Michigan-Inspired

Yesterday's Clean and Simple challenge was to make a card inspired by Mackinac Island, Michigan. How ironic, as I'd just come home from Michigan! Not Mackinac Island, not even close! Michigan as a whole is a beautiful state, but the area where I grew up...well, not so much. My sister, Tina, refers to it as the armpit of Michigan...ha ha!

The benefit of living in the armpit is that you want to see all the pretty places of your state that much more. As a family, we often traveled to far flung locales in the rugged wilderness of the Upper Peninsula or the Manistee National Forest. But occasionally, my husband would concede and take us to the more genteel areas of Traverse City, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Mackinac.

One of our favorite trips was one we took with my Mom and Dad to attend my niece, Laura's wedding on the island. Great memories! I've always loved this photo I took of the two of them on the eve of their fiftieth wedding anniversary:


You can see the inspiration for the red adirondack chairs in this photo. My brother, David, makes some of the best adirondack chairs! He makes them with rounded backs so that the mold into you when you sit down. So comfy! I told him that when he retires later this year, he should start building these as his hobby and sell them...and I'm putting in the first order!

If you've never been to Mackinac Island, then add it to your list of must-see places. It really is lovely...old Victorian era homes surrounded by gardens, bicycles and horse drawn carriages everywhere (no cars allowed on the island!), and of course, the amazing Grand Hotel (the location of the movie Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve). And if you like fudge, then the island is a fudge lovers paradise! It's the specialty there.

Today's card is really low on creativity: I reused the same papers and color palette from my last card creation.
{recipe: Lockhart stamp, PL cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Material Girl paper, crushed curry cardstock, scallop square punch, ribbon, flowers}

Thanks for looking today!