Ready? Set? Go!

There's a new challenge in town!  The 3 Musketeers (Jeanette, Kelly and me) are about to kick it up a notch!  In the 3M, the 3 of us take turns sending the same image out and we all create a card with that same image.  We're living up to the adventurous Musketeer name and adding on an additional challenge on the 3rd Wednesday of each month {courtesy of the adorable Smoochy-the-Wednesday-camel that I periodically post on SCS--and not often enough for Jeanette!}  The challenges will be bolder, creatively adventurous and artistically out of the box.  When thinking up our challenge name, we thought:  We got this. "We're ready. Dates, challenges, hostess - all Set.  Let's Go!"  

Kelly is first to throw down the gauntlet and she's chosen theme #1:   Mix-it-mash-it-up!  Taking the oldest stamp set that we still own and the newest stamp set that we've gotten, create a card using both stamp sets.  Mix it, mash it, and combine the two.  If it has multiple stamps in the sets, we must pick at least one stamp from each set.  The added fun was that even if the two don't mix and mash at all, we have to make it work.  Ready? Set? Go! 

So, we all looked back in our SCS gallery from the first cards we each posted.  And, each of us bemoaned how our stamping, and photographing has greatly improved.  I think the comments from each of us in the text thread was-- "please do not go and look at my gallery" and "boy, were those first cards bad!"  My first gallery posts were in February of 2008 and I posted 5 cards.  Three cards used a tag set I no longer own, but one of them was using "Lovely as a Tree".  As some of you know, that is my favorite Stampin' Up set and it still is current.  I think it was one of the first stamp sets I bought in my first hostess club in 2004.  The gallery for that set starts in 2003, so it has been around for 14 years!

Now, to the most recent set I bought.  It is Flourishing Phrases and I used one of the sentiments on the front. I guess I took the directions from Kelly literally as I used a stamp from the oldest and the newest.  However, I was called a cheater as I was to use an "image stamp" from each of the sets.  So, I added a leaf image from the newest set to the inside.  I do not want to be considered a slacker on our first post!

For something new, I used a Dies by Dave set of dies that match Lovely as a Tree.  I stamped the tree image twice--once in Old Olive and then again in Chocolate Chip.  I cut out both images with the die and then trimmed the brown to make the trunk.  I also used one of my older Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper Packs--Hello Neighbor.  I think it was one of the first 6x6 packs they came out with in 2010.

Here is the inside of my card:

Please be sure to check out the other Ready, Set, Go cards.  Here is a link to Jeanette's blog along with Kelly's blog.  I am sure you will not be disappointed and will see a couple of great cards! I hope Kelly and Jeanette like my card and I sure hope Kelly thinks I came close to meeting the challenge. I am up for the next theme, so be sure to check back to see what we are up to on the 3rd Wednesday in June.

Image/Sentiment: Stampin' Up Lovely as a Tree and Flourishing Phrases

Cardstock:  Recollections 110# White; Stampin' Up Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Hello Neighbor 6x6 Designer Series Paper Pack

Ink: SU Old Olive and Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  SU Oval Punches; Orange Baker's Twine; Green Brads