Cute Critters!

Happy weekend, friends - hope you're getting time outdoors as well as in the craft room!! Beautiful day in Minnesota (yes, we have them!) and I managed to pull weeds from the landscaping (not my favorite thing in the world). But I still had time this afternoon (& basically took it all) to make a cute critter card to enter at both the Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge - # 14 Critters and the new A Blog Named Hero Challenge - Cute. Here are my cute critters:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio brights & kraft;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb;

Lawn Fawn Let's Polka 6x6 (retired)

Stamps - Hero Arts CL438 Let's Chill (retired)

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints (retired)

Other - Copic Markers, pencils for shading;

Hero Arts clear lacquer

There were a bunch of beach challenges out there this summer and I pulled out a darling Hero Arts set (used it for my August guest designer Twofer here). Never made it to any beach challenge, oh well.... The set was still in the "pending return to proper place" pile (not yet a mountain) so I decided it would be perfect for both challenges! 

I planned the card using an A2 sized white panel and my Hero Arts MISTI, plunking stamps down to arrange my scene. I stamped the tree, ball and crab right on the panel, then drew lightly where I wanted my beach and ocean. I colored the crab directly on the card with Copics, then paper-pieced the ball and tree, adding accents with Copics. I paper-pieced because the Sweet Stampin' Challenge has that as the theme and my friend Dawn (Dawn's World), who's on the Design Team, shared a brilliant card with that technique here. Figured I might as well hit another challenge while at it!!

Next, I water colored the beach, ocean and sky (reactive inks & Antique Linen Distress). Note to self - next time do this BEFORE paper-piecing, although I think I did ok along the image borders . Ocean got a bit dark - no worries, spritzed more water and dabbed off (as Jennifer McGuire said - use heavy weight cardstock). Die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle and stamped the sentiment (it comes as one phrase, I snipped apart to get one word below the other). Finally stamped the birdie, colored with Copics, fussy cut, added lacquer to the sunglasses & popped onto the panel. Glued panel to kraft card and done - finally!!

Thanks to all challenge holders for the fun and thanks to you for the visit!!

PS - If you care to see "my masterpiece" of paper-piecing, visit my Flickr post here.