A Little Birdie Told Me

 

Today I am posting my card for the The Encore Challenge!  This is a monthly challenge to be posted on the 25th with a group of friends from my April Retreat.  Some may post on their blog and I will note those with blogs at the end of this post.  And, some might post on other social media. Darlene came up with this challenge and these are her words:  Go and grab a stamp set, stencil or dies--your choice, that you have used once before and have always wanted to revisit it and use it again.  However, despite your best intentions, you have yet to use it!  Now's your chance! Go dig it out and have fun with it once again.  Create anything you like, a card, gift card holder, decorate a gift bag, make a refrigerator magnet...whatever lights up your creative juices! So--Encore Challenge! 

My plan is to pick a different company each month to highlight and maybe even a different product than the month before.  For April,  I picked a stamp set from Cas-ual Fridays Stamps called Little Birdies.  There is a stamp set, a coordinating die and many sentiments.   

Because the die is solid, I die cut the image first and then placed the negative cut out in my Misti.  I then placed the birds image in the negative space to line it up on the lid.  I then stamped the image as it was perfectly aligned on the die cut piece.  I then colored the birds in the ROY-Red-Orange-Yellow start of the rainbow with my Copic Sketch Markers. I also stamped the two part sentiment and die cut them with my Taylored Expressions Sentiment Strips die set.  The background is a Stampin' Up embossing folder called BirchWood 3D. I added some Taylored Confetti Dots in the same colors as the birds for the final touch. 

I am not sure who will post each month on their blog, but this is a list of the other ladies who do have blogs.  Jeanette, Terry, Darlene.  Be sure to come back on May 25th to see another fun card for The Encore Challenge!


Image/Sentiment: Cas-ual Friday Stamps Little Birdies Stamp Set and Die

Cardstock/Patterned Paper: The Paper Cut 100# Cougar Opaque White 

Ink:  Hero Arts Intense Black

Accessories:   Stampin' Up Birch Wood 3D Embossing Folder; Copic Sketch Markers; Taylored Expressions Sentiment Strip Dies, Confetti Dots

Love Notes

This is my March Crafters of Faith card.  This is a great group that my friend Kelly started on SCS.  She hosted for 5 years and now Faith took over for year #6. We will continue as we have in the past with each month a new hostess gives us a scripture and challenges us to make a card with that theme.  Shelly is the hostess this month and gave everyone this challenge:

Scripture--Ps. 95:1,2,6,7,8 Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our savior. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms. Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us. For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Challenge--Make a card with music and a heart somewhere on it. Bonus add a sheep/lamb-but that is not necessary.

I inked up a fun stamp from the Love Notes set by Cas-ual Friday Stamps. The set comes with a die for the quarter note and the bottom of the note is a heart--perfect for this challenge!  I die cut the note in both black and red--cut the top of the note off of the red and layered it on the black note.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.   I added a single heart behind the sentiment.    I added three black glitter enamel dots for the final touch.  I really like the look of this card! 

Here is the inside of my card, with a strip of washi tape:

I hope you and the others from the Crafters of Faith group like my card this month!  We are to post on the 7th of each month, so if you look on my sidebar, you may see other creations.  I know that there will be many posted in the COF thread on SCS too! 

Image/Sentiment:  Cas-ual Friday Stamps Love Notes Stamp and Die set

Cardstock/Patterned Paper:  The Paper Cut Cougar Opaque 100# Solar White;  Stampin' Up Real Red, Basic Black;

Ink:  Hero Arts Intense Black

Accessories:  Black Glitter Enamel Dots

Ready? Set. Go!

Today is the third Wednesday of the month and that means a Ready, Set, Go Challenge Card! The 3 Musketeers and now the One Plus Twelve Ladies--Jeanette, Kelly and Me, are back with another challenge for February--our 21st month!  We are now coming to the end year #2!

Kelly provided the challenge for February: For the February Ready, Set, Go Challenge, I am channeling my son's recent trip to New York. While he was gone, I kept singing "New York New York ...." by Sinatra, especially the line start spreading the news .... and I thought "Oh yes, that's something we haven't done before ... play with newspaper!"

So your challenge is to use newspaper somewhere/somehow on your card .... literally!  (ha ha, no pun intended!)  Use a small or large piece, up to you,  but it should be the main focus when we see your card and say "Oh, newspaper!"  on your card!  There are a TON of ways to use it creativity and make some headline news.  Ready, Set, GO!

I thought and thought about how to incorporate newspaper into my card and make it look good.  Then, I remembered I had a stamp set with a mailbox and sentiments about moving or new houses.  We still get the daily newspaper every morning--yes I am old!   But, I love the read the paper every day and I even try to get one every day or so when we are on vacation.  I like to keep up with the news.  Quick story here--in 2004, we took a trip to England and Germany for two weeks to visit my relatives in Germany.  My parents were both born in Germany and met in Chicago in the 30's.  I had never been to Germany and it was time to meet some relatives--I even met two uncles who were both in their 90's at that time.  Anyway--I picked up a USA Today in a train station and read the section that has a short blurb about each state.  For Wisconsin, it noted a tornado that had passed through Wales.  Well--that is less than 2 miles from our house!  A bit of panic went though me, but there was really nothing we could do, across the pond!  

OK--back to my card.........  I used a piece of newspaper as my background-and added the mailbox along with the sentiment that we have a new address.  Yes, if we move, we will need to try to get the newspaper delivered at our new place--if there are even newspapers around in whatever year that is!  I also added a die cut of snow and trees as we have a huge snowbank by our mailbox right now!  Our paper is delivered to the green mail tube that is attached to our mailbox.

Please be sure to check out the other Ready, Set, Go cards.  Here is a link to Jeanette's and 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.  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 March!  I have no idea yet what the theme will be, but I am sure it will be a challenge!

Image/Sentiment:  Cas-ual Friday Happy Mail Stamps and Die

Cardstock/Patterned Paper:  Recollections 110# White; Stampin' Up Basic Black, Sahara Sand; Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Newspaper

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Stampin' Up Sleigh Ride Edgelits, Punches