Mojo Monday 244 Contest and CR84FN 55

Happy Thursday!

I like to participate in sketch challenges because they stretch the boundaries of my comfort zone with their layers and scallops and bowfishes.  I usually like my sketch challenge cards when I'm finished with them, but you won't find original ideas for them in the Card Idea Filing Cabinet inside my brain.  Inside there it is clean and simple.  Inside the filing cabinet, I mean, the rest of my brain is dirty and crazy as a flea fiddling on a corn cob.

So my choice of stretch-a-sketch this day is this sketch from Mojo Monday:

The amazing Julee Tilman designed the sketch and this week is Contest week so click over and join in the fun!

For colors, I am using the colors in the current CR84FN Color Challenge, which are delusciously lavender, celery, and gray:

I first thought of using lilacs for this, but I reached instead for Lavender Berries.  Like so:

Aren't they pretty with their silvery dew glistening in the sun? 

Lavender berries are grown in a very small region in the Alexander Valley in northern California.  Every three years, the farm owned by cousins Yulev and Peit Burchirl open their property to the general public to observe the harvest.  There is always a long waiting list and no map is provided with your ticket so often people never find the farm.  No one ever gets annoyed by this since there are so many friendly and welcoming wineries in the surrounding area.  The Lavender Berry Harvest is a treat, especially for the toddlers who have waited since infancy, so if you ever get a chance to go, grab it. 

As a follow-up to Wednesday's post about What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday's ATC card swap, I wanted to show you this stunning Artist Trading Card I received from Redanne, just because I told her that I thought her work was beautiful.  That's what I call a generous artist!  Here is her extraordinary ATC, stamped and colored on canvas:

As long as I'm doing collages, I also wanted to show you the clever PFC pipe structure that Mister made for me to hang sheets over my beautiful hydrangeas so they don't burn up in the heat.  And, man, are these girls sensitive.  I have to put up the sheet tents if it's over 70 degrees outside even though they are only in the sun a couple of hours!  Eau La La.  But they are so precious, I put up with their southern belle ways.  (The PFC pieces screw together for easy mantling and dismantling.  In the first picture, I've already screwed together four pieces, each, to make the square tops.)

Lastly, but definitely not leastly, please welcome my new followers! (I'm so excited to have reached 90!!)  Yesterday, I welcomed "solitary_star," but I couldn't direct you to her awesomeness.  My loyal follower Kara Lynne gave me the intel, so I can properly welcome Eileen of Stars Cards!  Also, please say hello to Rita of RMG Creations! 

In addition, I'm very pleased to share that Kara Lynne also nominated me for a Liebster Blog award.  Thank you so much, Kara!

Please enjoy ~ and, as always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Papers:  Oh, I forgot to take a close-up of the cardstock.  It's a lovely gray with tiny lavender and purple threads running through it; maker unknown.  The other papers are SU certainly celery, Bazzill lavender, DCVW designer paper, and Biggie Jr. watercolor

Stamps:  berries, Michael's WS-032; SU sentiment, set unknown

Ink:  Memento tuxedo black, Marvy markers

Ribbons:  SU lucky limeade; Offray lavender

Cuttlebug and Nesties dies: circle and lacey circle

Butterfly: unknown, loose in a drawer