Fusion #14 + Adventure PIcs

We're back with another FUSION challenge, only you'll notice a few changes this time around:

• Fond farewells to Ally and Deanna (so fun working with you ladies!);
• Very excited to have Lynn and Geri join our team, wait until you see their projects;
• A new, Zen-inspired look to the blog that Lesley has been working on; and
• A bonus week to get your mojo going ... it's going to be a two week challenge now!

With all that said, the challenge concept remains the same. You'll see a photo and a sketch, and can create a card inspired by either or both of those. Like this:

 I chose to be inspired by the photo (specifically the dipped gold shells) and sketch.

 As I was talking to my husband in the doorway of my craft room, my eyes landed on a large roll of stickers I got at a discount store and never used. The pink damask sticker is perfect for the oval element at the bottom of the sketch. I wanted the other colors to be gold (from the photo) and  cream/chocolate (from Neapolitan ice cream).

Sure hope you'll check out the updated blog/challenge/design team! Thanks so much for looking!

-Kelly

ETA: also linking this up to the CASology challenge to use gold on your CAS card.

Here are some pics from this week's adventure in the Chicago neighborhood of Beverly:

 First stop is Jimmy Jamm's Sweet Potato Bakery and Cafe. Yep, everything they serve is made from sweet potatoes! We had the sweet potato pie (yummm), made from the same recipe that's been passed down in their family from the 1930's. Afterwards, we enjoyed a sweet potato grilled cheese sandwich. We were encouraged to come back and try the loaded sweet potato (with meat, veggies, you name it), the sweet potato stew, and the sweet potato ice cream. Everything is made fresh on-site (you can see the open kitchen in the background).

 

 Beverly is a very proud neighborhood with large, established trees and architecturally significant homes, many with plaques showing the architect and the date built.

 This one is by Frank Lloyd Wright, which may be a tad confusing seeing the stone work facade. At some point an owner "renovated" and covered up the original stucco. Yikes!

 Wanted: Camera Theif

We met this very friendly and adorable 2 year-old at a neighborhood park, who reeeaaally wanted to take some photos with my camera. She sweet talked me into giving it to her for a little bit. All of her shots were of the ground, as the lens was too heavy for her to hold up!

Huh. It's a branch. That grew around and through a fence. And is no longer part of a tree. Cool!

Logan's favorite part: finding the huge black beetle on the sidewalk. He told me to drive carefully on the way home, and to go easy over the bumps, so it wouldn't be frightened. He got to keep it until tonight when I made him release it (hopefully it doesn't breed in my bushes!)

I love finding fun details ... like this gargoyle in the roof line of an old house.

Or the vintage, stamped bricks edging a garden.

If we don't already have a place scoped out, I love to ask the locals where to eat. We follow their advice to Fox's and have way too much food (including the biggest side salad I've ever seen!)

  

 Every adventure involves a stick (in this case, a very large one used as a weigh lifting bar)

And ends in ice cream (in this case, Chicago's famous rainbow ice cream cones of orange sherbet, pistachio, New York cherry, strawberry, & chocolate ... see the rainbows over the windows in the background?)

Thanks for sticking around for this week's adventure : )