WWC73 - Thinking of You

It's time for a Clean & Simple challenge and this time Gail Allen has chosen Summer as the theme.  What a perfect time for this challenge!  This week we celebrated the Summer Solstice, or first day of Summer.

I love Clean & Simple challenges.  They force me to pare down my card to the minimum while still managing to satisfy the theme (and my inner critic).  For Gail's challenge, I turned to the new Swirly Bird stamp set.  My inspiration?  In the pretty hanging basket of yellow flowers outside my daughter's dining room window, an industrious pair of Robins decided to create their nest and proceeded to lay four tiny blue eggs.  

And so I improvised with the stamps in the set.  The long stem image, stamped twice, angled slightly apart, became my branch.  I added the leaves and a few blue flowers (also from the set) and then proceeded to add the nest, eggs, and the little bird image.  How serendipitous that all these images are contained in that one stamp set!

I wanted a second bird since the little guy who helped build the nest at my daughter's house, is great about taking his turns, warming the eggs, while his mate goes off for a meal.  With no additional bird images in the set, I had to use my imagination and so stamped the one bird image on a piece of Window sheet and then used the stamped image to "stamp" a reverse image on the branch.  In other words, I used the mirror-image technique.

Since the theme is Summer, I had to add a nice, bright sun to my card and that image is also among those in this stamp set.  Doesn't the new Peekaboo Peach make a wonderful, warm sun?  I used my Stampin' Markers to add details to the bird images, as well as the tell-tale "red breasts".  

I love how my inspiration translated onto this card so nicely.  Oh, and since the last picture those eggs are all gone.  Now there is no rest for Momma and Poppa Robin.  They are constantly making their ways back and forth to put food into four gaping beaks.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the other Watercooler Artists at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.