laissez les bon temps rouler!

we're a week away from mardi gras, but at shopping our stash we are always keen on a party, so we've started early. this week we'd like you to create a card or project that reflects the spirit of carnival or fat tuesday. need help to get started? think masks, beads, parades, partying, drinking, dancing, etc. need more help? check out the gorgeous work of my design team darlings at SOS. but first, here's what i made:

mask template found online, re-sized to 3x5 and trimmed from american crafts pow glitter paper and ranger glossy black cardstock; patterned paper: 7 gypsies; florals: prima, petaloo, oriental trading co, making memories; black gem flourish and feathers: michaels; miscellaneous brads, gems and metal dots from my stash; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine

this was yet another time when i realized that i had absolutely NO PRODUCTS which related to the theme. i couldn't find so much as a decent-sized vintage book illustration that would work. so i decided to fall back on the gorgeous rich mardi gras colors of purple, green and gold. i found a clip art template for an elegant mask and sized it down to fit on my card. as you know, i hate to spend cutting time on a single layer, so i chose glossy black paper as well as glitter gold paper to give myself a choice. as it turned out, i liked the glitter gold mask with a glossy black drop shadow, so i layered them, sewed them together and set about embellishing with flowers, beads, feathers and anything else i could find in the correct colors.

when i saw atlantic hearts sketch #199, i knew it was perfect for this, so i used it, even though i knew the challenge would close before i could link up; those panels were just too cool to resist! especially when i remembered that i had an ancient 6x6 paper pad (from 7 gypsies, as it turned out) with a black and white harlequin pattern. when i found the tablet, it had a bunch of different black and white designs that coordinated beautifully together!

there's lots more mardi gras inspiration at shopping our stash! grab your crew, strut on over et rejoins la fête, mes chéries! ♥♥♥