married and that I was 10?

One of the many things that Corey loves about me is my practicality (that's what I tell him anyway) and what, I ask, could be more practical than combining your anniversary card with two challenges??  The first is the Vertical Sketch Challenge from the Moxie Fab blog pictured above (turn the sketch upside down).  The second is the CAS133 challenge from SCS to use kraft and bright colors.

Stamps are from Stampabilities and a muse.  Heart is grungeboard painted with Claudine Hellmuth paint and then covered with Tim Holtz Rock Candy.
Happy Anniversary, Cor - LOVE YA!!