A Winter Solstice Merry Mulligan

Happy Winter Solstice! As a born and bred Iowan...may I say.... "What"? It's just now winter? What was yesterday? An unseasonably cool summer day?

I received an awesome pre-Christmas present from one of my sistas! (Thank you Gailey!) Not sure why I got them early - but I ripped right into them! I absolutely love all the stamps by Marcella Hawley at Power Poppy!

The Omaha early gift giver left the note and 'packaging' so I could see how cute it was when it arrived. Check this out! A hand written note by the artist! Not to mention a bit of twine and orange vellum/wax like paper. (Going to have to find some of this colored wax/vellum paper!) With personal service like this I should probably send her an email and get a response.

Twine, Washi tape, orange cool paper, hand written note...PLUS stamps! Whhhhoottt!!!

Washi tape to hold the tag! This woman rocks! Hand written and hand drawn flowers!

A trio of awesomeness! Thank you Sissy Gail!

Since I was on the receiving end of awesomeness I decided to put one of these lovelies to work! FULL DISCLOSURE...I have to be honest. This was not my first attempt at using this poinsettia stamp. Let's just say...the first attempt ended up in the trash heap. I tried to resuscitate it...it got worse the more I tried. Honestly...it was HORRIBLE. I can't even bring myself to share the card! Suffice it to say it included embossing powder and watercolors...(Sounded SO beautiful and achievable in my head....) I salvaged the base card and that is all! 

I frequently send my 'review board' (my sisters) a preview of the cards I plan on posting here on my blog. Not sure why I do - but I do. In a previous post I shared some of their (vastly positive) and delightfully honest responses. Well I sent them a photo of the currently-residing-in-the-trash
card noting that I wasn't happy with it. One of the "Review Panel's responses was, "have an adult beverage and go back to the drawing board".
Don't you just LOVE siblings!? I do. (Well SOME siblings...) 

Agreeing that a mulligan was in order I took the card apart and after a failed resuscitation effort - it was put to rest in the trash. So! Here is the do-over. I wanted to use the color challenge at Just Us Girls and was determined to use my new stamp set in a manner more worthy of this gorgeous 'power flower'!

Merry Mulligan

~Base card - Gina K

~Layer of pink card stock

~Layer of teal card stock

~Image, Marcella Hawley's PowerPoppy Poinsettia, stamped using Memento Black, colored with Copics, center dotted with Smooch Gold Flame then Moonlight

~Sentiment, Marcella Hawley's PowerPoppy Poinsettia, stamped with Stazon Teal

Challenges | Inspirations

Just Us Girls - color week

Pile it On - Christmas

Sweet Stamps - nontraditional Christmas colors

Come and Get It - Christmas

Stay tuned for a view of the stampin' goodies my Atlanta sister sent me! I will post that bundle once I use one of those treasures!

Here's to pre-Christmas gifts, December birthdays (even though I am not a fan), mulligans, and brutally and refreshingly honest sibs!

Thank you for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa