Cadet Blue

When I visited The Play Date Cafe this week and saw that their inspiration photo featured "Cadet Blue", I was enamored.  With kraft and blush, it makes a lovely combination.  Although I'm very late with my entry, I sooo loved the other postings in the challenge that I wanted to join in on the fun!

Using scraps of printed papers in the colors of the challenge, I layered and sewed stunning stripes, sweet polka dots, and beautiful butterflies.  The leaves are burlap and my flower began with linen, tulle, and a blue print cotton.  Of course I had to add a bit of crocheting - a small square motif ... whipped up in a jiffy.  Pearl beads gather to create the flower center complimented with matching decorative pins.  The seam binding is hand dyed a wonderful pale shade, the tag states "Just for You", and the buttons help balance the large flower center.

I'm sure you agree this inspiration is one that can't be missed.  A beautiful trio of warm earthy color.  Be sure to stop by for a visit to see the super talented Design Team projects ... and the incredible challenge entries too!

Don't forget to hop along with this - post - and vote to win a prize!  Enjoy your evening everyone!

Grateful for this day

Hello friends!  Can you believe it's November?  The leaves are beginning to blanket the ground here and there has been a bit of frost in the morning lately.  Soon it will be a time of family gatherings with good food, great company, and laughter.  I look forward to seeing everyone again...

 I'm pleased to say that I am a guest designer this month over at The Polka Dot Door!  I am incredibly honored to be included with such fabulous artist.  Their work is amazing and I'm sure you'll agree.  Sarah and Rebecca are wonderful hosts with photos that both challenge and inspire us.  Their generosity is unbounded with multiple prizes available ...everyone has a chance to win!

If you'd like to play along - please do!  A prize will be given to the November Challenge winner, just create your project from the inspiration photo and link it up.

Plus, one Guest Designer Blog Hop participant will be named the "Featured Designer" ... the project with the most votes wins!  There's only one way to vote ... simply visit all the blogs on the Hop then finish by leaving a comment on the Polkadot Door Designs blog letting them know your favorite.  Again, be sure you chose a Guest Designer who has earned your vote!

While you hop, leave a little love at each blog for the chance to win a prize from one of our sponsors!

 Finally, three to five artists (who have chosen to participate in the challenge) with the most impressive creations will be chosen to join next months Design Team and Blog Hop, and compete for the Feature Designer prize in December.

Sounds like fun?  Let's get started!

This months photo is full of possibilities.  I couldn't ignore the bee motif and the tablescape is a buffet of color!  I tried to captured the delicious red of the strawberries and the stunning blue of the bowls...layered on a background of soft greens, yellows, and neutrals, the colors really "pop" as in the photo.

My papers are scraps from "here and there".  The greeting is from Perfectly Penned and is paired with a few buttons.  The rolled flower is a combination of a neutral woven linen with a wonderful soft suede print from the Spice Cake collection (thank you Geri for the tutorial).  I added some hand dyed seam binding, velvet leaves, decorative pins and some beautiful blue fibers.

This inspiration photo will get you started ...

Here is this month's Blog Roll.  Be sure to leave a little love and don't forget to vote at the Polka Dot Door!

Lindsay

DeeDee

Amanda

Debby 

Lisa

Aki

Nicole

Smitha

Joanne (that's me!)

Diana

Erin

Ujjwal

Nita

Be sure to finish at The Polka Dot Door to vote for your favorite and thanks for stopping by!

Oh Happy Day!

I'm sooo excited!  I've been invited back for another month as a Guest Designer over at the The Polkadot Door challenge blog!  Sarah and Rebecca have the best inspiration photos.  And the projects posted by all the participants are incredibly creative.  There is always something to see, learn, and certainly fall in love with.  Every month there are plenty of prizes to be won so be sure to mark you calendars and check out the fun on November 1st!  See you there! 

Autumn days ...

I'm so glad to be back with you today, my friends.  Have you been celebrating the Autumn season?  I do hope so.  The air was cool and crisp the other night which made the bon-fire and hayride (hosted by our school) all the more enjoyable.  Our costumes are nearly complete and ready for all the Halloween festivities this weekend.  Yes, life has been hectic - I admit it was a relief to have a day to relax, unwind, and create in my craft room.

I adore these crocheted roses ... making them and using them!  So delicate and lacy, they are the perfect embellishment for a romantic look.  Using a different hook and yarn, makes this flower just the right size.  I wanted this lovely bloom to be my focal point so I used a "light hand" adding just a touch of color.

The seam binding is dyed to a soft shade of yellow and is tied in shabby loops.  Velvet leaves and decorative pins add warm hues of purple and artichoke.  You can see the greens tucked behind the rose.  My tag sweetly says "hello" with a stamp from Pennant Parade and a crown background from Artistic Etchings.  Lace and buttons complete the look.

The colors were inspired by this gorgeous collection of photos posted at Play Date Cafe.  They are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary this week.  Congratulations ladies - here's to many fabulous years to come!  Be sure to pay them a visit ... there are always wonderful projects on display from the super talented Design Team there.

It was so nice of you to stop by today ... thanks for visiting!

Just playing ...

Stopping in for a moment today to share some fun ideas.  With the temperatures getting cooler, I find comfort in getting out my hooks and yarns.  Something about this time of the year has me yearning for traditional crafts learned from my mother.  She would sew mostly, but took the time to teach me to crochet and knit.  A life long love that I now pass on to my daughter.

I've been playing with organic cottons.  These make wonderful washcloths.  So soft ... I love them!

Another set made in pastel shades which went to my friend Cheryl and of course my daughter has some too.  They are such a sweet addition to the bath.

And roses in vanilla and white.  These are small - about 1.5 inches across.  Duplicates of the rose used on my previous post.  I think a larger rose would look wonderful taking center stage on a project, don't you? (I'll have to give that try.)

Thanks for stopping by ... I enjoy your visits and hope that you do too.

Among the roses

It has been a wonderful week, my friends.  The trees have almost reached their peak of beauty - gorgeous in their shades of Autumn color.  The weather today is sunny and warm.  With the windows and doors thrown wide open, I can hear the squirrels and chipmunks outside in the garden gathering their stores for the winter months ... rustling thru the fallen leaves.  Soon the birds will come and clean the bright red berries from the viburnum bushes as they prepare for their journey south.  I'm so happy to help them along the way.

I've enjoyed some quiet time lately ...creating crocheted bits of this and that to share.  My friend Lisa directed me to a beautiful photo of crocheted roses posted on tinywhitedaises.  Much larger than I need ... I had to try them in a smaller size.  I'm so pleased with this sweet rose that it was the featured embellishment at a gathering of crafty friends yesterday.  The ladies were thrilled to each get a rose complete with a single pink bead center.  I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these in the future.

My papers are from the Beau Chateau collection.  Shades of pink and brown are so wonderfully romantic.  Two ribbons combine to create a beautiful mixed bow.  The satin is Pretty in Pink, the stripe is retired.  Decorative pins with pearls and matching pink beads add another layer of shabby goodness.

You can see why I fell in love ... 

Love this too ...

Thank you for stopping by to spend some time here.  I hope you've been inspired to create something beautiful too .  Before I go ... remember to hop along and vote over at Polkadot Door Designs!

Feathered friends

I'm back with you tonight to share a winter greeting.  I think these birds are the sweetest little things.  Cuddled safely together in an over-turned urn ... not feeling the slightest bit cold with their feathers fluffed up ... adorable.  The patterns and color combinations are wonderful in the new Christmas paper collection - Letters to Santa.  And I find myself reaching for my Winter Post stamp set whenever I want to create a "post card" ... which lately is quite often.

My bow is a combination of Bashful Blue Satin Ribbon and hand dyed seam binding.  The star is corrugated cardboard brushed lightly with acrylic paint and sprinkled with mica flakes.  I also added a couple buttons, one with a length of natural hemp.

The layout is based on this week's sketch over at Mojo Monday ... I should visit there more often - they have wonderful sketches to jump start your creativity.

I apologize for the quality of today's photographs.  One of my daylight bulbs has burned out and I need a replacement.  Of course, I couldn't wait for it to arrive!

Thanks for stopping by ... enjoy the rest of your day!