Love Notes, Leaves, and A Lark.

I really enjoyed making this card for so many reasons beyond the obvious feathery (my fave) motivations.  I enjoyed  using this Sizzix Bigz Die of a bird for the first time (of course, of course), but I also thoroughly enjoyed using this Papertrey Ink Mat Stack Die, as I tend to have little to no success with it generally.  I just find it, personally, to be a hard shape to use.  All I seem to see is bookplate, bookmark...boring, boring, boring.  But this time, I saw a lovely window frame, perhaps somewhere in the Mediterranean if I let my thoughts go. I was so excited to finally get some use out of this die, particularly seeing how frenzied I was to get a hold of it in the first place.  Afterall, I have seen it used so often by so many other crafters with much success, I was starting to feel a hint of buyer's remorse simply because it wasn't getting any real play with me.  I also seem to have accumulated a fair few leaf dies as well and generally just cut my leaves out by hand.  I know, I know,  that pretty much defeats the purpose of having such nifty tools.

This card is, in fact, a Valentine's Day card in disguise.  I make and sell my cards at many of the local markets and festivals around the joint and if I am really kidding myself by pretending to be a shrewd businesswoman (which I am so not), I try to make cards that I can use after holidays like Valentine's Day if they don't sell.  Mind you, I still haven't figured out how to repurpose Christmas cards yet, but I am working on it. Thinking.  Thinking.

Love Notes, Leaves, and A Lark Card: 

• Stamps:  Papertrey Ink Favor It Weddings, Tattered Angels Screen Prints Rockin' Renaissance, Hero Arts Screen Print and Friend Definition Cling
• Paper:  Papertrey Ink Sweet Blush, Vintage Cream, and Stamper's Select White,  7 Gypsies Conservatory Pattern Paper (love), Handmade Japanese Silk Paper (pink), and various scraps of handmade paper from my stash (origins forgotten...sorry, I clearly don't eat enough fish), Chipboard .22 weight
• Ink:  Distress Ink in Broken China, Pumice, Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Brick Red,  Marigold, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain, Memento Sweet Plum and London Fog, Versafine Vintage Sepia
• Accessories:  Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Die and Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Tattered Rose and Bronze Distress Stickles, Sizzix Bigz Bird Die, Papertrey Ink Mat Stack 3 Die (yay!), Sullivan's 3" Tags Punch (smallest of the three), Jute, and Basic Grey Brad

Thanks for flying by for a visit.  It's been lovely.  x