Afternoon Tea Flower Pot Card

When I was blurfing (blog surfing, for those who aren't familiar with that term) yesterday, I came upon this card by Laura Fredrickson. So much fun going on here--color, pattern, detail, beauty. It made me think about what I could do with some coordinating designer paper to create something that would be just as enjoyable to gaze at. Besides, I need a birthday card!

The other catalyst for this card was a diaper fold pocket that I'd received in a swap. When I looked at it, thought, I saw a pot instead! I took a 6"x6" piece of the Afternoon Tea DP that has a distressed brown pattern on it and began folding until I had my pot. Then I had to come up with some flowers.

So I pulled out three patterns that I thought would make good flowers and stamped them using my Level 3 Hostess set, Time Well Spent. As I cut them I thought, how many patterns of DP can I incorporate into one card? I already had 2 with the pot, and 3 in use as flowers. Going back to the pack, I realized there is one side that's solid Wild Wasabi. Bingo, flower stems--that's 6! A patterned WW became the leaves and the seventh to be incorporated into the design. Amy Westerman would be proud!

The idea to place the pot on a windowsill came when I chose Soft Sky as the card base. The pot just looked blah sitting there out of context. So I set about to create one! The "screen" for the window is vellum that is stamped with the Linen background stamp using Close to Cocoa ink. The rest of the window is just created using 1/2" strips of Whisper White. Doesn't the open window conjure up a breeze in your imagination? It has been hot enough here that the only breeze I'm feeling is the cooled air blowing from the air conditioning vent, but I love cool breeze from an open window most!

I almost forgot! The eighth pattern I added to finish off the card is the curtain valence. I cut a 4"x2" strip and used my slit punch to create the scalloped edge.

The Afternoon Tea from the Occasions Mini is one of my all-time favorites, but there's one thing I don't like about it--it's only available until the end of the month! Get it before it's gone, gals. I'm not a good sharer!

Time for a Post!

You know it's time for a blog entry when your husband asks, "What's going on in craftland? You haven't posted anything in awhile." Well, the Easter weekend was busy, and I needed a break. But today is my day off, so I'm taking advantage of the time away from "coffeeland" to be in craftland.

My niece, Mikayla, turns 9 next Monday. She's very crafty, so I wanted to make her a card with lots of color and shimmer. This is a very simple card, made with the Level 3 Hostess set Time Well Spent, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'm not all that free spirited when it comes to coloring, though. I over-analyze color combinations and want everything to be just so. I was getting tense until I remembered that this card's for a child. She's not going to be critical; she's going to enjoy it (for 20 seconds, if I'm lucky) before she opens her present.

Gotta get this in the mail, so ta-ta!

Spring Has Sprung!

Those of you who live in the northern parts of the US are languishing in the dreary dregs of winter. My sister shared with me today that her husband's siblings, who live in MI along Lake Michigan, still have 2 FEET of snow ON THE GROUND. For all those ready to be rid of winter and the seasonal affective disorder that comes with it, this card's for you!

This creation celebrates the beginnings of spring here in GA. Come with me for a little mental trip to where the trees are budding, the breeze is warm, and sunlight lingers longer each day.

Besides the beauty of this day, this card was inspired by my blogger friend Amy Westerman's card, which spread some sunshine and the promise of spring, even though she's doing time in MN. I also had these thin strips of Wild Wasabi card stock in my scraps folder that I knew would come in handy someday. They were too thick to be blades of grass, but they were just right as flower stems.

The flowers are from the newly retired Sale-A-Bration promotion set, So Many Scallops. I stamped with Versamark on bold brights card stock Real Red, Yo Yo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, and Orchid Opulence. The scallop punch makes quick work of cutting each out. The little leaves are from the Time Well Spent Level 3 Hostess set.

I wrestled for a bit with what kind of sentiment to pair with the wording in the center of each flower--"so sweet of you". At first I tried covering it up, but that didn't work, so "thanks SO much" seemed to work best. I have someone I owe a thank you card, so this will be in the mail soon.

Hope your week's off to a pleasant start, no matter the weather. Spring WILL come to your neck of the woods, I promise.