Dance :)

Happy Thursday, my sweet friends! I hope you're all having a beautiful week! :o)

Today I'm sharing a card I made for a very special friend... one who believes in my hopes and dreams as if they were her own. In fact, they *are* part of her dreams. That's how special our friendship is and I am blessed every day by simply having her in my life. :o)

She loves dance too, but this card is more a reflection of my heart. I firmly believe one of the best gifts you can give someone is a part of yourself. Today, I'm giving her another peek into my heart that's still dancing while my body heals up. :o) And when the day arrives that I can return to the dance studio, her tears of joy will mirror my own.

One reason I love challenge blogs is how they can inspire you to bring to life an image from your heart. This week one of my favorites requires lacing, while another has an option of dance. You can imagine my joy! I could hardly wait to tangibly create the design that instantly formed in my mind upon seeing the themes.

The beautiful dancer silhouette (from Wall Decor and More) is adorned in a costume I made with two types of ribbon. The tutu has two layers of sheer glitter ribbon beneath two ruffled layers of lace. The glitter peeking through is gorgeous in person, but did not pick up well in the photograph. I am disheartened that I forgot a side view picture.. the skirt's dimension is stunning. So poofy and beautiful, just like exquisite romantic-length tutus with endless layers of tulle. The bodice is black with a V-shaped inlay of the sheer glitter ribbon, trimmed with mini rhinestones. Perhaps the most difficult part of this card was figuring out how to somewhat make that V the appropriate angle for a semi-side view. ;) I added one sweet sparkle to her bun and formed a small flourish of rhinestones extending from her hand. Her passion for dance and life is exploding from within as she arabesques with an indescribable joy. :o)

The lacing along the side represents the beautiful lacing often found on dance costumes. I used satin ribbon with a pretty decorative trim, 'securing' it with 8 black pearls. Unseen unless you enlarge the picture is how the coordinating Art Philosophy corner flourish is sporadically beaded with three sizes of black pearls. The tiny flourish that our lovely ballerina is dancing upon has three.. it needed to be a little extra special. ;)

The lacing panel is set apart with my favorite Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge punch. The gorgeous patterned papers are from the Glitz: French Kiss collection. The detail is remarkable in person. The woven texture designs are so realistic and absolutely perfect for this card. The dance world is filled with textural elements and in this scene, the soft flower pattern whisks her away into a glorious dance with nature. My Nutcracker-loving self couldn't help but continuously think of the Waltz of the Flowers throughout the design process. :o) The Dance is from Gypsy Font and I sewed around the main background with my sewing machine.

Challenges entered:
 * Fantabulous Cricut~ Prom-enade (Tux/Dress or Prom/Dance theme)
 * Frosted Designs~ Lacing

Thank you for pirouetting on by! I hope your day is filled with sunshine and blessings. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Art Philosophy, Gypsy Font, Wall Decor and More
 * Paper: Core'dinations, Glitz
 * Ribbon: From Michael's and JoAnn's
 * Edge Punch: Martha Stewart Doily Lace
 * Rhinestones: Recollections