Tour de Craft Guest Designer - Linda McClain!

It's Independence Day in the USA - happy birthday, America! - but as you may have guessed, I'll be spending my 4th of July morning watching a little bike racing show broadcast from France. But hey, at least both countries love the colors red, white & blue! Today is Stage 6 in the Tour de France - the cyclists will travel along the coast from Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier. It should be a sprinter's stage - here's hoping they all stay upright!

Every Tuesday & Thursday during le Tour, I've scheduled incredibly talented guest designers to share a little something with you. Today I'm joined by my friend Linda McClain. Linda isn't just an imaginary online social media friend*, I've actually met her IN REAL LIFE!! She's a fellow Texan - she even came to my house to stamp when I lived in Austin. And she's just as nice and she is talented. I pretty much adore her. I didn't think I could adore her any more than I already did, actually - but then I found out she likes bikes!! She's not the Tour de France junkie that I am, but bikes played a key role in her life. Here's her wonderful story, which she shared on her own blog:

I met my happily ever after on my bicycle. I was the secretary of Bloomington, Indiana's bicycle club. He managed a bicycle shop. We were at a club sponsored picnic when some friends introduced us. He was sitting under a tree with a paper plate of food, shy and unimpressed with me. So, it was a brief and forgetful encounter. After the hot dogs, we jumped on our bikes and he disappeared in a crowd of riders. That afternoon, at the top of a hill on old Highway 37, I had a flat tire. I had the tools and a spare and was pulling off the old tire when that quiet, shy guy stopped and fixed my tire for me faster than a sneeze. He was so sweet and unassuming and cute, even in those hideous bicycle shorts! Every pump of air he put into my tire made me want him more. We rode together for a few miles and then he left me in his dust at the next hill. My heart followed him, but my legs couldn't keep up. I visited his shop under the guise of soliciting advertising for our club newsletter for weeks. I even resorted to high heels and tight slit-up-to-here skirts for attention. I wasn't used to spike heels, so I tripped a few times walking into the store. He smelled like bicycle oil and rubber tires – which I thought was crazy sexy – and he never laughed at my high-heel, wonky walk. Our newsletter got lots of advertising money from the Bike Rack that Fall, but more importantly, after six weeks of flirting, he finally asked me for a date. Bicycles make a great matchmaker.

Aww isn't that sweet?? Now on to her beautiful card. She made it yellow in honor of the Tour. We all know that puppies are a bad idea at bike races - but when they stay in the basket, they are just too cute to resist!

Her card is interactive - pull out the tab and it says "you can do it"!

And this is the INSIDE of her card! Yes, the INSIDE!!! So pretty. Disclaimer - if you ever get a card from me (which doesn't happen much because I am a serial card hoarder), please don't expect the INSIDE to be this gorgeous!

I'm swooning over the yellow sequins coming out of the basket. I may need to do this on a card, too!

Big thanks to Linda for joining me today! Hop on over to her blog and say hello - Catered Crop

And thanks for stopping by! Tune in tomorrow - I'll have another TDF-inspired card, as well as Freebie Friday!


* for the record, I happen to love all of my imaginary online social media friends!