This card was for my husband's brother for an early January birthday. I've missed several birthdays during Covid! About the time I was making this, the weather here and in northern California was really cold for several weeks, and we were all saying, let's bring on the warmth! Ultimately, I decided to case a card I made several years ago to be able to re-use these wonderful cattail scenery dies, speed up my finishing time, and bring the idea of warm cattail weather and a lovely sunset sky! We all sure need some gold rays and are already getting tired of winter!
In preparation of another round of challenge catch-ups, I looked over my challenge list to see what might fit my card idea. I found 14 fairly new to older challenges that would fit by the time I finished. They are listed below:
1) AOCC22 - All Occasion Card Challenge/ January 2022. An ongoing/monthly challenge encourages you to set goals ahead for each month to help you complete and mail your cards more timely! This is the first card I need for the New Year...a masculine birthday card.
2) USEIT2022 - Use It Challenge/ January 2022. An ongoing/ annual challenge that requires you to use OLD/ DUSTY and long unused items and/or OLD/NEW items purchased, never used, and seemingly forgotten! My OLD item(s): 2018 punch (Tailored Tag) and 2019 stamp/ die set (Friends Like You/ Friendly Silhouettes). It was good to pull these out after two years and re-use them!1)
3) S2S21NOV - Save to Stamp (aka Stamp to Support One Another)/ Sponging, Brayering, Blending - 11/5/21. A monthly challenge originally to make cards to earn credit to purchase more stamping products, but evolved into a challenge to cards, make friends, and to support one another. My card features an ink-sponged and blended sunset sky.
4) F4A592 - Free for All Challenge/ Colorful Weather - 9/3/21. Challenge: what do you think of when you hear colorful weather...your choice. My card depicts a colorful sunset.
5) WORD0821 - Fan Club Monthly Challenge - August 2021/ Kitchen Sink - 8/16/21. Challenge: be inspired by food, kitchen things, i.e. a dish pattern. My inspiration is from a Cattails embroidery kitchen towel and a cattails dish pattern: Cambridge Pottery Dishes and Cattails Embroidery Towels. My card is for the WORD challenge for MISC. My first-letter elements used are M=markers (cattail coloring, pearl coloring), Mini pearls; I=insect (dragonflies); S=sunset sky, So Saffron cs, Soft Suede cs ; C=cattails, celebrating, Crushed Curry cs.
6) MIX449 - Mix-ability Challenge/ Masculine Birthday - 8/6/21. Challenge: any technique or design for a masculine birthday card. My card is for BIL's birthday. Mediums: Dye-based ink (stamping & sponged sunset), Copic markers (dark brown cattails), pigment ink (ink-distressed edges).
7) MMTPT641 - Teapot Challenge/ Sending Smiles to Sam - 11/3/20. Challenge: make a tent card. Make it cheerful. I made a simple tent card (top fold) with a cheerful, warm nature theme. As I'm late to the party, this will be a birthday card for my husband's brother.
IC749 - Inspiration Challenge/ Laundry Basket - 4/11/20. Colors and nature were my inspiration choice: Harvest Pumpkin Quilt!. I used the colors in sunset sky and nature scene.
9) FS677 - Featured Stamper Challenge/ Oh My Paper Crafting (aka Angela Bode) - 1/26/20. I always love browsing Angie's gallery to see what she's been up to. I'm doing some challenge catch-ups and found this card: Summer Flight!. I was inspired by this lovely nature scene of cattails and dragonflies. I kept Angie's cattail and dragonfly nature scene, but changed it up to a sunset die-cut scene instead a morning-look stamped scene, thus changing my color scheme entirely.
10) ABC10C2 - Alphabet Challenge - Round 10/ Letter C--Double Challenge = climate - 9/5/19. My card features a CATTAILS nature scene showing a lovely warm climate depicted by the beautiful sunset sky.
11) CAS549 - Clean & Simple Challenge/ Sunset - 9/2/19. Challenge: include a sunset on your card.
12) SC764 - Sketch Challenge - 8/28/19. Sketch Tweaking: Sketch features 4 horizontal strips on a cardbase with a circle at right lower side. I exchanged the 4 strips to 4 horizontal sponged color bands and I changed circle shape to a quadrilateral in the same position.
13) WT730 - Ways to Use It Challenge/ Waters Edge - 3/7/19. Challenge: use water, water images, watercoloring, etc. My card features a nature scene of cattails which grow in wetlands of up to 2 ft. of water. I have not depicted the water itself, but the cattails scene where one "feels" rather than sees the water and "knows" it's there or the cattails would not be!
14) CC658 - Color Challenge/ Delightfully Blissful with a Twist - 10/24/17. Colors: Blackberry Bliss, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Black (optional). I chose not to use the optional black, but did add the neutral shade of Soft Suede for the cattails. The other colors were achieved by sponging on a Daffodil Yellow cardstock.
Ingredients: Stampin' Up Products: Cardstocks--Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Naturals-Ivory (retired). Inks--Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Real Red (sky sponging/ stamping). Stamps--Friend Like You (sentiment/ dragonflies). Dies--Friendly Silhouettes (cattails/ dragonflies). Punch: Tailored Tag. Marker: Early Espresso (cattails). Mini Pearls (Copic colored). Other: EK Victorian corner punch (inside). Size: 4-3/4" x 6".
Registered: April 3, 2007 Location: In a state of oblivion.... Posts: 14115
Tue, Jan 11, 2022 @ 8:09 AM
Love your wonderful sky - great masculine card. It does exude a warm feeling.
We've definitely been saying "bring on the warmth" around here as we've just come through what is now officially the longest, coldest deep freeze since the winter of '69. In 1969 they printed certificates in the paper that said "I lived through the record cold spell of 1969". To date myself, I remember my Mom cutting the certificate out of the paper and saving it. Almost skipped to the car yesterday as we actually got 1 degree above freezing!
------------------------------ Heather ...... My Gallery You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." Ralph Waldo Emerson Founding Member of the Punchkateerz - "You don't have to be crazy to be one of us, but it sure helps."
Registered: July 20, 2007 Location: Fergus, Ontario, Canada Posts: 50785
Tue, Jan 11, 2022 @ 9:23 AM
Carlene, this is a beautiful sunset scene. And I really would love some warmer weather in January, but that would be too drastic a climate change. This makes me remember the beautiful evening of summer.
------------------------------ Ina
"Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land." Psalm 85:9
Registered: July 9, 2008 Location: Stars Fell on Alabama Posts: 68186
Tue, Jan 11, 2022 @ 9:51 AM
Beautiful sky and cattails, Carlene. I guess we can dream of summer. I do NOT like winter, either.
------------------------------ My Blog---My Gallery---My PinterestI'm a Punchkateer! (Prez) FOREVERDirty Dozen Alumni2014 CAS Spring DT--- Inspiration Challenge Co- Hostess 12/02/17-12/28/19 Watercolor Wednesday Design Team Hebrews 13:2Brenda
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Splitcoast Challenge Host Proud Fan Club Member
Registered: April 11, 2016 Location: Posts: 26998
Tue, Jan 11, 2022 @ 5:51 PM
Gorgeous sponged BG. Happy day
------------------------------ The Difference Between Try and Triumph Is Just A Little Ump Wednesday: Alpha Challenge
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Registered: October 12, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 62456
Thu, Jan 13, 2022 @ 8:52 AM
Wonderful masculine birthday card. Love the sunset. The cattails look great with it. Great job with all the many challenges! Thanks for sharing your terrific card. Stay warm!
IC749 - Inspiration Challenge/ Laundry Basket - 4/11/20. Colors and nature were my inspiration choice: 
