Keep Calm and Recharge

Hello and good morning!

That is what I'll be saying later on this morning as I start taking down the Christmas decorations.  FINALLY.  I've stalled long enough and it's got to be done.  My daughter is coming over to help, thank goodness.  I'll need to bribe myself to get it all done in one day (there's a lot), but we're going to Michael's first because we need to.  We NEED to.  

Priorities, you know.

Today's card was, for me, a quickie.  It only took 2.5 hours.  I know, I know, a lot of card makers can whip out entire sets of greeting cards in 2.5 hours, but I'm a slowpoke and usually take much longer than that for most of my cards.  I get caught up in the details and choosing the papers and colors, but this card practically went together by itself because I used a fabulous new 6x6 paper pack for the first time, and I'm in love with it.  MME Lost and Found, Union Square - I can't wait to use it again!

I'm playing along in Fussy and Fancy's Challenge #80, hosted this fortnight by Sheryl, who is challenging us to use "Cocoa, Coffee and Tea" in our projects.  Just using those colors doesn't count - we are challenged to actually represent one (or more) of the beverages, which I find fun and, well, challenging. 

I'm a tea drinker, with an occasional cup of hot cocoa thrown in for good measure, so I chose a mug of tea to emboss and fussy cut.  Take a good look at the little bitty tiny heart on the "tea bag."  It's a wee little die cut from the Simon Says die "Party Banner!"  Isn't that a hoot?  I almost couldn't see it, it's that small, but it fit over the existing heart perfectly!

And don't you just love the tiny battery stamp dressing up the diecut border?  This was the first time I used this stamp set ("Eat Chocolate" by Technique Tuesday) and I have to say I love it - so many useful elements.  (And I haven't even used the chocolate-related stamps yet.)

I took pictures of this card six ways to Sunday to try to capture the rhinestones at the opposing upper and lower corners, to little avail.  They're there, and they sparkle very prettily when you move the card around in the light.

A little stitching, a little ribbon, and voila, a pretty little somewhat French-inspired card.

Thank you so much for joining me today, and I hope you have a lovely Saturday doing whatever it is that makes you happy.  Even if you also have to take down your Christmas decorations.  *sigh*

Happy crafting!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Eat Chocolate (Technique Tuesday)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black (SU), MME Lost & Found - Union Square, tiny scrap of red
Ink: Versamark; Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras: SB Labels Eighteen, Simon Says Party Banner, Dienamics Triple Scallop Borders, rhinestones, ribbon (3 Girl JAM), sewing machine.

Challenges entered:

Simon Says Stamp - Embrace the Old (SB Labels Eighteen is the very first die I ever bought,plus the card has a vintage look
Fussy and Fancy #80 - Coffee, Cocoa or Tea
Incy Wincy Designs - Happy New Year and Something NEW!
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - Make something "NEW" (New paper, new stamp set, new ribbon)
Tuesday Throwdown #129 - Shiny and New (new paper, new stamp set, new ribbon)
Really Reasonable Ribbon #63 - My New Toys + Ribbon (paper, stamp sets, ribbon, all new)
Simon Says Stamp - Black/White + Splash of Color
Delightful Challenges - Add Hearts (it's tiny, but it's there!)
Drunken Stampers #112 - All That Glitters
Pile It On #1 - Black, White + Another Color

SSS#175 - sketch