Vintage 50s Sweethearts

Happy Sunday everyone!

I'm so excited because I'm on a team for The Greeting Farm's TGF Royal Battle! Our team, The Soul Sistahs, is made up of me & my SOTC sistahs Judy, Tanja, and Lorie, whose gorgeous card we entered for the Week 1 Retro Challenge! Be sure to stop over and vote for your *favorite three* - but good luck, because they are all amazing!

This challenge is kinda like TGF's version of Survivor, without all the evil scheming. ha-ha! There are 63 teams (wow!) and the top half with the most votes will move on to play in Week 2, then Week 3, etc. until there's only one team standing. The winning team members take home the amazing new WS Roll Call set, a release date for which isn't even known! Cool!



Inspired by this week's challenge, I created this card featuring the 50's Sweethearts digi from TGF. My colors stray some from the challenge inspiration piece (and the lighting today is terrible) and are more vintage than retro, but I just couldn't resist using K&Co.'s Bailey papers because they remind me so much of the vintage patterns from that era. I definitely was born several decades too late!

Here's a close-up of Anya's bow that I layered and finished with, what else, a pearl. That's a no-brainer if you know me!

You can also see some of the pretty ribbon I found at The Dollar Tree a few weeks ago. I *did* go back for more, but it was all gone, so I kicked myself all the way out the door.


And this cute little heart button was a sweet surprise gift from Carolyn that arrived just in time to feature as the perfect flower center for this card! I think this will be a sweet engagement card, or anniversary card if I can ever remember people's wedding anniversaries. *sigh*


WHOOOOOSH! That's the sound of March zooming by and Easter rushing to greet us, which means we're that much closer to the warmth and sunshine of summer! But let's not wish away spring and all its glories, like tulips and dogwood blossoms and bright blue skies!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a stamptacular day!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm "50s Sweethearts" digi
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Paper: K&Company "Bailey"
Copics: B21,B24,C4,C7,C9,E00,E000,E11,E29,E31,E47,G40,R24,R29,RV000,Y21,Y23
Embellies: Primas, ribbon, flatback pearl, button, DMC floss

When You Least Expect It...

You probably thought that I gave up on posting the rest of my TGF Sketch Challenge cards, didn't you! Gotcha! And I'm not giving you one - I'm giving you two!

Here's my creation for Sketch #7 by the uber-creative Jessica Diedrich!

The Rock The Farm Ian image, fishing PP, and that great little "gone fishing" brad were in a kit I received when I hosted a card kit swap last year. (In case I haven't told you a dozen times before, I adore card kit swaps. And image swaps. And paper. And ribbon. But I digress. Happens often.) Oh, I was so happy I didn't sever the fishing line as I was cutting out the image; I would have cried! I found the "net" printed paper that's behind Ian in my stash, and the yummy ribbon and large brads were gifts from my STC sistah Roxane. I couldn't help but whistle and hum the theme song from Mayberry RFD as I was coloring and assembling this card. (Geez, you're probably humming it now! Sorry.)
Copics: 0,C2,C4,E00,E000,E25,E29,E31,E35,G40,G99,Y23,YR18

And here's my take on Sketch #8, another rockin' design by Jessica!

My wonderful STC sistah Michelle gifted me with some amazing card kits, and I was thrilled to see the Up, Up, & Away image & sentiment featured in one of them! Oh, don't you just love the colors and designs of those patterned papers? All I added were some Nesties ovals, a few teal Primas I dusted with PearlEx, and a couple punched birds. (Yep, I was humming Up, Up, & Away as I made this card as well. Uh-oh, now you're probably humming that one! Well, at least I got your mind off Mayberry RFD. Ooo, until that. My bad.)
Copics: 0,B21,E31,G40,Y11,Y13,Y21

{Hmm, mayhaps it's about time that I host another card kit swap . . . or maybe a Guys & Dolls *Image* Swap! Ooo, sah-weet!}

I am so glad I got over my fear of Copics because I just *love, love, love* using them! (There are oh-so-many colors I still need. Yes, need!) I've got so much to learn about highlighting and blending and such, and I'll never be a "Copics Artist", but that doesn't matter. I just enjoy the way coloring relaxes me and helps me to disconnect from things for a while. Nothing gets me out of a mojo funk (tee-hee-hee!) like showing my Copics some image-coloring love!

OH, one more thing before I go: I want to give a shout-out to my STC sistahs Catherine and Mary who are proud members of the Twisted Thirteen DT at the new Oh Alice! Curious Little Challenge Blog! WOO-HOO! Congrats girlies! Love ya! The very first challenge will be posted this Saturday, so be sure to hop over to play along! I know I will!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by for a visit today! And remember: when you least expect it...

Cool Argyle Ian

Okay, it's time to start posting the rest of my cards for TGF's 12 Days of Sketches Challenge! You might remember my blathering on that I'm doing this as my own personal challenge to finish what I start. Challenges are such a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and I'm always saying I'm going to do *this challenge* or *that challenge*. But for one reason or another, I either don't get them started or I don't get them completed. And to that I say, No more! So on with the cards!

After playing around with the layout of Mercy Kerin's great sketch for Day #3, I decided to stay with her original layout.
This is the first Dress Up Ian card I've ever created - actually, it's the first Ian card I've ever created! I received the images in a card kit swap I hosted. I thought the colors in these scraps of DP from my stash were very Ian-like, and I wanted to use my argyle embossing folder, so I decided to go with Ian's argyle sweater outfit. So cute!

And speaking of scraps, I really like how the piece of acrylic I also ran through the argyle emobssing folder turned out! It was hard to photograph but I think I caught enough of it to see.

I just inked up the edges with brown Stazon for definition, then finished the card with some ribbon and a couple of my few remaining Hodgepodge Hardware pieces. COOL!

So we're in the midst of the cold and the snow that are gripping much of the country, but we've been lucky compared to some. Combined with the snow that was already on the ground, we have about 8 inches and they're only calling for about 3 to 5 more through tomorrow night. I'm lucky because I'm off today and am just chillaxing in my PJs before getting ready for a girls night out. Dinner and a show - Menopause The Musical - in Pittsburgh with my sister Mary and my friends Barb & Mary Alice. I've heard the whole production is hysterical and that the songs are to-die-for funny, so I'm considering investing in some type of, uh, "protection", if you know what I mean. I'm sure there will be a few martinis with dinner, and my bladder isn't what she used to be! AH-HA-HA-HA! (Gee, I hope that doesn't offend anyone! It's an inside joke, because before "the change", my sister always said I had a bladder of steel, but now it feels more like heavy-duty aluminum foil. Better safe than sorry!)

Hope you're all warm and safe and enjoying your Friday! Thanks for stopping by and hope you'll pop back for Day #4's sketch card tomorrow!

Happy Creating!

DETAILS
Image: The Greeting Farm “Dress Up Ian”
Ink: Memento, Stazon
Cardstock: SU
Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye (well, I'm 99% sure they are!)
Copics: 0,B91,B95,B97,C1,C2,E000,E29,E47,E57,G40,G85,Y11,Y23
Accessories: Cuttlebug & embossing folder, SU Hodgepodge Hardware, Basic Grey ribbon, acrylic, dimensionals