It Makes My Bird-Loving Heart Happy!

Hello Stamplings!

I think the summer heat has gone to my head. I was talking to a friend last week about any plans for traveling in the fall and then I asked her if she was going to make her usual trip to the Midwest in late June or early July? Needless to say, she cocked her head in the universal gesture of, "What the hay is wrong with you?!" Oh. This getting old thing is a mental surprise every day. As is the calendar!

Speaking of calendar, it's time to remind you that the current Twofer Card Challenge ends on July 24th. It makes my bird-loving heart happy to see the pairs of birdies in the gallery!

You can imagine the fun I had making these cards! The BIRD stamp my two different designs have in common and which I just HAD to have, is NBUS from Art Impressions. (Bird-Brains UMD1878.) 

Onefer

There are only about a million reasons why you could use this chicken on a card, especially when you have the snarky sediments from Tim Holtz. I used this card as a humorous thank you card for my SIL. The background is a piece of pp (pats self on back). The stitched square frame is from MFT. For the background behind the chick, I did a blend of yellow and gold inks through a honeycomb stencil. I zigged the chicken and Hammy winked her. She was really out cold cuz she never moved a feather and you know it had to tickle, especially on those feet!

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Any occasion.
  
• CAS Colours & Sketches: Sketch.
  
• HLS July Stencil: Anything goes.
  
• Repeat Impressions Theme J1421: Patterned paper and a stamped image.

Twofer

And then I got nostalgic and turned my chicken into a Christmas wreath. Chicken wreaths used to be a tradition in a small town in Missouri where my sister once lived. She moved several years ago and the tradition may be going on for all I know. The youngsters had such fun dying the feathers and feet green and red while the grownups sat behind the wood shed and drank moonshine. For weeks afterwards the kids would show up at school with their hands and arms dyed up to their elbows! (Hanging a chicken wreath on your door was thought to ward off sickness. I personally think the stink warded off visitors and hence nobody brought germs into your house.)

Hammy made the wreath even more festive by adding a wee holly stamp here and there and then winking the entire wreath. I heat-embossed the sediment in princess gold powder and chomped the corners.

Challenges

• HLS July Christmas: Anything goes.
  
• Less is More: Christmas in July.
  
• Shopping Our Stash: Christmas in July.

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I hope you have time to play in the Twofer Card Challenge this month! We all have bird stamps, dies, or stencils that are just waiting to fly onto your two different card designs! We are fortunate to have Maria and Coni as our guest designers, as well as lots of inspiration from the talented Design Team!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

An update from the Back Department: both of us are much better, still waiting for some medical follow ups, but all in all 👍! I send my return best wishes to all of you (or your family) who are suffering with illness or floods or drought. 

*Life is too short!

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