Mother's Little Helper

Party Animal

Goedemorgen!  I'm brushing up on my Dutch because this time next week, the hubster and I will be exploring Amsterdam and celebrating our 20th anniversary. Actually, one of the bonuses of traveling to the Netherlands is that most residents speak English, thus the natives will be spared me butchering their mother tongue. I plan to take lots of pictures to share with you as we tiptoe through the tulips, tilt at windmills, and window shop in the Red Light district.

In the meantime, here's a little uni-sex birthday card I created using this week's Mojo Monday sketch and Avery Elle's fun 'Party Animal' stamp set, available at i {heart} papers:

I know, I know: some of you think this card can't be uni-sex because it's embellished with ribbon, and ruffled ribbon at that. I disagree. Ribbon has no gender. That is a fact.

It's also a fact that this is the last Monday of the month, so you've got the option to go round or square with this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for instructions about how to participate in this week's challenge, and for more inspiration, be sure to visit my fellow Mojo Monday design team mates blogs:

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

You Can Take the Girl Out of Barstow...

So, did you hear the big news?  The Color Throwdown Challenge is hosting it's 250th challenge, and the CTD has asked its former Designers and Guest Designers to help celebrate that big milestone.  Me, I've been both a Guest Designer (April 2011) and a Design Team member (post April 2011; then, that October, my Mom died unexpectedly and the wheels fell off... you know, life and stuff, etc. and so on), so of course, I HAD to play along with my colorful CTD friends.  You should, too, as you could win a spit-ton of papercrafting prizes.  (A "spit-ton of prizes" is a lot better than it sounds, by the way.  Check out the Color Throwdown Blog for more details on how to play and all the companies participating in the 250th extravaganza.)

Here's the 250th Color Throwdown Challenge:

I decided these happy colors were the perfect occasion to break out my brand new Papel Picado Banners stamp set and dies by Avery Elle, and available at i {heart} papers.  (Fun fact to know and tell: IHP is one of the sponsors of the CTD250, and one of the prizes you could win is a $25 gift certificate to IHP.)  I instantly knew I had to have this set, as it has lots of fun Spanish phrases and I like to break into Spanglish at any given opportunity.

As a white girl who spent four of her formative years in Barstow, California (GO AZTECS!), I know more than my fair share of Spanish despite never having studied it formally.  I'm pretty sure I was in the minority at BHS, but it really wasn't a big deal. The only time I felt singled-out due to my lily-whiteness was when Mary Hernandez wanted to kick my ass, upon sight, on the first day of 6th grade. I never found out exactly why. Having just moved to the 'stow from Alexandria, Virginia (circa 1980), I was in the throes of extreme culture shock.  My preppy wardrobe made me as much an object of mockery as Mary's "Every Inch a Woman" decal tee-shirt (complete with glittered lips puffing on a cigarette) made her a subject of fear and fascination to me.  Maybe I was staring? 

Anyway, the good news: I was a faster runner than Mary (her already-well-developed breasts probably got in her way) and she was never able to catch me during recess.  After a day or two, every inch of the woman that she was got bored of trying to chase me down, and from then on I could play tether ball and four-square without hypervigilance while she hung with her vatos y vatas in Thomson Elementary School's smoking area.  (You think I'm kidding, don't you?)

I won't be sending this card to Mary, but thanks to Facebook, I still have quite a few friends from Barstow I keep in touch with with.  This one is for you, homegirls!

Supplies used from i {heart} papers: Papel Picado Banners stamp set and dies by Avery Elle; Echo Park's Happy Camper 6"x6" patterned paper pad; Pale Tomato Ink (Hero Arts); Brown Sugar Divine Twine; Dimensional Dots

March IHP Design Team Challenge

Hey, hipsters!  Do I ever have a treat for you today.  Something that is right up your progressive, ironic tee-shirt wearing, Wes Anderson-movie-lovin' alley.  Despite my advanced age, I have been accused of being a hipster, myself. Of course, I have to deny this as I contain multitudes and cannot be boxed in by convenient labels. However, if I were to take an objective inventory of myself and compare it to those accoutrements typically designated as 'hipster'...  Glasses?  Check. Vans-and-or-other-vintage-shoe brand wearing?  Check.  Scarf?  On occasion.  Moleskin notebook and calendar?  But of course. Contradictory desire to reject abject capitalism while desirous of every new Apple and/or stamping product that hits the market?  You know it.

First things, first, however.  Today is that dandy day in which all of i {heart} papers' Core Design Team participates in a monthly challenge.  This month's challenge as issued by the sweetest of the sweet, Deb Felts, is to choose something from among all of the past IHP DT challenges.  Easy enough!  I chose: "Anything Goes" which was the challenge theme for March and September of 2011, as well as July of 2012.  Like I said in the previous paragraph, I reject your box, society -- ANYTHING GOES!  Stamping anarchy!

Here's what my crazy, rebellious self put together for the challenge, your enjoyment, and to STICK IT TO THE MAN:

Meet my not-so-little friend, Jeffrey (not to be confused with Geoffrey, the corporate shill for Toys 'R' Us) the Hipster Giraffe from Avery Elle's WHAT'S UP? stamp set.  Gotta tell you, I'm totally diggin' on Avery Elle  - super fun, clever, and oh-so on trend.  This sentiment just cracks me up:

Now, you may ask yourself, "Who would I send such a card to?"  My answer is: to all of my hipster friends who deny that they're hipsters.  It's a Catch-22, you know?  Real hipsters deny they're hipsters.  If you identify yourself as a hipster, it's prima facie proof that you're not a hipster.  CONUNDRUM!

What isn't a conundrum?  The fact that this giraffe is pretty darn cute in his Wayfarers, scarf, and studied-stubbly beard:

Please note Glossy-Accented glasses (real lenses, not poked-out just so he can wear the frames).  Jeffrey and his sky background were colored with Spectrum Noir markers.  His very trendy background papers come courtesy of Echo Park's Sweet Girl 6"x6" pad.

Shall we make our leisurely way onto the other IHP Designers' blogs?  Sure, why not? (It's not cool to display too much enthusiasm, you know...)

The i {heart} papers team:

• March's guest designer, Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Carole
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Judy
• Lori
• Taylor
• Tracy
• Kate

Supplies available at i {heart} papers:

• What's Up? stamp set by Avery Elle
• Sweet Girl 6"x6" paper pad by Echo Park
• Spectrum Noir markers
• Crafter's Companion Ultrasmooth Premium White Cardstock
• Momento Tuxedo Black ink
• My Mind's Eye Washi Tape - black
• Dimensional Dots

Other: True Black cardstock (PTI), Glossy Accents (Ranger), General's Pastel Chalk Pencils (for shading stubble), blending stump