While I was in Phoenix this year, I was invited to a mystery event at the resort where I live.  I was told that I should dress up and wear a hat to this event, but that was all.    It turned out to be an English style Afternoon Tea put on by the quilting club.  And when I say English, I really mean English, as you see the Queen herself attended, and consented to a picture with me and my friends.  The extra exciting surprise to this event was that a famous hat maker now lives at the resort and was the guest speaker for the tea.  Nancee Jelsema is a multiple award winning designer of Kentucky Derby hats, and spoke to us about how she developed her hat making business and about how she goes about designing these magnificent hats.  She designed somewhere in the neighbourhood of 115 hats for this year’s Derby.

Nancee has a seat at the finish line of the Kentucky Derby.  This year she was wearing the black and red creation you see in the middle left picture.  How magnificent is this?  She also designed the stunning peach and brown hat, that my sister in law Gwen is wearing in the bottom right picture.  Simply Smashing as the English would say!

Now on to why this title on this blog post.  I had noticed a blog post color challenge featuring almost the exact colour scheme I was using for this double page layout.  Why not, I thought, tweak my layout to fit the color requirement of the challenge and then enter it into the challenge.   Pursuing this, I followed the link given to the challenge. When I got to the website, I realized the challenge website was written in German………………………….no matter I thought………………………..a picture is worth a thousand words as they say………………….colours are the same in any language.  I then proceeded to finish my layout.  It was then that I remembered that this challenge did seem to have a number of rules.  So back to the website I went where I discovered first a “translate” button  and secondly, the rest of the rules.  Sadly, for me, one of the other rules stated that the layout had to be done using Kaisercraft products.  Oops!  I have lots of Kaisercraft paper, but this layout was now complete using Graphic 45’s Off to the Races.  So you see, I learned the importance of reading the rules first, and THEN designing the layout.

Supplies:  Graphic 45 Off to the Races patterned paper and diecuts, Heartfelt Creations Classic Rose stamp and die sets,Heartfelt Creations Delicate Border Basics, Spellbinders Scalloped Hexagon die, Elizabeth Crafts Jewels die, Nuvo Crystal Drops, Martha Stewart border punch, Recollections cardstock, Darice feathers, Prima twisted stems, Stickles.