Soft and Flowery...

Happy Tuesday, all!  Before I show you some pictures, I want to congratulate Claire H, who left a comment on my Fairy Blog Hop card last week, and is one of the two randomly drawn lucky winners of the complete set of 10 new fairy stamps. I know you'll enjoy your prize, Claire!

Today's card is one of the Mother's Day cards that traveled across the miles for Sunday's holiday. Made with pastel blue and white cardstocks, it's filled with diecut details and lots of flowery accents...

The inside has more of the diecut detailing, except that the center portion was left open for the sentiment and personal note...

The large center flower is lilac and grey...I dry-brushed some light touches of white craft paint around the edges...

Supplies:

Dies:   Spellbinders A2 Tranquil Moments and Foliage Two

Large flowers:   Prima;  Melissa Frances

Paper roses, sweetheart blossoms:   Wild Orchid Crafts

Lace:   TheFunkieJunkie.com               Pearls:   Recollections          

Miscellaneous:   Maya Road chipboard clock, Hug Snug seam binding

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today...I hope your week started with a smile!

Getting a Head Start...

I like to get a head start on projects that have a deadline...I prefer not to work under pressure anymore. But don't get me wrong...I spent most of my previous working years doing just that. I always did much better when I was under pressure. I've simply decided to live differently now. :)  But as can happen with most of us, "best laid plans and all that."  It doesn't always work out that I'm able to get ahead of a date...so I often have no choice but to scramble and work fast.

But for Mother's Day this year, I now officially have a head start.  I haven't made an easel card in over three years...and decided it was time for me to play with that design one more time.  And because it's for Mother's Day, I can add all the frills and flowers that will fit...so I did! :)  It's very hard to see in the photos, but the  background papers and the base cardstock are a very soft and pale shade of pink...

Here's a closeup view of the front panel. The large frame is popped up just a bit with foam tape, as is the clock and the label frame behind it. Most of the flowers sit down inside the larger frame...

There's still plenty of room to write a personal note above the sentiment panel, and keep it personal and out of sight while the card's on display...that's my favorite feature of easel cards...

Here's a better photo of the shade of pink on the base, and a closeup of the sentiment panel...

Supplies:

Patterned papers:  Pink Paislee/Collage Press London Market collection

Dies:  Spellbiners Fleur de Lis Accents, Standard Circles Large, Fleur de Lis Squares, Classic Squares Small;  

My Favorite Things Royal Leaves

Chipboard clock:  Heidi Swapp      Punches:  Martha Stewart Butterfly and Medium Branch

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts and local craft store      Pink fabric leaf:  Prima

Pearls:  Recollections      Hug Snug seam binding

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today...I hope you're having a fun week, even if you're one of my friends sitting under 11 inches of new snow from the past few days! :)

Creative minds often think alike...

I almost didn't post this card...and in a minute, maybe you'll understand why I was hesitant to post it without some background.  :)

I had the good fortune last week to meet an old friend of my husband's who stopped to visit during his trip to the states. Dear husband happened to mention my little "card addiction," and...well, suffice it to say, a nice number of my handmade cards are now about to travel overseas to Europe to new owners...yay!  I had to work fast to replace cards for my little Etsy shop, as well as for my personal "set-aside" stash.  What a happy predicament for a crafter, hmmm?

So I quickly started "card-lifting" some of my previous card designs and making new cards. I was able to make 4 new cards and modify 2 already made, and get all 6 photographed and into my little online shop.  Three more were nearly complete, and waiting for a sunny day to photo. After the frenzy, I was creatively blank...so I headed over to The Shabby Tea Room on Tuesday for a little bit of inspiration, knowing there was a new weekly challenge posted...and a pretty one it is:

The challenge is to use lilac, blue, yellow, and brown, and include a butterfly.  And I looked over to one of the cards I had completed, but not yet photographed, and what do I see?

Pretty perfect, hmmm?  I had even "shabbied" up the edges of the card by applying a heavy dusting of white ink around the edges, and tea-staining the sentiment tag.  LOL  All well and good, except that one of the wonderful designers created a card based on the challenge that looked so similar in layout that it could appear that I simply took her design and copied it for my card...and yet my card was sitting on my work table completely done except for the sentiment tag before I laid eyes on the challenge on the site.  So I guess this is truly a case of creative minds thinking alike!

I do like this color combo, so it's back to the drawing board to make another card to enter for this week's challenge at TSTR.  It's another cloudy day here...pretty condusive to hanging out in the Korner and creating!

Here are some other detail pics of today's card:

Supplies:

Patterned papers: My Minds Eye A Beautiful Life collection (dotted lilac/blue); Basic Grey Kioshi

collection (floral print); Echo Park Victoria Gardens collection (yellow)

Spellbinders Labels 23 and Grand Labels 23

Chipboard frame: Tattered Angels      Laces: local craft stores      Paper flower & leaves: Prima

Fabric flower: Frogfeathers on Etsy      Butterfly punch & clear coarse glitters: Martha Stewart

White ink: Tsukineko Versa Color      Sentiment stamps: Fiskars ("with love"), Papertrey Ink: ("Mother")

Tag edge punch: EK Success       Hug Snug seam binding      Misc: cheesecloth and machine stitching

    

Have a great day...and thanks for stopping by for a visit!