Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Take Two & Growing in Unity {Wednesday}

Welcome to Day Three of Take Two and Growing in Unity! Lisa and I are delighted with the amazing response to this event and our individual projects. We can't thank you all enough! It's great to see both old friends and new ones. If you are new to my blog, I thought you might like to know a few things about my crafting style. My cards are mostly clean and simple but occasionally I will get fancy. I love to cut out images and pop them with foam tape. I rarely use designer paper but I love to create my own backgrounds using stamps. I'm also featured on the Unity Blog today so hop over there a bit later for more about me and how I craft with Unity!

Today's card uses Birdie Duet! Lisa and I both purchased this set ages ago and never inked it up. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally use it. I was drawn to this set mainly because of the musical notes. Bicycles may be my greatest weakness but music notes are my second. Throw in the stunning bird cage, plus the wonderful fonts of the sentiments, and I was sold. I had no clue how I would use this set but I just had to buy it! Now that I've finally inked it up, I have quite a few more ideas.

This card is very simple but with several layers of overlapped stamping. First, I stamped the entire image in light blue on white cardstock. Then I stamped the image again with green ink and cut out just the birdcage and one of the birds. Using a grid line acrylic block, I stamped the sentiment on the white base and then again on the cut out birdcage, ensuring they would line up. I punched a hole at the top of the birdcage and looped two strands of honeydew baker's twine. I popped the birdcage with foam tape and, after twisting all four strands together, attached the twine to the back of the white mat which is also popped with foam tape. I added clear rhinestones and coloured them with a light blue Copic marker.

Since it's the middle of the week, here's a quick recap of the prizes that have been revealed thus far:

Take Two, Day 1: Cuppy Cakes
Take Two, Day 2: My Dear*
Take Two, Day 3: Birdie Duet
*If you don't want to hedge your bets on winning this set, grab it now while it's on sale! ;)

Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog to see her take on Birdie Duet, as well as the Unity Blog to see another card of mine using Birdie Duet but in a completely different style!

See you tomorrow for Take Two and Growing in Unity, Day Four!

Sources for The Odds: Gina K Designs 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; SU Bashful Blue & Chocolate Chip cardstock; Unity Birdie Duet; SU Bashful Blue & Old Olive inks; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach circle punch; The Twinery Honeydew baker's twine; SU Basic Rhinestones coloured with Copic marker; Stampin' Dimensionals

Sources for Two Birds (shown on the Unity Blog): SU Naturals Ivory, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi & Early Espresso cardstock; Unity Birdie Duet; Unity October 2011 Kit of the Month - Take Time To Laugh; Unity November 2011 Kit of the Month - Picture Perfect; SU Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise & Wild Wasabi inks; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; The Twinery Pink Sorbet baker's twine; Stampin' Dimensionals

61 comments:

Wendy ten Hove said...

Hi Emily!

Orh, this, to me, is the best this week, with both you and Lisa, but I always was a big fan of birdies, so that helps, hi hi! Love the colors you used and the way that wonderful sentiment is in both layers, looks awesome!! Wonderful card!! And love how you mention that now you used it, you have more ideas! That happens to me often as well, fun!

Hugs, Wendy

Lynn said...

Emily...love how you added the rhinestones to the bird cage and popped it up. I am always amazed at how wonderfully you layer your stamps...how many times have I said that to you (100?)!!

Angela said...

Details, details, details -- your cards might be clean, but your attention to detail makes them stunning. Always.
Love, LOVE what you've done with the image and sentiment here!!

Sandra Wilkes said...

Love your card. I am all abou simplicity so I like the clean lines. Sandra

kasia c. said...

This has been such great week so far! I LOVE this card. Especially how you kept the sentiment going across onto the birdcage too. I am also enjoying this colour combo. :)

Jen W. said...

So much to love about this card! Lovely layers, great colour combo, perfect precision in lining up the sentiment and great little touches (the bling and the twine)! You girls are rocking this Take Two week! :)

Kate said...

Beautiful! I love the words ...can see my stamp shopping list getting even longer after this week lol.
Kate x

Kate said...

Beautiful! I love the words ...can see my stamp shopping list getting even longer after this week lol.
Kate x

Sandy Ang said...

I find CAS the hardest style cards to make. Yours is so stylish ! I'm feeling a little better that so many people commented to let me know it's in a cat's nature to hunt.
Going to let Bun Bun out of the dog house (ha ha) tonight so he can sleep in my room again.

Laura (sandytoz) said...

Nice use of the layers! I love music & birds in my stamping too!

Anne Tussing said...

I so enjoy the dimensions you create when you make your own background. I loved your GIU card and this card! This is a great set and you've used it to perfection!

Karen B. said...

This technique is simply amazing, love the words in two layers.

Emily Keaton said...

What a fabulous way to use the awesome elements of this set, Emily! I really like how you let the quote show "through" the birdcage. Very clever!!

StampinCathy said...

I just love love love this set and your card is amazing. Love how you added some bling and love how you stamps the sentiment too. So inspiring.

Jennifer Roach said...

Gorgeous card Emily. I love how you used the twine to hang the birdcage....adding to my mental idea bank.

Brenda said...

What a beauty Emily! I love the bakers twine and the gems you added, and also the soft stamping in the background! I am so glad you mentioned that you don't use designer paper often, I thought I was weird, but quite frankly I have no idea how to use it and make it look nice without overcrowding the stamped image. You know, and then what do you do if the paper is so pretty that you don't want to cover it up with a stamped image! It's just too much of a dilema for me!

BabyBokChoy said...

I actually have some stamps that I could use to imitate this! I adore it!! I'm definitely saving this for copying purposes :) hee hee

farmhouse-story said...

the sentiment inside the cage--priceless idea, emily! so clever!

Shauna K said...

totally loving this card!! i love popping up cut out images too, and this one looks fabulous! I love how you created your own little bit of background paper behind the cage too :) super pretty! the gems are the perfect touch! :D

stampjourney said...

Absolutely inspired card! I love the twine and the bling, but most of all, I love the way you designed it all and incorporated the quote on both the card base and on the birdhouse even though it's popped up! So amazing!

Ravengirl said...

Wow, I love this! I love the birdcage popped up and hung from the top of you card! The two different colors are wonderful too!

Karin said...

Your girls are smoking this week! This is beautiful, love the layered effect and the CAS style!

Mandy said...

great cards! just love the birds and birdcage! love the twine you added to dangle the cage! also love the different size strips of paper you used to anchor the card on the unity blog! super job!!!

Jan Larson said...

I love this set -- in fact I own it but haven't used it yet. Thanks for the inspiration; your card is beautiful! If you happen to draw my name for Birdie Duet, please give it to someone else!!

Lynn said...

how sweet! Love how you used the twine to "hang" the birdcage.

Rona said...

This is gorgeous!! love the soft colors and the twine hanging the birdcage!!

Emily (stampingout on SCS) said...

Love your blinged out birdcage and the twine it hangs from! Great card, Emily! :)

Erin said...

This one is my favorite so far! I had no idea you could color gems with copics huh thanks for the tip!

Marilyn Nimmo said...

This is a WINNER!! I always love birds, so this is a favorite of mine.

sharon g said...

I LOVE birds, so I adore this card. I also love how you made the words go off the cage. NICE. I also like using foam tape...

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this card--I've wanted to use this stamp for some time...just didn't know how! LOOOOOOVE the simplicity--but detailed elements! LOVE your style--you are soooooooo amazing:)

Unknown said...

The way you made the birdcage seem see-through is just...Wow! I love looking at your designs!

Denise Bryant said...

Love this card with the dimensional cage and the twine! Very sweet!
DeniseB

btenn said...

Beautiful, simple and elegant card again! Everything from the colours on the card to the way you've layered the paper - all the details make for a stunning piece of art. BTW, everyday, I look forward to seeing what you've created : ).

Maria said...

Beautiful job!!

Carisa said...

emily, this is stunning, i truly love your CAS style. being obsessed with dp myself it's truly an art to me how you create such beautiful simple cards. this one is my fav so far this week!

Scrapcollectr said...

Love, love, love how you overstamped and lined it up. So clean and pretty!
*smile*

Gina Lindsay said...

This is just so pretty. I love that quote most of all. I love your clean style!

Janna Werner said...

Huhu :) I love yours and Lisa´s creation. But I think I so much fell in love with the stamp set you used yesterday that it will be hard for you guys to top it *haha, hope that encourages you know, Emily*

Bye bye :-) JaNnA

Carol said...

Too cute! I lovfe the dimension!


Carol B
ciaoitalia2007(at)gmail(dot)com

Lynne in NI said...

Wow! Love how your stamping goes over your popped up image and the twine is perfect for your birdcage

G Peplow said...

Hi Emily, you're having a lovely time and producing some fab cards, love this birdy one. The bird's very elegant and I love your colours:0) xxx

Deborah345 said...

I love this card, the clean simple lines just there is color and dimension. Really like how you cut out the bird cage.

Gwen said...

I love this card! Love it! Great popping up of the bird cage and the addition of the baker's twine is just perfect.

Erin (Homemade Cards by Erin) said...

This is great, happy to confess that I just bought a Unity set today, grin. Still waiting for the ones I won from PDC, so hopefully I'll have enough to participate in a few more Unity challenges soon!

Lindsey said...

Beautiful! I love how all the little details add up to one awesome card.

Anonymous said...

Stunning Emily! I love how you popped up that birdcage and how you included the sentiment there. Brilliant!

lisa a.

Meg said...

Fabulous card, Em! I all the popped-up-ness of it and the subtle stamping in the background. This certainly has been a fun week!

Sunghee said...

woah~! this is so cool! Love you how you looped the twine. But, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how you stamped the sentiment on the birdcage. You are sooo brillaint! I told you that already, right?

Cristina said...

I love this card! That sentiment and the way you stamped it are amazing. I wanted to thank you for the blog award, too! I am so late to everything these days, but it made me smile, and I'm still planning on posting something about it soon. Thank you!!!!

Jessica said...

this is fabulous! love the way you layered these stamps, and the bling is so pretty!! awesome card!

Roslyn said...

I love all the bird images and the sayings that go with them. Your card is gorgeous - the added bling is great too!

Jennifer said...

SO PRETTY!! Loving the color combination and twine!!! (=

Rachel B said...

Your birdcase is so cool! I love how you paper pieced it so it pops up and is a different color! So cool with the twine too!

Handmade Creations by Stephanie said...

Simply Gorgeous!!!!!

Tee said...

Love the popped up cage..with layers of stamping and the bling! Bling always makes happy!

Jillisgram said...

Birds and bird cages are one of my favorite stamps. Cute card!

Patricia said...

I am in love with that birdcage! Great card!

scrapsnsuch@gmail.com said...

Simple, sweet and so balanced with wonderful colors!

Anita Rex said...

So very pretty! I love the way you did the twine hanging, looks twisted and adds so much texture!

Alice said...

so very elegant! love your sentiment stamping. LOVE this!