Stampin! with Jaydee

Happy Sunday and greetings from a warm and summery Minnesota!

So, I am back home after my whirlwind trip to Seattle - more about that after my card.  It's the fabulous Ann's turn to host our Paper Players challenge this week and she has chosen some wonderful colors for us.  I don't know why, but they reminded me of ice cream!  So, I was able to take out a set of dies that I hadn't used from Alexandra Renke called Ice Cream in Cones.  Here's a sneak peek:

And here is Ann's challenge:

Such a gorgeous, fresh color scheme. M It incorporates colors that I rarely use, so I was very glad that Ann pushed me out of my comfort zone as I really fell in love with these colors when I was making my card.  My color of choice was the brown as I needed that for the cones! 

I began by die-cutting the individual pieces from watercolor paper and them dipped them into watercolor paints.  I wanted the rustic feel that only watercolor can give you.  An added bonus is the texture from the paper itself.  I used a background stamp to provide an anchor for the ice cream cones and a bold sentiment to add a pop of black.  I added a second pop of black with some twine on my tag.  The card was finished off with some splatters, including some gold watercolor paint

Here's my card:

I hope you will join us and play along with Ann's colors.  We would love to see what you create with this gorgeous colors.  As always, the design team have some fabulous inspiration for you:

• Ann
• Claire
• Joanne
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Anne Marie
• Cynthia
• Jolanda

On a personal note:

Well, it's wonderful traveling around the world and seeing new sights but sometimes you just have to make a short trip to make you remember how gorgeous some things are at home.  I haven't been to Seattle since the early 90s when we spent 5 weeks driving from California up through Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and across to Lake Louise.  Somehow it was one of those places that I was never sent to on business and Lou and I have never holidayed in this area.  So, I was thrilled when we were coming in to land I caught sight of Mount Hood against a cloudless sky.  Just beautiful

So, what was I doing in Seattle so soon after getting back from my world trip?  Good question.  I flew out to pick up the newest member of our household.  Our beloved 18 year old Norwegian Forest Cat crossed the rainbow bridge in January and the house has been missing a floof ball.  So, after much searching whilst I was away we found a Maine Coon breeder in Seattle.  There are so many charlatan breeders coming out of the woodwork for these cats - many of them are running kitten farms out of Eastern Europe - and it was wonderful to find a breeder who was ethical and whose cats are a part of the house - and the family.  

So, I flew out on Friday afternoon and spent the night in a hotel and picked up little Chilli at the airport on Saturday.  Considering this little thing had never met me he was astonishingly good.  We got a private screening at security so that I could ensure he would be in a nice quiet room and not picked up out of the bag and trailed through the melee that is security.  He came out of the back, snuggled into my arms and just padded and purred!  I heard the security guard who was scanning his carrier say that he had a gorgeous lynx kitten in the screening room!  Not quite a lynx... but those ear tassels are quite something!  Chilli got lots of attention from the security staff and several members of the public who paid him some attention as we ran to board our plane.  He hardly made a sound during the flight, except when we landed!  He also endured the run through Minneapolis airport to the bus and sat like an angel on the bus for the 80 minute drive home.

We were expecting a long introduction to the feline family - but within 12 hours - he was out and about exploring the apartment and making friends.  It's a testament to the breeders that he is so well socialized with both people and other animals.  He is absolutely adorable!  So, meet Chilli!

All settled in with Lou

And looking adorable - with a cushion that says it all!

He is a fluffy ball of soft fur that pads and purrs up a storm.  He talks about as much as Siamese do and loves to be cuddled.  All this in less than 24 hours!  So, I think you will be seeing more of Chilli.

I'll be back tomorrow with my Orangutan post.   In the meantime, warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift tonight.

Hugs

Jaydee

Card recipe:

• Dies:  Ice Cream in Cones - Alexandra Renka