Challenge for a Sunday Afternoon #1

A new Challenge!! My friend Lisa from The Craft's Meow has started up a challenge and the first one is good for me since I'm on a "clean-up" (not that you'd know from the amount of stuff still on my desk!!). You have to use something that's been lying about, waiting for your inspiration..... so I decided to try and find a use for the orange things I like but can never quite manage.

The DP is Bali Breeze from SU, and the terracotta scrap and orange ribbon are both from my "what-will-I-do-with-this?" folder, all on cream CS 4.5" square. The lovely flower is a SU Fifth Avenue Floral with some colouring and gold gel pen to pick up the stamens. The embossed sentiment is a bargain-box find, and the graduated pearls are from Creative Charms.

Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge #31 Steel Magnolias

I am always moved by the scenes at the funeral where it seems to me that the women re-discover what is important about their lives and their friendship, and affirm their feelings with passion. It always makes me grateful for the women in my life and the strength we provide for eachother when life gets messy, and the laughter we share every day. Laughter or tears can be so close to the surface, just under the face we show the world - sunshine and shade in truth.

So I began with a single strong flower as similar to a magnolia as I had. I used the SU Fifth Avenue Floral stamp in chalk on the black CS, and also in black over a slim piece of Bali Breeze DP. There are strips of black and gray Dandy DP from Grace Paperz, and a matching piece of thin black satin ribbon. The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions "Branching Out" and I stamped it in gold to match the stamens of the main flower. I got carried away and added some colour to the inside too.

Creative Saturday Cinema Challenge #29 "To Catch A Thief"

I haven't seen this movie in ages but had to try out an idea nevertheless..... When you're owned by a couple of cats, what else comes to mind but a cat burglar? The brief was to use layers to represent the layers of meaning in the movie, so I did my best. The base is my usual white CS, topped first with a piece of reversible DP from Paper Chic. I coloured the edges a little to highlight them because the contrast didn't show up too well when photographed. Next came the dusky rose satin paper strips from the busy room boxes, ditto the wisp of black suede from which I cut the cat shape. I added a length of black satin ribbon to ground him and also provide more of a table from which that sneaky cat is trying to help himself to a diamond or pearl or two. Those sparklers are from Creative Charms. The sentiment seemed appropriate with its allusion to living more than once (but not 9 times), and is from the new SU Fifth Avenue Florals. What do you think?