It Required a Hunt! The Play Date Cafe Challenge

This has been a rather bold and bright week at The Open Window.

Lots of vibrant colors inspired by so many things.

Recognize any of this yet?  Yep, more of the new

'Mariposa' Collection from DCWV.

But I am happy to say that I managed a little BOO on this project.

Don't know what BOO is?  Click here to find out!

Before I go any further, here's an explanation for all the color...

This week's challenge is just that...A CHALLENGE!

All the designers said so...including our fabulous  
design team host, Sarah.

But there IS a story to go with these colors, so make sure you hit
The Cafe to read the inspiration behind this challenge.

So what did I come up with?

Here are the details...

The birdcage and collage-element paper are from DCWV.   

Prima flowers centered with fabric brads

from My Mind's Eye (thank you, Sarah) and Melody Ross' Artsy Urban for GCD Studios.

The orange panel was stamped with a beautiful butterfly from  

Elusive Images (again, thank you Sarah)

and the BOO on this card IS that orange panel.

Get this...I wanted just the perfect shade of orange and I literally (yes, really) looked for over an hour through every last orange 'thing' in my stash and then...  

I found it! 

 A brand, new blank mini scrapbook still in the package.  It was a freebie that came with an issue of Simply Scrapbooks

(now out of print).

Yes, it required that I cut it apart, but I was thrilled to find it!

Thank you dear Sarah...not only for the goodies used that were

sweet gifts from you,

but for dragging me out of my comfort zone with  

one terrific challenge!   : )

Favorite Places to 'Hop' and Other Creative Ponderings...

This could prove to be a bit of a long post and my 2nd one of the day...how 'bout that?! It's nearly midnight here in the unseasonably cool state of Illinois, but I am looking forward to some great sleeping weather.

I managed to get a couple more cards done tonight using my new toy that I talked about earlier. I now affectionately refer to it as 'The Bug', so you do not have to worry about catching anything when I share project ideas with the aforementioned 'Bug'.

Also wanted to plug these great background cardstocks from Fancy Pants Designs. The 12 x 12 sheets of Design Cards are terrific for building your focal points on. Both of the cards featured here and last night's card use the design cards which are slightly collage-oriented, so those of you who are a bit 'collage phobic' will really like what you can do with these.
What I have decided to do is post a few new favorite blog sites each Wednesday. Blog hopping is a fun way to spend an hour or two, if you have the time, but if you only have 15-20 minutes and have NO IDEA where to go, this will be a great way to get you on your way.

If you read my blog roll (favorites list) you will find what I call my 'must visits'. These are blogs that I visit at least once a day, but usually several times a day. So check those out because they are consistently fabulous!

Here are my picks for this week's My New Favorite Blogs:

Vintage Papers is a great blog by Nancy Maxwell-James. The creativity from this blog has been seen in a variety of Somerset Studio publications and the unique perspective Nancy brings when sharing her life will keep you looking through all of her archives. I am anxiously awaiting a set of ATC's based on Marie Antoinette that I ordered from Nancy's collection. I believe there is something for everyone on this blog, so check it out.

While I was there, I found My Desert Cottage, an outstanding blog by Karen Valentine of Scottsdale, Arizona. I am a real lover of shabby chic and it's non-stop exploration when I visit here. She has a couple of other blogs that she manages as well which include handcrafted cards and gifts. She is sponsoring the 'Where Bloggers Create' Party on Friday, July 24th inspired by the publication 'Where Women Create', so mark your calendar and make sure you stop by to see over 100 other blog sites who have signed on to participate, including yours truly.

Last but not least, I was over at Mona Pendleton's blog Cupcake's Creations (which I visit many times a day) and hopped from her blog to one of her favorites which eventually led me to Ross. It appears to me that Ross started out possibly as a scrapbooker, but then I'm not sure...Ross is from Italy and the majority of her blog is in Italian. She definitely loves color, whimsy and mixed media. This is one of the most eye-catching blogs I have come across in awhile and I think it's such a fun place to visit.

I mentioned the other night that when you go 'blog hopping' you will find yourself traveling all
over the world. I have followers from England, Australia, The Dominican Republic, Asia, Canada and of course here in the U.S. Art is one of the universal languages in which we can all say "I speak a little...". Inspiration is found everywhere you look, so I hope each Wednesday you will plan to stop by to see where we'll travel to next!