Last Sunday Featured Stamper was BeckyTE. She has an amazing gallery. Her coloring is jaw dropping gorgeous!!! I picked this card to case. It worked perfect for last weeks Weekend challenge as well.

I started out by stamping the bird from Touch of Nature in Black StazOn on  a 2 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ piece of watercolor paper.

I colored it in wiht More Mustard, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa and Really Rust classic ink and Aqua Painter.

Next I covered the entire image with my Versamarker and embossed the image with clear embossing powder. The swirl from Baroque Motifs was stamped in Blue Bayou . Then I first brayered Soft Sky over the entire image, then sponged the piece with Blue Bayou. I sponged a little More Mustard ink in the center and added more Blue Bayou. I added highlights with a white gel pen and distressed the edges with the Cutter Kit.

The card base is a 4 1/4″ x 11″ piece of sponged Old Olive cardstock folded in half. It is layered with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of sponged Really Rust cardstock followed by a 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Fall Flower Designer paper. I distressed the edges and sponged it first with Soft Sky, then with Blue Bayou. Then I stamped Faux stitched lines with my Argyle stamp from All in a Row. Did you know that this set is retiring in Australia!!! I hope it won’t do the same here in July! I would be really sad about that. I also paper pierced the edges of the Designer paper and added a 1/4″ sponged Blue Bayou circle in each corner. The circles were topped off with white brads.

I inked up the leaves from Touch of Nature in Old Olive and stamped them in second generation on a 1 1/4″ circle of watercolor paper. The edges were sponged with Old Olive. Then it was layered on a sponged 1 3/8″ really Rust circle and finally on a sponged Old Olive scallop circle. Kind from Baroque Motifs was stamped in the center of the circle and the edges of that circle were paper pierced. Finally I added a Aged Copper Hardware piece to the top left of the scallop circle to tie Kraft Taffeta ribbon on it.

Yesterday’s Technique Challenge was perfect for my sample for today’s Be Inspired challenge.  The technique challenge was fun. Ink up the indented side of a cuttlebug folder, add cardstock and run through your Cuttlebug. That will add ink and  dry emboss  your cardstock at the same time.

 I knew I had to use black, lots of green as well as circles for this challenge.

I inked up the circle cuttlebug folder with Black Craft ink and ran a 4″ square of Old Olive cardstock through the CB.

Next I cut it down with a wavy line. I added a Shimmery White strip behind it and cut it with my corner rounder to add the scallops.

I added textured Soft Sky cardstock to turn the layers back to a 4″ square and paper pierced the Soft Sky edge as well as the wavy edge of the Old Olive piece. What can I say? I am paper piercing addicted! And if you like paper piercing too or you want to try it out as a challenge, head on over to Sharon Johnson’s blog. That’s her challenge for this week.

For the sentiment I chose “You are one of a Kind” from One of a Kind. I stamped it in Black StazOn on Shimmery White cardstock, punched it out with the small oval punch. It was layered first on a 1″ black circle punchout, then ona a sponged Ruby Red Designer Label punch. I paper pierced the 1″ circle and added a white dotted border on the Designer Label with the white gel pen.

I tied striped Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon around the Old Olive section and attached the card front to the 4 1/4″ square Basic Black card base.

Last week’s Way to Use it Challenge was to use cardstock only for the card base. For the rest of the card we were only to use Designer paper. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to use image stamps. So I didn’t.

 I am still pretty much in love with my Nestabilities, so I used my biggest circle die to make the base of this card out of Pumpkin Pie cardstock. Different shaped cards are so much fun!!! Hmm….maybe that should be a challenge sometimes on my blog.

I cut a scallop circle out of Chocolate Chip paper and a slightly smaller circle out of Soft Sky Prints Designer paper.

Next I cut grass out of Old Olive Prints designer paper and used paper piercing for my flower stems. I also paper pierced above the grass the edge of the Soft Sky Prints Designer Paper.

The flowers are from the Flower Fusion tin! Can you tell that I love the new felt flowers and the colors they come in? I added Ice Circle Rhinestone brads in the center of each flower.