I'd Pick You

I made this for Caardvarks' current challenge: Mix It! The challenge is to use patterned papers from THREE different manufacturers. I found that to be a serious challenge, but here we go. The top paper is Gypsy by Basic Grey, the bottom paper is Star Fish and Dreams, and the sentiment is mounted on DCWV's Pocket Full of Posies Green. I stamped the poppies from Stampendous on watercolor paper (black stazon) and colored with a blender pen dipped in Versamagic Dew Drop Inks, including some shadowing with the color wheat. This gives a beautiful, soft coloring since they are chalk inks and blend very well. I went over the poppy centers with a black gel pen to make them stand out a bit more. The sentiment (from Papertrey's Green Thumb) was also stamped on a scrap of watercolor paper, just so it would all match, using Pumpkin Spice. The two flowers were layered, along with the sentiment, a ruby red circle and olive brad. The ribbon is from Stampin' Up's Rustic Retreat pack.

The Goods:
Stamps: Stampendous poppies, Papertrey Ink's Green Thumb
Ink: black stazon, versamagic tea leaves, wheat, mango madness, pumpkin spice, red magic
Paper: SU! ruby red, pumpkin pie, watercolor, DCWV pocket full of posies, star fish and dreams, basic grey gypsy
Other: blender pen, ticket corner punch, yellow flower by Heidi Swapp, red flower by Creating Keepsakes, circle punch, earth elements brad, rustic retreat ribbon, dimensional, black gelly roll pen

Thanks for stopping by. And thanks to those who wished me well after my rough week. I HATE talking about my problems, but just so you don't worry over much: I have Epstein Barr, which is like mono, but you have it forever. For the most part I truly don't even remember that I have it. But when it flairs up, I'm exceedingly tired and get ulcers. So, I basically slept most of the week. I hate it. Not only am I sleeping my week away, but I also feel lazy and have to remind myself that it's not my fault and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm so thankful that my husband can support us and I don't have to have a regular full-time job. So that's it. I'm feeling more energetic already, and I probably will never mention it again.

Now, I have to finish a fruit tray with amaretto dip (yummy), get myself ready, and head off to a picnic. It's at some friends' house in the country, about an hour from here. It's like a different world. I'm in the suburbs, but I'm heading to their OLD farmhouse, complete with barn and lots of land. It's beautiful. It was actually a bed and breakfast before they bought it. Sure to be a relaxing evening.