Cardinals, Penguins and Bugs… oh my!

I always enjoy the weekly challenges at Power Poppy because they often really do challenge me! One of the January challenges was to create a card that is “small and sassy”. I used a scrap of cardstock to create a gate-fold card that measures approximately 4x4.5 inches and added an element of sassy by using a wonderful pair of birds from a Power Poppy digi set named “Cardinal Couple.” The main reason I think they look sassy is that I once had a pet budgie (parakeet) named Charlie that was very sassy and his antics resembled the cardinal on the teacup. Charlie was finger tamed, which meant that I could hold out my pointer finger and he’d quickly hop onto it to come out and “play.” His favorite game was when I’d lay a half sheet of paper on a small table beside my recliner. He’d immediately hop from my finger to the paper and proceed to rip it into little pieces. After he ripped each piece, he’d hop to the edge of the table, drop the scrap from his beak and watch it fall to the floor. Then he’d happily hop back to start the process again for 20-30 minutes at a time. When his paper was gone, he’d tilt his head and look at me then squawk an order for more. If I was busy and ignored him, he would fly to my shoulder and softly bop his head against my neck until I replenished his paper supply. He was so fun! 

I’m entering this card into several other challenges including Outlawz Saturday Challenge- Things that Make you Happy (Charlie Bird provided my hubby and me lots of laughs with his many antics!),  and Simon Says Challenge- Besotted With Your Pets (Charlie’s been gone since 1978 and we still talk about how fun he was to watch.)

 

 

Supplies: 

·    Digi- Power Poppy (Cardinal Couple Digital Stamp)

·    Sentiments- Power Poppy (Chickadee in Barberry Digital Stamp Set)

·    Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·    Background papers from my stash

Entered into: 

Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Small & Sassy  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Besotted With Our Pets                   

Rudolph Days Challenge- January

Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #618 Green

Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Things That Make You Happy      

Christmas Crafts All Year Round- Anything Christmas or Holiday Related

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #474 Anything Goes                 

This is my third card made in honor of Scribbles Design's 7th birthday. A special challenge is being held that features penguins in honor of Scribble's first penguin digi named “Brrrr.” (Don’t you love that?!) For this card I used two Scribbles digis, both freebies (an ice cub and an owl turned penguin named “Hoot” (again… great name!) The front and inside sentiments are also both free digis. (I have a large collection of freebies that I’ve gleaned over the last few years. It is a favorite hobby.)

 

Supplies: 

·    Digi- Scribbles Designs freebie named “Hoot”

·    Digi- Scribbles Designs freebie named “Ice Cube”

·    Front sentiment- Desert Diva Freebie  (Hello How Are You?)

·    Inside sentiment- Imagine That Freebie Digi Set “Jenn & Friends” (No longer available)

·    EK Sticko Stickers Winter Snowflakes - Walmart

·    Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·    Background paper and a scrap of ribbon from my stash

Entered into:  

Scribbles Designs Challenge- 7^th Birthday- Penguin Surprise  (SD)
Bugaboo Stamps- Photo Challenge                

Di’s Digi Stamps- Winter and/or Snow                                                  

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #422-423 Anything Goes                   

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #490

For my final card this posting, I made a get well card with a freebie digi of a vintage canning jar that I'd discovered a few years ago and saved to my laptop. I printed it off on an acetate transparency sheet (an old office supply store purchase back when I used an overhead projector to make presentations. Yep. I'm OLD.) Since tape would show through the acetate if I taped it to the card, I opted for a different process that was a little time-consuming but well worth the trouble. When I trimmed the acetate, I cut little "flaps" (½ -1 inches wide and 1-2 inches long) on each side of the jar. I attached a scrap of grey cardstock to the back of the lid on the jar with a few small strips of double-stick tape and trimmed it to fit. When finished, I added a few highlights with a white gel pen and set the jar aside.

I die-cut a few sprigs of foliage in green, then created a homemade stencil by die-cutting a trio of the foliage sprigs on a squared of acrylic. I then used this stencil to sponge green sprigs on the front and inside of the card. I oopsed on the stenciling on the left side of the card front, so covered that with a strip of floral paper, stamped and colored a ladybug inside of where the jar would be attached and added the die-cut foliage. After cutting small slits in the card front, I slipped the flaps into the slits, folded them open and taped them down with transparent tape on the inside of the card. The inside of the card features more stenciling and a "bug trail" created with little lines meandering across the page and sentiment. So fun! Am entering this card into several challenges including Outlaws Tuesday Color Challenge (my card includes several colors from in the photo including green, red, tan and grey in the shading of the jar and bug), and Outlaws Crash Your Stash Challenge- Stencils (I created a stencil from the paper scraps left after I die cut the foliage. Worked perfectly!)

 

Supplies: 

·    Vintage jar digi- a freebie from the Graphic Fairy. You can find it HERE.

·    Front sentiment is handwritten

·    Inside sentiment is from an old Stampin’ Up Wood-mount Set (retired)

·    Bug- Hero Arts Wood Mount Stamp (no longer available)

·    Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·    The Foliage Die is from a company named Our Daily Bread that appears to be out of business. I did find a similar one from the company Paper Smooches that is available from Simon Says and other on-line companies.

·    Background papers from my stash

Entered into: 

Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge- Old Post Office (Photo)

Outlawz Challenge- Crash Your Stash- Stencils                                     

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       

Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #112