Circle Flower Birthday

Oooh! It's the first time I've gotten to use my new Square Lattice embossing folder since it was on backorder for a good long while. It's great! I'm sure it will make many appearances here.
While looking at all the new color offerings the other day I realized that I really don't use Rose Red enough. It's a great color, but often overlooked by me. This is my first attempt to correct my neglect. :)
Remember, the new catalog goes live on-line TOMORROW. So, check out my website to see the whole thing any time after noon tomorrow. You can pick up your copy at any July class.

Blue Flower Thanks

It's a super simple one for you today. I came across a stack of note sized cards the other day and have been meaning to make one. Here's my version of a quick "I need to go back to work from lunch" card. :) Just a little work with the Big Shot & some quick roller work for the back ground along with a few special touches to make a thank you note in a hurry.

I'm really liking how Marina Mist & Baja Breeze combine. There is just so much to discover with the new colors! It's also the first time I've used my Floral Fusion die. I didn't realize how nicely they pair up with the Trio Flower punch. It's such fun when things coordinate well.

Presto Patterns Square/ Mojo Monday 145

Well, this isn't what I expected out of my post this morning! Isn't that fun? I set out to do a combo of Mojo Monday and PPC Color Challenge before heading off to work & found that I didn't quite do either. At first, I tried to force in the other two colors (Wild Wasabi & Tangerine Tango) from PPC, but it just didn't work. And there is one element from the Mojo card that I left off too because it just felt forced when added on. But that's what the challenges are for, right? To stretch us into doing different things? I was stretched, but didn't feel the need to sacrifice the card in the process.

I brought out the patterns in the paper this morning simply by sponging on the ink. I like the extra vintage look that lends. All in all, a fun adventure to start the week!

Stinky Greetings

My execution on this one was imperfect to say the least, but I still think it's cute. :) How can you not smile at this little stinker. I suppose he should be named after the legendary Charmin (as in don't squeeze the...) but that is a story for another time.

Next time I will employ my Stamp-a-ma-jig so I can create a more uniform line of flowers, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted that kind of consistency today. Now I am more sure though. All part of the process, right?

It's great to have a scallop circle that fits my larger images so nicely. This punch is an XL Scallop Circle & will be available in just a few days with the release of the new catalog. I hope you're as excited about all these new toys as I am!

Do you recognise the pink? Pink Pirouette is back, or at least it will be as of July 1!

Wasabi Lily

Have I mentioned yet how very excited I am about the return of Wild Wasabi? It is one of my all time favorite colors (in a close race with Elegant Eggplant) and I was so sad to see it go after its short year as an In Color. Ta da! It's back.
Today's project uses the textured Wild Wasabi cardstock. In the new catalog the textured cardstock will be available not only as a variety pack for each family but also in each individual color. It's a change that I am excited about.
I paired an old favorite with a new one in this card. Daffodil Delight made a small appearance in my hot air balloon, but I think you'll get an even better impression of this new color here. It's lovely! With all this focus on color you can be sure this one will appear in my Color theme class in July.

Up, Up, and Away

I promised more playing with punches today & here you have it. While trying to create my octopus from yesterday, I discovered that the Ornament Punch makes a lovely hot air balloon. And what is a balloon with out a basket? This little basket comes from the Bouquet Bunch flower pot. I just didn't ink the ribbon around it's middle or the lower lip of the pot.

I combined it with my favorite sky technique (which just uses a torn paper towel & a sponge) and my ever faithful Lovely as a Tree set to give the balloon a place to explore. I even branched out and utilized Soft Suede, a color I use rarely. Now that I know it will be around for a long time, I need to make friends with it. It's one thing to ignore an In Color that only has a year lifespan & quite another to neglect a part of the enduring pallet!

Ornament Octopus

I've decided to play around with my Ornament Punch for a few experiments. My little octopus friend is pretty cute, but he could easily morph in to a spider or even a jellyfish. Hmmm....perhaps you'll see them sometime too. It's hard to say what kind of mood will strike me.

In addition to having fun with my punch, I also had a great time with the colors for this card. None of them are new; they are some of the survivors of the Color Renovation. However, I don't think I've ever used the three together. Perfect Plum is a color I'm just sort of discovering as I play with all the new color possibilities and I really do like it. It's a great companion for both Certainly Celery and Elegant Eggplant.

I have another punch discovery ready for tomorrow, so stay tuned!