The current AAA CAS card challenge, Inspired by Nature, really was a challenge for me because all of nature inspires me! Especially this time of year. You too? So for this challenge I looked to the particular part of nature capturing a lot of my time lately: my new Baltimore Oriole feeder. I spend a lot of my free time at the window, hoping for a glimpse of those fabulous orange and black birds and have been rewarded many times.
Since I don't have a bird stamp, I decided to start with just the colors, orange and black, as a basis for my card. Using a piece of Strathmore Vision Cover Stock watercolor paper, I smooshed Distress Oxide ink in Wild Honey and a little black . I threw couple slashes of black, using my Kuritake Fude calligraphy brush pen, I then sprayed everything lightly with water. My intent was to have a light background over which I would stamp either a flower or sentiment or both, and I anticipated the black slashes to bleed more than they did. However, when I looked at the result all I could see was a chubby little birdie with two legs! Not orange or sleek enough for an Oriole, but a birdie just the same. So my background became a bird.
I added a little Distress Oxide ink in Peacock Feathers for the sky area, then chose the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Beautiful Day set. I stamped it in Versafine onyx black then heat embossed with Hero Arts clear embossing powder.
I thought about adding a few sweeps of black to indicate wing feathers, but decided to just leave it as is. For a whimsical touch I added blue crystal jewels for eyes and an orange one to symbolize a beak. I trimmed the watercolor paper using Spellbinders A2 Card Creator die, which I really like because it cuts to just the right sizes for layering. I adhered the trimmed piece onto a Neenah Classic Crest card front, leaving a large enough margin for white space.
A little nutty, but hey, inspired by nature!
Supplies used (some compensating affiliates; I get a small commission when you click and purchase. Thanks!):
Mesmerisingly different! Loved reading about your creative and thought process. Thanks for joining in with the Inspired by Nature Challenge at AAA Cards.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jane!
DeleteKathy, this is so unusual and funny card! Love the colour scheme and the jewels. Thank you so much for sharing your card with us at AAA Cards Challenge. - Sweet Kobylkin
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Such a beautiful card! And lovely story. Thanks for joining AAA Cards! Hugs Åsa
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