A Slow Start ...

Have I told you lately that I'm not loving Blogger. I had this post half done, and all of a sudden the whole darned thing disappeared - photos, text, all of it. I shouldn't bitch (oops ... complain) about a service that's free. However...

With that out of my system, my first card would most definitely qualify for a "Simple Saturday" offering. The focal point image was cut from patterned paper, conveniently from the same Studio 45 paper I used for the background. Pretty, isn't it? The Stamp Simply challenge this week on the No Time to Stamp? blog is "Lovely Lace." I mounted the paper image on a piece of chipboard and attached it to my card with foam tape to accommodate the bulk of the ribbon and crocheted lace. With hopes of coordinating the paper I used for the sentiment with the patterned paper, I distressed it with Desert Sand and Brown Bag ink. I could have added a brad or two but instead, asked the Why? question and left it as it.

Materials & Tools: Vanilla Cream and Desert Sand cardstock; Studio 45 Botanicals Collection Antiquity paper; Cocoa, Desert Sand, and Brown Bag ink pads; Stampendous Flexible Friendship Wishes stamp set; Crocheted lace from Wal-Mart; Cocoa grosgrain ribbon; Chipboard; Sponge daubers; Stampin' Up Word Window punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

My next card is my take on Weekend Sketch Challenge #91, hosted this week on the Fresh & Fun blog. Again, I used paper from Studio 45's Botanicals Collection. I will have to admit that the finished product is not what I originally had in mind. Once I stamped the sentiment, I found the larger stamped butterfly I had planned wasn't going to work. Lucky for me, I came across a paper flower that I'd colored with my Creme Brule marker I while back (that obviously didn't work for whatever I intended it for). The little butterfly in its center was cute from the patterned paper. One more thing. The texture on the Autumn Terracotta cardstock (if you can see it) was created using the Saran Wrap technique. That's wadding up a piece of plastic wrap and using it like a stamp. It's a favorite of mine, especially when I want to make my paper look like suede or denim. I like it when cards that evolve turn out as well as this one did.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Autumn Terracotta cardstock; Studio 45 Botanicals Collection Ode to a Butterfly paper; Black, Bamboo, and Autumn Terracotta ink pads; Creme Brule marker; CTMH Butterfly Kiss stamp set; Big Pinks paper flower; Antiqued Copper mini brads; Stampin' Up Photo Corner punch; Piercing tool: Stampin' Up Piercing Guide and Mat; Sponge dauber; Sanding block; 3M foam mounting tape.

For this last card, I weaned myself away from the Studio 45 paper, and reached for Basic Grey's Lime Rickey. Man, there's some wild paper in that pad! This card meets the criteria of two challenges. The sketch is this week's A Sketch for You to Try on the i{heart}2stamp blog. And, the current Challenge #9 on the Pile it on! blog is to use at least three flowers on one's card and combine that challenge with another. I have to say this card satisfies my blue/green color combination yen, even though the Outdoor Denim cardstock and ribbon look black in the photo. Speaking of, I think my poor camera had a bit of a time with this card cuz' I took several shots and didn't get a single one that was clearly in focus. Too much goin' on, I suppose! We wouldn't want to blame it on the photographer or anything. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Citrus Leaf, and Outdoor Denim cardstock; Basic Grey Lime Rickey 6x6-inch paper pad; Black and Outdoor Denim ink pads; Penny Black Toadilly and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Outdoor Denim grosgrain ribbon; Just Blooms White Daisy and Summer Posies paper flowers; White Daisy Bigger Brads; Mini brads from my stash; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; McGill Multi-tag punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

With all these cards and so much text, I won't bore you with too many details of my ordinary life. Besides, between stamping last night and then going to bed, there isn't much to say since my last "report."

Oh, one thing... So ya think I'm brave to shop for clothes on the Internet, huh? I've been lucky, I guess. I always check out a site's return policy before spending too much $$. The company from which I ordered my "wedding suit" guarantees satisfaction and provides a return service label with the order. Shipping it here was $14.95. If I need to return it, the postage will be $6.95. Thus, should it not work out, I will be "out" $21.90. Were I to physically "shop," I would have to travel 55, if not 120, miles to a town that has real stores. In my neck of the woods, gas isn't cheap. And so, for those of us who live in the boondocks, the Internet is a godsend. I'll let you know how my new duds work out. So long as I don't try it on while eating a slice of pizza, I should be OK. LOL.

Hope your day is a good one! Thanks for stopping by! Later...