Birthdays are for the birds (distress inking)

Thought I would share another episode of my long-and-winding-creative-process-road.

My destination was programmed into my GPS.  The Cure for the Winter Blues Challenge over at Moxie Fab World.

My map had a lot to do with this photo from Moxie Fab:

Absolutely love all the patterns and textures going on.  And the spot of turquoise.  Actually influenced yesterday's card too.

One tourist attraction along the way, the IKEA flyer in my mailbox.  Check out the great crazy bird tray on the left.  And next to it my first trial layout:

Used scrap birdies die cut from tissue boxes to test the layout.  My plan was to ink up CS with Chipped Sapphire and Broken China distress inks, splotch with water and then die cut the birdies.  So I did.

First detour... decided to use kraft CS for the base.  Next detour... where to place the sentiment and which sentiment?  And I knew I wanted to add something to the background, but I saw no possibilities...

Enter the Musicians of Bremen.  Not sure where they came from, but suddenly there they were in the lane right in front of me:

This opened the road for some cool background work.  And made the sentiment possible.  If you're wondering why you can't read it well... I wanted the sentiment yellow and embossed, but don't own yellow embossing powder.  I stamped with the yellow pigment ink I have and embossed with clear.  And you could hardly read it.  AAAAGGGHHH.

So, not to be brought to a screeching halt by this, I just reinked the stamp with black Versafine, stamped it and re-embossed with clear.  That's like hittin' the gas when the light turns yellow.  If it looks two-tone and a bit offset it's cuz it is!  But there is actually something cool about it.  I was just happy the second embossing didn't destroy the first.

So, last stop was the green stitching to ground the birdies on the lawn.  Because A Passion for Papertrey wants you to use needles and thread in their challenge.  And the yellow bling to represent the sun, cuz I'm still tryin to chase away the winter blues.  (And my other yellow didn't work, 'member?)

I like to liven up a road trip with a triple chocolate Blizzard from Dairy Queen.  And you?

Happy weekend.

Supplies Birthdays are for the birds:

Paper: kraft ?, CS Neenah 

Stamps: BG PTI, sentiment Crafty Secrets

Ink: Versamark, Cats Eye pigment, black Versafine

Tools: dies Tim Holtz, Memory Box, sewing machine

Other: toothbrush to splotch, embossing powder, bling