Birds of a Feather

I'm not sure if anyone else will like it, but I just love this card! I even started making extras for myself, something I very rarely manage to do (usually because I've run out of DP!).

I just love bird stuff. IRL some birds (pigeons and seagulls when they invade your local MLB ballpark and insist on pooping on innocent fans) gross me out, but when it comes to stamps, figurines, and other artsy stuff, I just can't get enough! (Paper birds don't poo on you, KWIM? LOL!)

I was super excited that my amazing friend Susan picked feathered friends as her swap theme for July. The tough part was deciding which bird stamps to use! I pulled out my 'Blackbirds' set from Invoke Arts, and decided to use creative license and make my birdie brown by dragging the stamp across a pad of Tim Holtz Distress Ink, creating a striated effect that I really like. I also used Tim Holtz's 'Birds In Flight' stamp in the background. The DP is from K&Company's Urban Rhapsody - a collection so beloved, this is the first time I've used it! If you look closely, you'll see the bird is holding a tiny pearl in his beak. On the inside is one of my fave sentiments: "If my words had wings, they would fly to you each day."

TFL and hope you have great day!

Ode to the Big Easy

This is my card for February's STC swap. Mary played hostess and the theme was Mardi Gras. I leaned more toward historic New Orleans. It was a challenge to figure out what to do, but I'm pretty pleased with the result - it came out way better than I thought it would.

The photo doesn't really do the card justice, but there you have it.

The stamped image is from Stampers Anonymous, embossed in black. The fleur-de-lis is a faux leather from a set by American Crafts, and the DP is from the Boxer collection by Basic Grey. It's matted on a charcoal cardstock, and the card base is a dark eggplant. I used Stickles in Golden Rod, gold-tone brads, and sheer gold ribbon for accents.

TFL and have a wonderful weekend!!!