The Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Is being shown today.

I had a lot of fun playing with this sketch. It's the 200th sketch challenge for SCS. I really liked the simplicity of the sketch because in the middle of the week, I'm not really in the mood to fuss.

The colors came from a website I found the other day - Color Throwdown (it's in my blog roll.) Every Wednesday they come up with a color combination to use. This week's colors were Orange, Purple and Green - and black of course. I forgot the black.

The stamp is from MFT's Essential Sentiments.

The purple layer is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder - Diamonds in the Rough.

The primas are sitting on squares cut out with a 1 1/4" square punch and a scalloped square Nestability die. The flowers are held together with Eggplant brads that I bought at http://www.pinkhedgehogpapercrafts.com/

Stamps: MFT - Essential Sentiments. Paper: Gable Green, Elegant Eggplant, Only Orange, white. Ink: Elegant Eggplant. Accessories: primas, scalloped square Nestability die, 1 1/4" square punch, brads, Cuttlebug, Embossing folder, dimensionals.

Hope you have a fabulous Halloween tomorrow!

My Final STVV

The Stalker's Thread challenges are unique for one major thing: at the end of the month, the challenge is passed onto another hostess.

So, this is my last time hostessing the Visualize Verses challenge. The hostess for February is Faith - Markie's Mom. She's a wonderful person and the stamper I want to be when I grow up, so I'm sure her poems and songs are going to be phenomenal.

So it goes without a surprise that I didn't choose my song for my final challenge until 8:30 tonight. I am such a procrastinator.

The song is...

"Cheek to Cheek" by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire in one of his movies with Ginger Rogers - I can't remember which one, there's 10 or so.

Heaven, I'm in heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Heaven, I'm in heaven

And the cares that hung around me through the week

Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak

When we're out together dancing (swinging) cheek to cheek

Oh I love to climb a mountain

And reach the highest peak

But it doesn't thrill (boot) me half as much

As dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to go out fishing

In a river or a creek

But I don't enjoy it half as much

As dancing cheek to cheek(Come on and)

Dance with me

I want my arm(s) about you

That (Those) charm(s) about you

Will carry me through...(Right up)

To heaven, I'm in heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we're out together dancing, out together dancing (swinging)

Out together dancing cheek to cheek

Here's the deal - this is your inspiration for your card. Create a card that comes to mind after reading the lyrics.

Stamps: Gina K Designs: Heartfelt Hits 1. Paper: Going Gray, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White. Ink: Basic Gray. Accessories: rhinestone brads, Primas, dimensionals, spiral punch, Sakura Stardust gel pen.

STVV - Brand New Challenge...

And it's all mine! At least for this Friday and the month of December. STVV - Stalker's Visualize Verses - is a twist on a classic inspiration challenge. Instead of getting a picture, you get a poem or song lyrics - that's your inspiration for your card.

Since I'm the hostess, I get to choose the poem or song. *imagine Mr. Burns-like tapping of fingers* The song I chose for the first challenge is: *drumroll*

"Here Comes the Sun" - written by George Harrison

It's about winter ending. And here, winter's just starting - we had a dusting of snow on Thursday. I woke up today to 4 inches on the ground. Snow is a beautiful sight - a PAIN to drive in. You know the Walgreens commercial where all the snow falls only on the lawns, never on the sidewalks or roads? I'd ADORE snow if that happened.

*clears throat, returns to subject* So, what's one of the great things about winter ending? Getting outside to cook and socialize. Which explains my card.

• Card is a 5.5" square of Green Galore. I think that this color reminds me of new grass. Of course it's also the color of appletinis.
• Next layer up is Georgia Pacific white cardstock brayered on the bottom 2/3s with Green Galore. The upper part is sponged with Soft Sky ink.
• The umbrella. Here comes the sun? Sunny days need shade. I found a piece of DP at my LSS which was all umbrellas, so I cut a big red one out. I put a star brad at the top.
• I've had Grillafella for a while and he hasn't been inked up yet. But he was perfect for my card. I also didn't want him to be lonely, so Cosmobella came out for the party too - appletini in hand. They're both colored in with Prismacolor pencils.
• What I've learned: Double sided tape doesn't seem to stick very well to brayered surfaces - as I type, it looks like Grillafella's grill is trying to make a run for it.

Sidenote: I went to my LSS on Wednesday and picked up more primas. *sigh* First step, admitting you have a problem. Hello, my name is Sara and I'm a prima addict.

Sketch Challenge and a commentary on primas

Sketch Challenge day - Love it! It takes such a burden off the decisions you have to make when creating a card. Of course I say that EVERY sketch challenge day, but it's true.

• I started with the DP as my inspiration. It's from Scenic Route and I found it in the clearance section of my LSS. I love sales.
• The colors for the card: More Mustard, Garden Green, and Bashful Blue. If someone had asked me 6 months ago (just after I joined SCS and started making cards everyday) what colors I don't use: I'd have said "More Mustard" along with other assorted colors I can't seem to live without.
• Apparently math isn't my strong point when I first get up. I wanted the panels to be closer together with just a hint of the More Mustard peeking through. I made the gaps too big. I realized it AFTER I had the card put together.
• I only used 1 stamp on this card: my sentiment running up the side of the card. It's stamped in Versafine black.
• I added some primas and brads into the big panel to add a little contrast and texture.

I am addicted to little paper flowers. Seriously. When I go to my LSS, I tell myself "no primas" but then I can't help but see what they have - and then I tend to buy a package. There are so many things I've been introduced to in the 6 1/2 months I've been on SCS - primas being the big thing I tend to buy a LOT of. I initially had sticker shock when I saw how much a bottle of primas cost - then I realized how MUCH is in one of those bottles. It evens out. I have enough of them that I could use 1 a day and more than likely not run out until at least late 2009 at the EARLIEST.

Just thought I'd share.