Hedgehog Summer

     I wish my summer days could be spent in conversation with a lady bug! 

     This was such an interesting card to make.  I started with an idea in my head and then the card took on a life of its own and practically made itself.  No sketch to follow for this one but I did start with a pre-shaped, round piece of CS from Webster's Pages.  It was in my stash of scrapbooking papers and the circle was probably just under 7 inches in diameter.  It was scalloped and looked like a doily.  Since Digital Tuesday has "doilies" for their challenge theme this week, I thought I'd see if I could use a border punch and make it look more like a doily. 

     It turned out none of my border punches would work for that, so then I decided to trim the piece top and bottom so that it would fit into an A2 envelope.  I scored and folded it at 4 1/4 inches wide, then added a piece of CS to the make the back that same width.   The paper itself made a great background but didn't have anything that could be a focal point.  I dug out the hedgie stamp and stamped it on white CS, colored it, then cut it with a Spellbinders die and matted it with a dark green die cut one size larger.  I found a doily in my stash and layered it onto the card front, then added the matted image.  Now I had a focal point.  It's a Penny Black image and Penny Black at Allsorts has a month long challenge for August of "Free and Easy."   Craft Your Passion has its 1st Monday, "Anything Goes" challenge.

     I added the butterfly (K & Co.) and the daisy (Jolee's) embellishments and it was finished.  Tuesday Throwdown's challenge is for "Summer" and I think hedgies, ladybugs, butterflies (the background paper also has butterflies), and daisies all say Summer.  Finally, Make My Monday wants to see Things with Wings, butterflies or dragonflies, and Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog wants to see Summer projects.  

     I may add a Happy Birthday sentiment to this before I put it in the box of cards for Operation Write Home.  I think it would be a great card for one of our deployed troops to send home to family or friend for a birthday celebration, don't you?  If you don't know about Operation Write Home, please click on their badge on the right-hand side of my blog and read about how they help support the troops by sending them donated cards, made by us, for their use.

     I hope you enjoy the end result of my day as much as I do!  It was just fun to have a card with a different shape from my usual rectangle, A2, card and to have done it from pre-shaped paper.  I have several other pre-shaped papers in my scrapbooking stash and will be looking at them differently now.  Feel free to have a browse 'round and Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie