Shabby Tea Room meets Melissa Phillips' Photo Challenge - Hope

I know...these pictures don't look like they're destined to be together, but hopefully my completed card will show that they ARE, they really, really ARE! I'm not fond of combining challenges, but I really wanted to do both, and the more I looked at the pictures and thought about the challenges involved, it made perfect sense to combine the two...in fact one seemed to enhance the other for me! The photo on the left is from Melissa Phillips' (http://lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com/) photo challenge...simply for inspiration sake (photo from Creative Mint). The top photo is from The Shabby Tea Room (http://theshabbytearoom.blogspot.com/) - It's Hip to be Square challenge to use squares in the project design. There are lots of squares and patterns in Melissa's photo done in some of my most favorite colors. When I saw the roses, I new I wanted to make some of my own...

I used the Spellbinder Flower Creator dies to make these (Thank you again, Susan!!)...they're so fun and I love the vintage look and feel they have!


I cut some other white squares and gave them some soft pretty edges with Hibiscus ink and another peach color. Paired these with some beautiful square shapes found in the Spellbinder Lattice and Fleur De Lis dies. I felt like a little tile layer after putting all these together. Yes, I know...it's a fussy card...I got started and couldn't help myself. It's for my sister who's in the middle of a long adoption process out of Guatemala for her family's little princesa, Nola. She just got back from another trip to try to help the process along...Her post brought tears to my eyes this morning, and while this most recent experience was very difficult, she did come home with some new hope. She could use the prayers of any of you out there who spend time doing so. You can find the details of this last trip at her blog, http://journeytonola.blogspot.com/ , along with some sweet pictures of the little princess and the rest of the family, including sweet Maria who also came to them from Guatemala. I think she'll like the card! Hope you do to!! Have a wonderful day...count your blessings and hug your family!!
Geri


Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: Lavender Moon, Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, White
Ink: Papertrey Ink: HB, Fresh Snow, White StazOn, peach color from Color Box Petal Point set
Punches/Dies: Spellbinders: Fleur De Lis pendant, Lattice pendant, Fiskars border punch, McGill Multi Tags punch, Kane dec. edge scissor
Other: Xyron Sticker maker, prisma glitter, Studio His & Hers pearls, Martha Stewart vellum leaves, Offray ribbon, buttons from my own collection, sentiment from computer, tag stamp from M&MBI Sassy Icons set