Growing In Spades.

It is with great excitement that I write this post.  No, I haven't been asked to join a DT, been published, or had a win on the lottery.  Nope, I am excited for far better reasons than those, and that's because today's post is my first ever  papery contribution to this Mini Blog Hop with some of the most stellar and innovative papercrafters I know.  I bet you can imagine how chuffed (not to mention nervous) I was to be asked.   The challenge for this wee Blog Hop was to use Papertrey Ink's Garden Variety stamp set and Year Of The Flower Collection, both released last year.  Prior to creating my three cards for the Hop, my YOF Collection hadn't ever seen ink (Oh, the shame) and Garden Variety has so infrequently been used and not in its entirety either, that it could almost reclaim its Never Been Inked status.   The rules were really only two:  1) No opium smoking in the elevator and 2) that there were no real rules.  My kind of Blog Hop, that's for sure.

After getting over my initial anxiety about nothing springing to mind when it came to these sets, I just pulled out these sets, dusted them off, scratched my head a few times, rubbed salve into the cat's boils, finished my 20 year old's baby photo album, cleaned the gutters, thought about clearing out the garage, had a nap, watched the Simpsons' entire 55th season (and I hate the Simpsons!), flicked over to Antiques Roadshow (nope, not much better), made a cup of tea, then another cup of tea and still had nothing.  Sigh.

But after repeating the above cycle of procrastinating non-productivity with a few other variations on the same theme thrown in a couple more times, I finally managed to crank something out.  Phew!  I never actually thought I would get there, but I am so pleased I eventually did.  The following cards are, for the most part, a combination of both sets, save the last, where I, well and truly, ran out of puff.  In the case of my last card, I just went to my old trusty Spellbinders Rose Creations die and the Rose stamp from the YOF Collection.  How do I love thee, Rose Creations die? Let me count the ways. 

So without further ado, three cards for my inaugural participation in the Mini Blog Hop:

Thanks gals for letting me join in the fun and for motivating me to get out of my comfort zone and to have a bit of fun.  I do, indeed, feel I've grown thanks to you ladies and for that I am so grateful.

Here's the list of the other lovely and ever so talented lasses:

Kim 

Joyce

Renee

Gayatri

Marybeth

I am off to have a look and be amazed and beyond inspired, no doubt.  See ya there!