Sunday, November 29, 2015

From The Heart Stamps Monthly Challenge

Hello Friends! I trust all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I did! And I am pooped! I didn't even host the dinner this year, but we still had house guests and I was still running around like a chicken with no head, which brings me to my subject matter for today's card share. Whew! That was a loooong sentence! LoL! Anywhoooo....

As you could probably tell from my post title, I am playing along with the monthly challenge at From The Heart Stamps. If you don't know about this challenge, you may want to check it out. It's different from any challenge I've entered. Everyone is a winner, because just for playing along, we get a FREE digital stamp the following month. WHAT?! Yes! It's true. Just for creating a card and sharing it on the From The Heart Stamps blog, the prize is a brand new FREE digital stamp. Click HERE to check it out!

Okay, so I played along last month, with this card HERE. And this month, I received this adorable little Deck the Halls Birdbrain image. Click the pics to enlarge.



Isn't he cute?! And remember, I got him for FREE. He's actually part of a set. There's the little bird and four sentiments, including the 'deck the halls' shown here. So, he's printed onto smooth white card stock and colored with pencils. I used Gamsol and blending stumps this time.


To create the look of gravel underfoot, I used a few Copic markers. I went over the ornaments with a Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush, then I coated them and the eyes with Crystal Effects for added shine. I went over the lettering with the Clear Wink of Stella, also.

I used another one of the sentiments for the inside of my card...


I die cut the panel with a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle die before putting it thru my printer. I also added a strip of the patterned paper from the front of the card for continuity and I used Sketch 213 from Freshly Made Sketches again.

Then, to finish everything off, I made a coordinating envelope. I have to say again that I am enjoying using the older patterned papers from my stash to create envelopes. My original plan was to just use these custom envelopes for myself, but I've had a few customers ask if they could get a custom envelope with their card purchase and of course, I am happy to oblige!


And that's all folks! I plan to put the finishing touches on my Christmas decorating tomorrow so I can relax and enjoy the month of December without running about like this little birdie!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~




supplies~
digital stamp set: Deck the Halls Birdbrain(From The Heart Stamps)
card stock: 80# Neenah Solar White  Christmas Stack(DCWV)
patterned paper: Christmas Stack(DCWV)
dies: Stitched Rectangle(Simon Says Stamp)
bling: Clear Wink of Stella(Zig)  Clear Stardust glitter pen(Sakura)
coloring media: Polychromos colored pencils(Faber-Castell)  Copic markers
other: Crystal Effects(Stampin' Up!)  Gamsol and blending stumps from Hobby Lobby


4 comments:

Imke said...

Adorable Christmas Card, Barbara. Great take with Deck the Halls Birdbrain and i like the matching envelope.

Thanks for joining our FREE Stamp of the Month November Challenge @ From the Heart Stamps !

Jeanne said...

Oh what a fun Christmas card, Barb! I don't know how I missed that previous post, but I sure am glad you participated again. I adore what you created here. So much fun. That bird makes me giggle. I am definitely going to have to check this out and maybe try my hand at this challenge, too. What a fun way to set it up. I like that you are also creating the matching envelopes. Your design style just makes me oh so happy. Um, you've decorated the house already? I still have some Halloween stuff up (what little decorating I've done). Guess you are more on the ball? Hugs!! :)

stampmonkey said...

I think fun is the best way to describe this card, Barb. That bird is just too cute and screams happy! I love how you did the 'gravel' with your Copics, and the custom envelope is a really nice touch too.

Glad you didn't have to cook for a crowd this Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here in less than a month {yikes!}, but it sounds like you're already ready --I'm envious! Unfortunately, I'm usually running around like your adorable bird here...but this card is such a fun way to kick off the season that I think I'm going to use it to motivate me to be a bit more on the ball this year {well, I can dream, right? lol}.

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, Barb, so glad you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, but it's always tiring...and such a joy to have family and friends together.

I've seen these adorable From The Heart images (and have purchased some myself...they are so precious), but I've not done the monthly challenge. Hopefully I can think about it in the new year. Lisa Lara was the one who introduced me to this new challenge, and it's a great deal! And what a darling card you made with this new monthly digi. I just love him and love the DP you've used! Sweet! Hugs, my friend...and get some rest! Hehe!