As I do every morning after checking emails and catching up on Google Reader (all done with my first cup(s) of coffee), I head over to Splitcoaststampers to see what the daily challenge is.  Saturday is always the Inspiration Challenge and sometimes I’m inspired . . . sometime not.  Today I was!  Of course, I also have in hand a new set of stamps that happen to work perfectly with one of the inspiration pieces.

Today’s Inspiration Challenge pieces are from Lang Calendars.  I cruised the Lang site, but still decided to use one of the pieces shown us in the thread:

It was the first one that jumped out at me!

One of the other sets I got from Artistic Outpost was Bluebird.  When I was looking at this set the day it came, I was already envisioning how I could use it and lo and behold, today’s challenge was perfect.

Because I wanted a different background for the main image (the birds), I made my own paper by wiping Broken China and Vintage Photo on my craft sheet, misting the ink with water, picking up the ink on my paper and drying it with my heat tool.  No iron this time.  I wanted the paper to be splotchy in appearance.  After lamenting over the card design and background for close to an hour, I decided to do the same for my background panel.  Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities were used to die cut the image and the layer behind it and for an added touch, Spellbinders Large Long Scalloped Rectangles Nestabilities were used to cut the edge to the side panel.  Instead of sponging the edges of the side panel like I did the image panel, I sanded it instead.  I must say that I do like the sanded look, especially over the embossed areas.  When stamping the sentiment, and even though I practiced first, I still got it crooked.  Too late however, because I wasn’t going to that background sheet another time.

• Stamps: Bluebird and Serenity from Artistic Outpost
• Paper: SU Very Vanilla and Not Quite Navy; 7 Gypsies Savannah and Nottinghill
• Ink: Ranger Vintage Photo, Broken China and Faded Jeans Distress
• Accessories: Spellbinders Labels One and Large Scalloped Long Rectangles Nestabilities; Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet and Mini Mister; Tsukineko Sponge Dauber; Venture Foam Tape; Ribbon; Sanding Block

Thanks for stopping by!