The Usual Suspects

This idea came to my mind the first time I saw Stampotique's Line Up stamp. Then being me, the thought slipped into the deep recesses of my mind. So when Stampotique released the Birdy Up stamp, it resurfaced for a bit, only to sink again. Then last weekend, I was watching television and I saw a line up, the idea surfaced yet again. This time, I wrote myself a note and the next time I sat down at my computer, I created a line up using the drawing module of AppleWorks.

A few days passed and this morning I made this card:

The computer-generated line up was printed onto greyish/white cardstock and set aside. I stamped Birdy Up onto white Neenah cardstock using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then colored it with Copic markers. All four birds were fussy cut and little slits were cut where their wings meet their bodies.

Little strips were die cut using a very old QuicKutz die and rub-on numbers were added to each one. The number strips were slid under the birds' wings and then the birds were adhered to my line up, which was mounted to the front of a card.

A rectangular aperture was cut into woodgrain patterned paper from a My Mind's Eye 6x6 pad. White strips were mitered onto the aperture's opening to make it look more window-like.

The sentiment was computer generated and printed onto an ink jet transparency. The transparency was adhered underneath the wood grained paper. This combination of transparency and patterned paper was adhered to the card front over the line up using dimensional foam adhesive.

By the way, I chose these blah-ish colors because I wanted this to look "institutional". I did try to add texture/dimension with both brick embossing folders and brick stencils, but both brick patterns competed with the printed line up.

This card makes me happy because it's one of the rare occasions when a project comes out the way I had envisioned it in "my mind's eye", though I must say that "clean and simple" is mostly clean and difficult for me! :D

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Stampotique Designers' Challenge #109: Clean and Simple
• Crafting by Designs: Anything Goes
• Crafts and Me: Anything Goes
• The House that Stamps Built: Humor Me
 • Blogger's Challenge: Things with Wings