want to make the fastest card EVER??!

if so, this is the week for you at shopping our stash, because this week we're having a SCRAP ATTACK! what does that mean? it means that apart from your card base (or background paper, in the case of layouts) we don't want you to cut into ANY new, full, sheets of paper to make your project, just pull out your scrap box (or bag or file or folder) and *USE* some of those gorgeous off-cuts you've been saving!

(everything you see, except the texty prima flower, was a scrap or a leftover from another project that somehow did not get used, but saved for "next time"; turns out next time is NOW, lol! i've got a pre-folded kraft card base; a pre-computer-printed sentiment (when i'm using clear labels i always fill the whole sheet; if i don't have enough content to do so, i add generic sentiments in various fonts and colors); all the papers are from the scrap file-- they are basic grey, pink paislee and some gold-leafed art paper from pearl paint, i believe; even the doily was in the white scrap folder, woohoo! i just added a bit of distress ink and stitching, et voila!)

i arrange all of my scraps by color, in files. 

here in the new house, these live in the top drawer of one of two very elderly, hand-me-down filing cabinets, which lovely husband jeff just finished spray painting glossy white for me (one was previously tan and the other a sort of rusty mustard color).

said cabinets now reside in the very first dedicated art supply/crafting space i have ever had, which, as you can imagine is very VERY exciting!!!

as you can see, it's still quite a mess at the moment, because i've been concentrating on getting the "public spaces" of the house unpacked, furnished and decorated. with that process is in pretty good shape, i hope to be working on-- and eventually *IN*-- the art lair more, and will be happy to share my progress with you. i'm planning to dress the filing cabinets up a little bit, and will show you them again when that has taken place. (ps: i have lots more house pics to share, it's just a question of sitting down and uploading them, writing blog posts, etc; which still has not been happening as frequently as i'd like; ah well, i will get there eventually!) :) :) :) 

anyway, back to the card: to make the design process even quicker, you can always start with a sketch. i often use allison fillo's brilliant round-up feature at stampin' when i can; in which she has a place each week where all of the current challenges can link their sketches, and thus one can see them all in one post, which is soooooooo helpful! this time i started my card using the current retro sketch, but you can see that my design morphed away from it quite a bit, so i've decided not to link up; but i thank them all the same for the inspiration!

speaking of inspiration, i know for a fact that my SOS team mates have a heapin' helpin' of it for you over at the old homestead... why not drop by and sneak a peek, darlings! ♥