WWC249 - Karen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Early this year I came across a delightful Art Impressions stamp set called "Full of Thanks".  It was perfect for Thanksgiving and so I put it aside.  Miraculously I'm actually using it for a Thanksgiving card as planned.  (I don't know about you, but my plans frequently go wonky).  Of course the star of every Thanksgiving is the turkey and for my family, it's all about the dressing.

I decided to concentrate on another definition of the verb "to dress".  Isn't he a handsome young bird?  The colours I've used are all taken from the gorgeous Designer Paper in the background.  I think Stampin' Up! brought it out at least eight or nine years ago (yes, it's retired) and I finally decided to raid my stash.  Hoarding paper is something I don't seem to be able to stop doing.

My base is the Heavy Very Vanilla followed by a layer of plain Designer Paper and then the layer of cross-stitch Designer Paper.  Vertically to the right I've added a strip of Designer Paper featuring corn cobs in a variety of wonderful colours, with a matte of Soft Suede behind it.  My wonderful turkey image is attached with Dimensionals, on a matte of Cajun Craze.

The sentiment says it all!  I love it and hope you do, too.

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #409 - So Thankful

Cutie Pie Challenge #141 - Add an Animal

Get Creative Challenges #86 - Last Challenge of the Year AG with a Holiday Twist

Art Impressions Challenge #271 - Anything Goes

Dare2bartzy Challenge - November - Thankful

WWC184 - Helen's "All About Holidays" Challenge

Oh my goodness!  I received my pre-order from the Holiday Catalogue last Wednesday and the first stamp set which I mounted and used was the Pleasant Pheasant set.  As you know, I love watercolouring and this set just demands some serious colouring.

I kept my card very clean and simple since I wanted all the attention to fall on the wonderful pheasant couple.  Don't the colours just dazzle?  I wound up layering my watercolouring, adjusting the colours just to the point where they looked closest to the real pheasant photos which I had found on the internet.  For the most part, the pheasants are watercolour pencils and Aqua-Brush with a bit of additional coloured ink layered on.  The background grasses, sky and foreground are all Stampin' Up! inks applied with my Aqua-Brush.

As an added bit of embellishment (and I don't do a lot of that), I used three tiny Metallic Pearls.  It's the first time I've used them even though they came out with the Annual Catalogue.  I love the way the gold works with this card, don't you?

I hope you'll be joining us by linking up your awesome creations before Monday, August 27th at 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.  To see the wonderful creations by our Watercooler Artists, check out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.