What's Brewing? Coffee and a Little More...

 

The Play Date Cafe Challenge was posted extremely late

and I promised the players over there if they stopped

by my blog, I would explain why.

I will do that at the end of this post...

I LoVe this photo by Maria Medeiros over at CozyComfyCouch.

I thought it was terrific inspiration and am very excited to see

what everyone does with this color combo.

Me?  I took it a bit 'literally' 

and went very CAS (clean and simple)!

 

I have the limited edition Fiskar's 'coffee mug' punch and 

thought this was the perfect time to use it.

I stamped the linen-finish punched-pieces with the fabulous

'Simple Swirls' Flourish stamp from Artistic Stamper.

These stamps are so versatile and I love having them as

my 'go-to' background images.

The sentiment is from The Paper Company.

The 'Eyelet Lace Border' punch and ribbon 

are from Martha Stewart.

A quick reminder that the DESIGN TEAM CALL

is still going on over at The Play Date Cafe.

For all the details, click here

Now to share the past 24 hours of frustration...

Recognize this?  If you have been a follower of my blog

for the past 6 months or so, you know we recently went through

the construction process of a brand new road.

If you are newer to The Open Window, I would encourage you

to catch up with the story HERE before you continue.

The reason for the close-up photo above is to give you an idea of

the proximity from our patio to what's next.

 

We awoke yesterday morning to lots of noise and many voices.

As I looked out the patio doors, this was the scene behind

all the condo units.  It seems when they built the now famous

'Road to Nowhere', the original easement was not in the appropriate

place, so all....yes, ALL the underground utility lines had to be moved.

About 3pm on Wednesday, I arrived home to no electricity and the

conversation went something like this:

"can you tell me how long we will be without power?"

"we're working on it"

"so you have no idea if this was planned or accidental"

"we're working on it...we've called ComEd"

 OH-oh...oops!

No lights, no phone, no heat...chilly.

At 8:30pm, 2 men, who I would assume were 

frozen to the core, gave me the good news that we

were getting close...mission accomplished shortly after that.

I rushed to my computer only to find that my DSL was

not functioning.  I picked up our phone and....dead.

It was like an army of people outside today...workers everywhere.

Obviously our phone and DSL service were restored...

approximately 3pm this afternoon.

And now...

HERE'S what it looks like outside my patio door

as I type this...

When they spotted for all these cables, they said not to worry because

it's all done very 'electronically' so the digging will be minimal.

This is just behind our condo...it looks like this behind every building.

Here's the part that I just have to laugh at....

It was only OUR unit...

our lowly little abode that was disconnected.
Gee...I hope they're coming back.

Don't they KNOW I have a blog to take care of?

Love is in the Air...it's a Private Blend!

 

This is a fabulous week over at The Play Date Cafe!

Not only do we have an open design team call going on at the moment, but we also have a new  

Cafe feature with a designer opportunity.

This week, I was totally inspired by The Play Date Cafe's first 

'Private Blend' Designer.

Before I tell you about that inspiration, I want to also thank my friend

Maria Medeiros from CozyComfyCouch Photography & Design.

Maria has graciously provided this fabulous inspiration photo

for this week's challenge.

 

Mona Pendleton of Cupcake's Creations is our first

'Private Blend' Designer and her tissue paper flowers are so beautiful.

I decided it was time to make a few of my own 

inspired by her terrific style.

I also managed a little 'Boo' with this project by using flocked DP from

Prima's Nursery Rhyme Collection, 

and this fabulous Paper Inspirations

stamp that I have had for over five years and had never inked!

The textured hearts were a part of a die cut package that came free with one of my British stamping magazines.

Hope you will take this opportunity to play with these great  

Valentine-y colors over at The Play Date Cafe.  

Head on over and find out how you can be a 

'Private Blend' Designer!

Retro Fun at The Play Date Cafe!

I am very excited about the color inspiration for this week's

Play Date Cafe Challenge.

And how fun is this inspiration photo?

Julie Campbell is actually our challenge host this week, but as she is away at CHA in Anaheim, I offered to fill her shoes with an offering of inspiration.

The verse I used for this card was from Scrappy Cat and it's in tribute to my UK friends, Jennie and Hels.  I serve on the creative team with them at Artistic Stamper and have been in LOVE with the grungepaper roses that they are so proficient at making.

Because I STILL need to get myself some grungepaper to make the actual roses, I decided to put my own spin on them using the same

'retro' feel of the inspiration photo.

I created the flowers using my Sizzix Flower Layers die cuts.  The patterns were created with Artistic Stampers' Houndstooth and Polka Dot background stamps.  Although houndstooth never goes out of style, I think it has a very 'retro' vibe to it.  I outlined each flower with turquoise and silver Stickles and centered them with zebra-print brads.  Fun...fun...FUN!

So you have two places to visit.   

The Play Date Cafe of course, and then head on over to

Artistic Stamper.

Tell them hi from me!

So Glad it's Friday!

I don't know about you, but when Friday comes around, there is a sense of 'calm' that I look forward to. My telephone definitely rings less and even the television in the background 'sounds' different. Less news....more sounds of cheering (that would be English soccer), food processors and choppers (that would be PBS' offering of master chefs) and the ever familiar "not available in stores, so call now" (that would be your basic infomercial).

This weekend will sound just a 'smidge' different as the Air Show is in town for the weekend. We live on the outskirts of the city, so it's just far enough away from the constant noise, but still in the flight path of the really spectacular jets, like the Blue Angels, or whatever is in town this year.
WOW! Just after I typed that last sentence, something REALLY loud just flew over! I love when that happens!

This weekend I am looking forward to checking out some blogs that are new to me. Instead of sharing some of my new favorites with you this past Wednesday, I decided to share the
Blog Candy Giveaway instead. I think that was OK with you,
based on your reactions to it!
I am also working with Maria Medeiros to design a new banner for that segment, so stay tuned!

TAG SWAP UPDATE: For those of you who sent your tags and are wondering where yours are in return....I am waiting on one more batch to arrive. I will post them next week for all of you to see and then start sending out the swaps to each person. Thank you for your patience, but I know you will be pleased with the wait. We had several come from long distances, including Canada, The UK and Australia. Thanks girls....you've done a great job!

So, my friend Sarah Anderson is back from her 2 week holiday. She went on a camping trip to the Isle of Wight and by the sounds of it, spent a great deal art journaling. She has already posted 2 or 3 blog entries since she returned, so make sure you head on over and see what's going on with her.
I sure did miss you, my friend! Glad you are back!

Before I go, let me tell you a little about this card. Do you recognize the 'blue-green' background? If you use a lot of Prima flowers, you just might. It's the insert to the last batch I purchased. I absolutely loved the design, so I kept it until I found something to do with it.
I am always on the lookout for something unique or out of the ordinary to use in my papercrafts.

So here is my question for you.....what is the most unusual element you have ever kept around to incorporate in your art and HOW LONG did you keep it for before it was finally used?
Leave a comment and let me know...this could be fun!

Julie Ranae's Wednesday Night Favs!

I don't typically start out my posts with a negative, but I have to say....I SO do not like how this card photographs, but the card itself is so lovely, that I had to give it a go anyway. I tried every different backdrop, different lighting, blah...blah...blah. So I hope you will take it for what it's worth....a valiant effort to share!

Now on to my new favs for this week!

Last week I introduced some of you to LilyBean's Paperie. You LOVED it there, so here is someone that Melissa herself follows. A Creative Mint is a feast for the eyes if you are inspired by color. I think many of us have inspiration boards in our art spaces to assist us when we need a little help. This blog is like having an inspiration board on your computer screen. Make sure when you visit that you don't stop at the most recent post. This visit requires you to scroll through the archives to really connect with what I'm saying.

I have to admit, I am still in my shabby-chic phase with this next blog, but you will see why I must share this with you. Iralamija is beautiful...lovely...sweet...well, you get the picture! Beatriz Jennings offers descriptive content for all of her posts in both English and Spanish translation, without relying on Google Translator. There are classes and tutorials offered and lovely handmade items just waiting to be ordered.
Again, visiting the archives of this blog is a must for you to really
appreciate all the beauty that is offered.

I saved this one for last because, well....I'm not sure where to start and I can already tell you that I don't see an end in sight for my description of this blog. Maria Medeiros Photography & Design AKA Cozycomfycouch. Maria has been a follower here at The Open Window from very early on. She came by way of my cyber friend Paulette's blog. Maria, is not a stamper. She is not 'technically' a paper artist in the way that most of us think, but what she manages to 'put to paper' is phenomenal! Maria has a website and a blog and about 25 other things going on and the one constant is the beautiful photography she shares. I am so happy to say that she is participating in our tag swap using her photography and she is very excited about it. You can get a sneak peek at her tags on her blog. Maria...thank you for being such a loyal follower and I can't wait to see what you have for us next!

That's it for tonight. Please...please...PLEASE...when you stop by these blogs each week, take just a moment to leave a quick comment to let them know how you found them. We bloggers always appreciate that little tidbit of information. Sometimes we stay up half the night just wondering how someone in Katmandu came to log onto our blog...well, I do anyway...