Lunch and a butterfly

  

Hello and good morning!  

Did you remember to turn your clocks back an hour?

Today I am having a friend over for lunch and an afternoon of crafting.  She and I used to work together and she left 7 years ago to have twin boys, but we've kept in touch and talk regularly, though we don't see each other as often as we'd like.  Twins will keep you busy.  So she and I are having a "girls' day in" with lunch, then afternoon tea, and crafting throughout, just like my DD and I do every Friday.

I managed to fit a card in today between other things (laundry, making tomorrow's pound cake, etc.).  It's for several challenges, among them the color challenge over at The Shabby Tearoom, which is to make a card using peach, green, yellow AND a flower (or two). 

These aren't colors I normally work with, so this was a rather tough card for me.  You wouldn't know it to look at it because it's simple and not loaded with the embellishments with which I usually tend to cover a card.

I can't even tell you why it took so long except that I kept trying a stamp-with-glue method that refused to work, causing much CS murder in the process.  And of a color (So Saffron) that I have in small supply, no less.  So I eventually wound up inking the Rubber Cafe's Large Swirled Butterfly with Versamark and rubbing dark and light peach chalks onto the resulting image.  I was trying to go for a peachy glittery look, but I guess that will have to wait until I get the proper glue.  Believe me, I tried.

The butterfly reminds me of an Asian line art pattern I bought last year that I've embroidered onto a t-shirt.  I did get a bit of luster by tracing over some of the lines and filling in the circles with a Gelly Roll sparkle pen which appeased my need for sparkle, however subtle.  Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  I also spritzed the center panel with a bit of glimmer mist, though sadly it doesn't show up in the pic. 

The other papers used are Very Vanilla, Peach Parfait and a green print from my stash.  

The lace border was punched using a MS border punch, and the gingham ribbon was from my ever-expanding ribbon stash.  I believe this one came from my daughter from a gift-with-purchase somewhere.  The sentiment was cut with a SB Ribbon Banners die and I applied a tiny bit of peach chalk in the areas exposed by the die.  The ink used is SU Old Olive (inkpad) and Pumpkin Pie (marker).

 The Very Vanilla flowers were made using SU's Boho Blossoms punch.  I misted the pieces with water, scrunched them up as tightly as possible, then flattened them out, stacked and glued them, and brushed them with some Ivory Creative Inspirations paints.  Pearls there and on the bow finished the card.  

Simple, yet oddly time-consuming.  I have decided that I just can't "whip up" a card, no matter how simple, and am probably destined to agonize over each and every one.  But I'm ok with that.  

Thank you for joining me, and I hope you have a fab day today!  

Happy Crafting!!

Challenges entered:

The Shabby Tearoom Week #138 - Color Challenge "Hey Pumpkin"
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Just Add Pearl
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #193 - Focal Image Falls Off Page (mine's hiding, does that count?)
Anything Goes Challenge 79 - Anything Goes
Fussy and Fancy Challenge 75 - Pearls and Flowers
SCS Inspiration Challenge 361 - Artful Home
Drunken Stampers Challenge 104 - Memoirs of a Geisha

and last but not least,

The Craft's Meow - November sketch