Snail Mail

A sad, sad thing has happened.  My favorite place to buy scrapbooking supplies, and one of my favorite places to hang out on the internet, cropchocolate.com, is closing their online business at the end of May.  I just found out yesterday.  I feel like a piece of me is being left behind as well.  I have been a part of the CC community since the company began in 2009 and have made many friends on the site.  We're brainstorming ways to keep the friendships going. When their online business ends, so does my design team assignment.  I spent Saturday working on my next assignment for them.  It's no longer needed.  So it goes.  With that in mind, I'm hoping to get on a new team or two, to fill the gap, and mend this slightly broken scrappy heart of mine.  I've put out some feelers, and I'm hoping for results.  One of the possibilities that I'm very excited about is with a Challenge blog!  I love challenges!  Everyone at Crop Chocolate can tell you that I've entered every single week of challenges there.  I've never won one (it's why I don't gamble.  The winner is chosen from a hat -- literally), but I've entered every week of their 60 challenges ever offered.  Stuck On Us Sketches Challenges is adding some team members, including members for a new die cut challenge.  YES!  I would SO LOVE to be on that TEAM!  With my Silhouette, my 3 Cricuts, more cartridges than I can admit to, a Bigshot and a Grand Calibur and lots and lots of cutting dies, I'm set!  I rushed home from work today and whipped up this card, just to enter it in the challenge and let the powers that be see my style.  Here it is.  I hope you like it!

The challenge theme this time is crustaceans.  My scientist husband says, "yes, a snail qualifies as a crustacean."  I cleared it with him before I launched into the card.  I used a Lifestyle Crafts cutting die to make the window in the front of the card, and then a smaller one to stamp the snail on.  I mounted the snail on an adhesive spring (CTMH), to make it even more fun for the recipient when they open the envelope. The cardstock is Close To My Heart.  DP is Authentique Fresh 6x6 Collection.  The Snail stamp and sentiment are from the Unity Feb, 2009 Kit of the Month. I colored the snail with Copic markers, then used a little Creative Inspirations paints in Fairy Dust to give it a little lustre.  It shows up better IRL.

I have some blog candy I'm giving away this week in celebration of a very busy week of blogging for me.  I have a tutorial and post on The Crop Tuesday, April 30, and a post here on my blog, a blog hop with my 3 Girl Jam DT sisters on Wednesday celebrating the release of some gorgeous new ribbon colors and a SALE!, a blog post on the 3 Girl Jam challenge blog on Thursday, and a post here on this blog,  another blog hop on Friday with some art journal peeps.  We're the Mixed Media Mix Up, or the Mixed Up Media Girls, or something like that.  It's Friday-Sunday -- tons of fun, and I have a post here on Saturday for All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles.  So, to celebrate all this inspiration, I'm giving away a 6x6 paper pad, some Pincque Peacock stick pins, some twine, Stickles, miscellaneous bling, and some ribbon.  To be eligible to win, follow my blog and comment on this post, then come back each day this week and comment again to increase your chances of winning.  I'll announce the winner early next week when I've recovered from all this scrappy mojo.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Stuck on You Sketches -- die cut crustaceans
Simon Says Stamp -- anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenges -- anything goes
Creative Inspirations Paints -- anything goes
Great Impressions Stamps -- Pastel Colors &/or Polka Dots
D.L. Art -- anything goes

Thanks you so much for visiting my blog! I love your comments.