It's been at least 6 months of Sundays since I've participated in a Splitcoaststamper's challenge, and thanks to my youngest spending a week with his grandparents, I've got a little extra time on my hands to play. Not to mention the fact that I have literally OODLES of new stamps, papers, and embellishments from i {heart} papers that are begging to be man-handled by my large-knuckled, nail-bitten, scarred-up digits. One of my many favorite things about i {heart} papers is that, because it carries so many different stamp and paper lines, there is ALWAYS new stuff every single time I visit the site. I'm not beholden to a release schedule everytime I feel the need to do some retail therapy and freshen up my papercrafting wardrobe. I'll give you a little tip for navigating the IHP website: when you get there, immediately hit the "new items" button on the left side bar. Then, go to the bottom of the page and hit the "see all" button. Do that once, twice, or thrice a week and you'll always be in the know regarding the latest and greatest from many of your favorite manufacturers. IT'S A GOOD THING!
So, where was I before I got off on that IHP puffy-heart tangent? Oh, yeah - the Splitcoast challenge! I saw yesterday's SCS Sketch Challenge (#441 - can you believe it? I looked back in my gallery and the first SCS sketch challenge I ever played in was #97, in November of 2006. Want to see what I made? It was only my 8th upload to SCS. I was just a baby of 37 back then...
Such clear photography and excellent composition skills I had... (*shudder*) )
Enough of that frightening walk down memory lane. I'm older, I'm wiser, and I've surely put in 10,000 hours of stamping since then. According to Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, that should make me an expert. The good news/bad news about a pursuit/rabbit hole like stamping, though, is there are always so many new trends and techniques to try out, one can never know all there is to know (or, alternatively, feel like any sort of authority. Dammit! Wish I'd known that back in 2006... ;) )
So here's the SCS sketch for this week:
And here's my interpretation of it, using CAS-ual Friday Stamps' Frankly stamp set:
I had to pair up this sentiment with some mustachioed patterned paper from Carta Bella's Giddy Up Boy 6x6 pad, in a tip of the hat to Rhett Butler (the paisley paper is from that pad, too). The Frankly set comes with a pretty Art Deco-ish graphic, like so:
I thought that if I just inked the two outer 'petals' on the left and right, it could resemble a mustache and keep with my masculine card theme.
The real impetus behind this card, though, is the "Everything is going to be just fine" sentiment. I don't know about you, but when I'm having one of those 'dark nights of the soul', what I really want/need is somebody to hug me and say those very words. Fortunately, I have a husband who knows me well and does just that.
Other card details:
- the mustache paperclip has been sitting on top of my desk for YEARS. It was a little gifty from my buddy Leigh O'Brien, whom I dearly love, miss, and desperately hope will start gracing the world with her stamping again SOON
- inks used: Tim Holtz's Distress Inks in Chipped Sapphire and Walnut Stain
- dies used: Banner Stacklets 1 from Taylored Expressions
- cardstock used: Neenah Natural White, Prism Mystic Dark and Suede Brown Dark
The boy is coming home tomorrow, and I have miles to stamp before I sleep. Thanks for stopping by to visit, and I'll be back soon. :)