new adventures

I took some unanticipated time off from crafting and blogging (you may have noticed, or maybe you haven't missed me) to spend Christmas with the cutest grandson in the known world and many of his wonderful relatives.  Then January started, and this year my work schedule for board meeting reports, annual financial statement audit work, and regulatory reporting is unusually tight.  Several evenings I came home after 10-hour days and did nothing after dinner but sit on the sofa with my Nexus7 or the television, even the day my new Stampin' Up! goodies arrived!  Some of my lovely Christmas gifts are still under the tree, waiting to be put to use, including a wide-angle lens for my camera.  For that matter, the Christmas tree is still fully decorated, days past my usual twelfth day of Christmas (Three Kings' Day) deadline.

I did finally sit down at the computer last night (that can be hard to do after spending the whole work day in front of a computer) and browsed through some of my favorite challenge sites.  Fab Friday is back with a great sketch:

Less is More have chosen 

BLACK and WHITE 

with a touch or a splash, a hint or suggestion, a dab or a  patch of 

a colour of your choice!

The idea being that the black and white are predominant and the added colour is subtle.

Typically I think of a splash of color as an element in the foreground of the card, such as a butterfly or a star, but this time I thought I'd confine the color to the narrow mat:

stamp set - Blessings from Heaven; ink - Whisper White Craft; card stock - Basic Black, Island Indigo, Whisper White; Big Shot with Flower Garden textured impressions embossing folder; Island Indigo Baker's Twine, (retired) button

 I cut the sentiment as a banner at first, but I thought it would look better if it spanned the full width of the card.  Then I noticed the packet of buttons I'd set out after reading Shopping Our Stash and decided that a button with another little splash of color in the baker's twine would provide a nice balance.  The only decision I haven't made yet is whether the inside sentiment will be an encouragement or a sympathy - I think the verse on the front will work for either, don't you?