A Fun Field Trip and Some Magic Paper

What a GLORIOUS day it was today! I had a tweet-up with @holyxuxa in Charlottesville, VA, (she made my bracelet - go to her store and buy her stuff!) and it was just a perfect day: sunny, nice breeze, not a cloud in the sky. Perfect.

We ate, and we shopped, and we walked around, and we ate, and we drank, and we ate. Oh, yeah, a great day! We were in the main shopping area, which is a pedestrian-only, tree-lined, outdoor mall, and it was just beautiful. Check out the fleurs:

On our way to get gelatto we spotted this:

... a wheel barrow full of puppies! The owner was there with the mom, who looked very tired! The pups are not quite 8 weeks old and he was selling them. Shepherd-Chow mix. SO cute! No, I didn't get one, and no, I didn't bring one home for BR#2. I was so glad she wasn't there, because I'm not strong enough to hold her back. She would have paid the man for the whole batch and taken the wheel barrow full of fur home with her.

There was also some funky furniture out in front of some of the shops. Check out this couch:

Yep - mosaic. I sat on it, too!

Aaaand, I got crafty last night! Look what I made:

This uses some new SU goodies from the Summer Mini. First, that paper is magic paper. It has white embossing on it (this one has words) that shows once you add color. I started with a new stencil we have (also from the Summer Mini) and sponged Melon Mambo ink over it. So few of the words showed through, though, that I brayered the ink over the whole thing! I really like how it came out. I, of course, had to add ribbon. In a fevered moment, I added the sentiment tag to make it a wedding card, but then I realized that set is only available in the Occasions Mini, which ends April 30th, so I can't use this for my May workshops. Ack!

Then I decided the satin ribbon, though yummy, kindof hides most of the design, so I tried the white taffeta ribbon with this one:

Better. Boring, but better. So in yet another fevered moment, I thought to add the Love charm:

Ahem. That charm is certainly not SU. I'm still pondering what to do for a sentiment so I can use this for next month's workshops. I have a few weeks before I need to panic.

Oh, also while in Charlottesville, one of our planned stops was a bead shop. You see, @holyxuxa makes jewelry (go to her shop and buy some of it!) and she helped me pick out a few things to use on my cards. Just a few. Like I need more stuff, ya know? Hopefully I'll actually be able to execute my plan and I'll have something crafty to show you. :-)

I hope it's as pretty where you are as it is here. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks for stopping by!