Heart Song Birdcage

     This is another of those cards that start with one idea in mind and then morph into something else somewhere along the line and end up even better than the original idea.  When I started with the image, I had no idea the card would be so red!  :-)  The image is called Bird Cage, from Heart Song Inspirations where the challenge this week is to use Chipboard OR Glitter OR both.  I ended up with a glitter-covered, chipboard flourish and some great rhinestone bling!  Kaboodle Doodles also wants to see chipboard this week.

     I used a sketch from Midnight Madness.

     The image is colored with pencils, then matted with black, red, and black again.  The patterned paper is one from Doodle Pantry and I'm going to be using it lots, what with Christmas coming up.  It's cut on a diagonal, matted with black, and adhered to a card base of red.  The flourish is chipboard, glittered and then adhered, tucking it just slightly under the edge of the main image.  The final touches -- the three red rhinestones and a glittered chipboard flower in the corner of the image.

     Although this is my DT card for Heart Song this week, I'm going to enter it over at Lily Pad Cards for their September Card Chain Challenge.  A chain challenge is something new for me.  Each person makes a card, posts it to the Lily Pad blog and, at the end of the challenge, is given instructions for snail-mailing it to another person in the "chain".  Each person makes and mails one card, and receives one card, but you have no way of knowing until the end of the challenge who will get your card or which card you'll receive.  It sounded fun so I decided to try it.  This card will stay blank so that it can be used by the person receiving it to send it to a friend or family member.  Another option is to make a card that has a note written inside specifically to the person who will receive it from you.  This particular chain is an international one so you could be getting a card from someone who is in a different country!

     That chain challenge also allows me to enter this card at Jellypark this week where they want us to "Pass It On."  In other words, the card we make and submit has to be actually sent to someone.  Allsorts would like to see flowers and swirls and I managed to do both.  Crafty Ann's says we should "Make ourselves uncomfortable" by doing something outside our regular comfort zone.  Mine is using so much red!  I never wear red, don't use it to decorate my home, and rarely use it on cards -- only in the smallest splashes, and then usually at Christmas.  Kelley's Kids asks for us to do "Girly Girl" cards and this one definitely fits that category.  :-)  Finally, Delightful Challenges wants us to "Bling It" and I think I've almost overdone the bling!

     OK, that's pretty much it for today.  I hope you'll join in the challenge at Heart Song this week.  We really love seeing your work and we get lots of inspiration from all of you who participate in our challenges there.

Happy Stamping  NanaConnie