The Cat's Meow

I suppose I could call this post "Not Knowing When To Stop". Once again, I've backed into a challenge based on the s-crap left on my desk, and trying to make it work. It all started when I was playing with my Lawn Fawn Interlocking Backdrops stamps and embossing on watercolor paper. Please don't ask me why I thought I needed to do that, but ...

So anyway, I ended up with this banner:

(Please ignore all the other stuff. I failed to take a picture of it in its "before" state.) Maybe I thought I'd color it with my Derwent Inktense Pencils, but I ended up coloring it with some Gelatos instead, blending red, orange and yellow. Then I cut out the banner and I've been looking at it for a week.

Then I saw the latest Friday Mash-Up sketch:

Note: The mash-up challenge is to follow the sketch, make a project featuring hearts, or mash it up and do both. I'd actually forgotten about the hearts since my brain just goes to the sketch and that's all I printed.  I got lucky there! :)

I started playing with the banner and tried to create pieces for the other sketch elements. Let me just say that this is not my first pass, but I've called it done:

I originally had the banner coming down the right side, like in the sketch, but the rectangle I stamped and colored and layered turned out to be too large, and I may have wept. I do know I left the room. After I returned to the craft table, I took another stamped cat I had, but it was oriented the wrong way, which is why the sketch is turned 90 degrees to the left. I re-used the sentiment I'd already stamped, so it still pretty much follows the sketch.

Since I had no plan going into this, I stared at the card for a while, pondering what to do for the circle element of the sketch. I knew I needed to cover up the end of the banner, and you'll notice my heart failed to do that. So I added more! I added the bling, which are SU rhinestones colored with the same Copic marker I used to color the wooden heart.

I must tell you about that twine. I bought it online in a heated moment of OMG THEY HAVE SOLID COTTON TWINE NOW, but since I could only get it in full 240 yard rolls, I was actually uncharacteristically frugal and only got one in aqua. When I unwrapped it yesterday, I immediately gasped and went to see if I could get it in the other colors. I can, but I haven't yet. Give it a few days before I cave. That fondle factor is a curious and dangerous beast.

Here's a detail shot of the "too much" on my card:

I had to trim the banner down, and chose to cut off some of the yellow end. I just cut along the embossed lines. You can tell because it's not even. ;/

The wooden heart is from Kaiser, and I like them better than the Studio Calico veneer hearts. You do get a lot more with the SC package, including arrows, but if I just needed hearts, I'd get the Kaiser ones again.

Speaking of which, I plan to post a crafty rant next, so come on back in a bit to see my packaging whine. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Products used:
Lawn Fawn Interlocking Backdrops (SSS | EH)
Lawn Fawn Critters in the 'Burbs (SSS | EH)
Hero Hues black ink (EH)
Neenah Solar White card stock 25 sheets (SSS | EH) ream (SSS | EH)
Ranger Distress Core'dinations card stock (SSS)
Kaiser wooden hearts (SSS)
Fiskars paper trimmer (SSS | EH)
Corner Chomper 1/4" & 1/2" (SSS | EH)
SU Water Color paper
Hero Arts white embossing powder (SSS | EH)
Versamark ink (SSS | EH)
Best Creations Small Square adhesive (SSS)
Sakura black gel glaze pen (SSS | EH)
SU rhinestones
Glossy Accents (SSS | EH) mini (SSS | EH) 
Copics E33, E35, W1, Y00 and B04
Tonic scissors (SSS | EH)
Gelatos - Red Yellow (SSS)
Divine Twine in Aqua (I've linked to Impress, where I got mine. You can also buy them on the Whisker Graphics company site. If you are patient, they have a seconds section called (k)Nots, with a limited selections at reduced prices.)