Three Minutes, 17 Seconds

If I don't stop doing this, you people are not going to take me seriously. It's not my fault. It's Pammie's fault. She posted a card today on her great blog, They Call Me Pammie, which was inspired by a card by fellow CTMH consultant Lisa Stenz. Lisa's card, made with the small flowers, stem, and 'happy' from the Eastertime (January SOTM), is a knockout, the most wonderful thing about it being its simplicity. Pammie's card is awesome, too, made with a new stamp set (Thoughts of You) that I don't have . . . yet. Anyway, I got this wild hair, not only to create my rendition of this simple card but to time myself as well. From start to finish, this card took three minutes and 17 seconds to create. The bow took the biggest chunk of time. The fact that my Delight in Everything stamp set was already laying on my desk was offset by the fact that I had to look for one of my 2-1/2 by 6-inch acrylic blocks. That's why I'm off to clean up my stamp area before taking a bath and cuddling up with the new catalog. Oh yea, the laundry, too. With that, I'm out of here . . . Have a nice evening and a happy Friday!

Eastertime

You've probably noticed that unless I'm making a baby card, I'm not big on soft pastels. They are, however, my favorite colors for Easter. I used these favored "Easter colors" for my first Eastertime card - Amethyst, Key Lime, Baby Pink, Heavenly Blue, and Sunkiss Yellow. I'm not loving it. It doesn't have any pizazz. One little hint and something I think I did do right on this card was to use Grey Wool to stamp the word "Happy." With the softer colors, I like to use grey as my black. It's not quite so stark and doesn't take away from the soft look.

For my second card, I switched color schemes, using Sweet Leaf, Petal, and Honey. I like it a bit better.

Even though I really like it, I seem to be battling with this set, and so, I'm going to do with this stamp set what I've always done with other stamp sets that I've struggled with. I'm going to let it lay on the desktop where I see it every time I sit down. If things happen like they usually do, something will inspire me, and it will just happen. A painter can't paint a landscape when he feels like painting a portrait, and I think that's what's going on with me with Eastertime tonight.

Are You Ready for Some Easter?

No, you say? I didn't think so. I can't say I'm ready to start thinking about Easter either. Nevertheless, this great stamp set, Eastertime, is January's Stamp of the Month, and it's been in my possession for more than two weeks. I've been itching to play with it since the moment I saw it, and tonight, I finally gave in to my desires. I'm glad CTMH is promoting this stamp set in January, too, because Easter is on March 23rd next year. Ash Wednesday is on February 6, which, as we all know, will be here before we know it. I was excited to see the basketweave background stamp with this set. For this card, I stamped it with Desert Sand ink on a Bamboo background. Most of the rest of the colors came from the Color Guide - Key Lime, Lilac Mist, and Breeze. Needing a third color for the eggs, I brought Baby Pink into the mix, and I stamped "happy" and backed the Easter piece with Spring Iris. I don't know if I like the card or not but don't think it's bad for my first attempt with this set. I've certainly done worse . . . Usually, I lean toward the soft pastels for Easter cards, so I'll have to play around a little more to see what I come up with. It's not going to be tonight, however, as I'm turning in early. I have a big week at work and a huge week at home with so much Christmas to do. Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll be back. A little project now and then in Kathi's Corner keeps me sane. Have a good week!