A Challenge Rooted in Nature

Happy Wednesday, my fellow crafters! What a crazy week this has been. Between “the virus” and Labor Day, I have totally lost track of days. I think it’s because we’re not watching our weekly shows. We have three TV shows we enjoy – NCIS, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods. Mike doesn’t like reruns, and who knows when new ones will be out, so my days are all off. Thank goodness for my cell phone calendar.

Yesterday I was supposed to pick up my aunt and help her find a new cell phone. When I was on the way, I called to tell her I’d be there soon and to agree on where to pick her up. She lives in a retirement complex and visitors aren’t allowed in yet. She had forgotten and had planned another outing later that day. (This is why she needs a cell phone; she can set reminders.)

It turned out to be a good thing, because I was able to help Mike with some of the finishing touches on the condo we’re flipping. He lost all last week because of school, so we’re down to the wire. It closes Friday, and while it looks beautiful and the buyer is very pleased, I will be very happy when the deed is handed over. I’m sure Mike will be too. He’s done a fabulous job, but it has been a lot of work.

I’ve been enjoying all the birthday cards I’m getting from friends – especially the handmade cards. Besides brightening my day and bringing me much joy, they’ve been great sources of inspiration. Our demonstrator team meeting is tomorrow night, and our challenge for the month was to use something unexpected on a card. Mike drinks lemon water and baking soda every morning to help with his pH balance, so we always have a bag of lemons in the kitchen. I got to the bag before he threw it away and decided to use the mesh on my card. And the card Susan sent me was the perfect inspiration. Here’s her beautiful card. (By the way, the smashed corner was from the USPS; Susan’s cards are always flawless.)

I love the Prized Peony Bundle, and the colors on her stenciled background are some of my favorites! I decided to CASE her idea for my challenge card.

I taped the lemon bag to my table with a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock underneath. Then I sponged with Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and Granny Apple Green Classic Ink. I love how it turned out!

I had several ideas about what to use as my focal image, but since the background looked like a net, it seemed cruel to use images of animals or people. I chose the tree from the Rooted in Nature Stamp Set. I inked the leaves with a Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Write Marker and stamped on Very Vanilla Cardstock. I used my Stamparatus so I could have several layers of color. Next I inked the trunk and branches with an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker, again adding several layers. When I was happy with it, I used the Nature’s Roots Dies to die-cut the tree with the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss Machine. The sentiment, also in Rooted in Nature, worked perfectly under the tree. I added a little Linen Thread then layered the 3-3/4″ x 5″ background panel to a 4″ x 5-1/4″ Bermuda Bay Cardstock layer, then to a Very Vanilla card base.

I’m excited to see what the other demonstrators do for the challenge. The last time we had a challenge like this, their entries were amazing!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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