Everything Eleanor and Mocha Morning Specialty

I have a stash of Mocha Morning Specialty Designer Series Paper because I love it so much and couldn't bear to let it go when it retired!

And when I saw this weeks challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches, I actually "saw" the paper in my mind's eye....giggle!  Oh dear, I'm a craftaholic!

Everything Eleanor is becoming a much loved stamp set for me, and I think it goes beautifully with the paper. Of course I've only used the bird and label stamps mainly because the paper already offered so much in terms of pattern, but the stamp set has gorgeous flowers and a stunning flourish as well; plenty of stamping opportunities really!

Tip:  When cutting squares of paper that you want to be of equal size, and equal distance apart, it's a good idea to use a guilotine or cutter that has a guide on it that you can set to the correct dimensions.  That way, you'll know all your pieces are the same size.  Even a millimetre difference can look really out of balance especially when you're using papers and cardstock with a lot of contrast, like these patterns on black.

Everything Eleanor available in wood mount #131987 $63.95 or clear mount #124164 $50.95.  The medallion coordinates with the 2 1/2"circle punch.  

Supplies Used:
Stamp Set: Everything Eleanor & Curly Cute (R)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Paper: Mocha Morning Specialty (R)
Ink: Black Staz On, Crumb Cake
2 1/2" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Flower Punch, 3/4" square punch (any sized square will work).
Pearl Jewels

Thanks for looking!  I hope you find time to craft today.
Cheers
Karen

One of Those Days

I had an "interesting" day today where my patience was repeatedy tested and I was finally forced to stand my ground and over-rule someone whose ability to provide a basic service that was part of their job description was seriously inadequate!  Wow, I feel better now I've got that off my chest!!  Needless to say, it had nothing to do with my business - my service is great AND I know what I'm doing - nor did it have anything to do with paper craft, crafters or anyone I know personally.  Phew!

Here's where I decided to channel my energy - or should I say frustration?!

This is a brand new technique to me!  It's called Retiform and I have Karen Barber to thank for it.  I was about to play along with a challenge and her card just called out to me. I loved hers so much that I've used the same colours: Baked Brown Sugar & Pool Party, but I also added So Saffron and have used different stamps: Everything Eleanor & En Francais.

I think this would make a great class and I'm absolutely sure there are lots of different ways/colours/stamps and looks I could achieve with a bit of fiddling around (in my craft room!). I'll give that some thought and probably add it into the schedule.

So what do you do when you're tested beyond your tolerance level?!

Cheers
Karen
P.S.  Tomorrow I will find out which wedding card was chosen by the customer from this post.  Will you win a prize for guessing correctly?  Leave a comment on that post telling me which card you think my customer will choose to be in the running!