{Taylor's Cupcake Challenge}

Numerous times over the months that I have been blog stalking I have read that people have written entire blog entries (usually long ones) only to have some strange computer happening occur and they lose all their work---well, that was me today! I was so excited to share my card with you today and I really wanted to do it before I left for my teacher workday today. Here's why: (If you don't care about the blah, blah, blah, just skip down to the picture, I'm sure I'll get it to upload eventually!!!)
I LOVE Taylor VanBruggen's blog Taylored Expressions. She is so creative and has a great eye for color and layout. As I've said in the past I'm trying to do more sketch challenges and this week's Cupcake Challenge was just that. Every Friday, Taylor issues a "cupcake challenge" and I decided it was time for me to go for it. I was to use her sketch and post a link on her site or at SCS. Well, I finished last night, & took photos this morning. It was really rainy & dark this morning (I LOVE rain, but my camera doesn't) and the pictures weren't very good---enter Photoshop Elements. NOW, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I'm a total Elements novice, but I have, in the past, been able to successfully edit a photo to make it more presentable............that is, until today. I spent at least 45 minutes (or more) in the wee hours of the morning to get this post up by the appropriate time to be entered into a "random drawing" that Taylor was having---I must say, I didn't really care that much about the drawing, but I loved my card and I wanted someone else to love it, too!!! So, I edited the pictures---they looked great, but three times, THREE TIMES, when I went to save them, an error message came up and the program immediately shut down. When I brought it back up---no pictures! (Now, I know a few of you are thinking, "you did it THREE TIMES?, but I'm stubborn and technologically challenged.) SOOOOO, I finally had to leave for work (this was the moment that I had to laugh that I was going to let this addiction that I have keep me from performing my actual paying job well-----I wasn't willing to do that, just yet, so I left for work. I thought to myself, "Well, I'll get the card up late, but at least all I have to do when I get home is redo the photos and add them to the post and it will be up----better late than never"---But, uh, did I mention that we had rain today? STORMS, even? Yes, you guessed it---the computer went off in a quick blip of the electricity so I lost the post, too! Now, I know some of you are thinking---"MAN, I wish she hadn't because I'd already be through this blah, blah, blah and on to the card." It actually was a VERY short post because I was in a hurry to get to my real job!
SOOOOOOO, here's the card---still not edited well---I had to use the photos I took with a flash because the others are just too dark, and these are a little over exposed. I also wasn't willing to risk cropping and losing it again. I'll try that on a day when I have a little more patience and time! Imagine that someone edited them beautifully! Thanks for listening to the rambling! I'll try to be brief next time! (for those of you who know me, you know I may be stretching the truth a little !)
I know this is almost a total CASE of Taylor's card, but I wanted to use cupcakes and I HAD to use this paper because I thought it went so well with the D'Vine Swirl Cuttlebug Embossing Folder that I got for my birthday---thus the pink and green. AND, I still have a hard time knowing how "outside the box" I can be on a sketch challenge, so---the CASED card. I had fun with this one---I know the paper is older, but I do love it and I'm still trying to use what I have instead of buying a bunch of new stuff. *GASP*

I used Dazzling Diamonds on the cupcakes---here's a close up. Thanks again for listening---the recipe is below.

I hope you had a very BLESSED Monday~
Kathleen










Recipe:
Stamps: Studio G, PTI Borders & Corners Monogram Edition
Paper: Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom, Vellum cardstock (on cupcake liners) Basic Grey Romani-Migration DP
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, Blush Blossom & Certainly Celery
Accessories: Blender Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, 2 way Glue, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/2" circle punch, 5/8" ribbon, D'Vine Swirl CB Folder