OCC Challenge - Get ready to recycle!!!

Happy Saturday!!!

In honor of *EARTH DAY* this coming week - I thought it would be a great idea for today's OCC Challenge to used some *recyclable* items on your card/project!!!

I want you to look around your household and find some items can be reused or transformed!!! Think newspaper, packaging, soda cans, containers, maybe some items that have not seen the daylight in many years - LOL -I hope you get the idea??? Make sure to stop by the OCC Blog to see all the Samples and how to play along!!!

Before I get started on my card I want to introduce you to my Guest Betsy Griffin. Betsy is the owner of Innovative Stamp Creations. Betsy also features some Challenges on her company blog - check it out right HERE. Wait that's not all - Betsy generously donated this gorgeous brand spankin' new Released - Nature Silhouette Set II for playing along - plus
Betsy just announced that she will give you a 10 % DISCOUNT on your order!!! Make sure you swing by her blog to find out the code you have to enter!!!!

If you been following my blog you should be familiar with the cards I made using Innovative Stamp Creations Stamps...if not HERE are all the cards I made with her fab Stamp Sets!!!

For my card today I used the new ISC Set - Birch Tree Painting. My recycled item is a *packaging cardboard*. I kept it because I really liked the texture plus it came in handy for my card :).

The card measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". I started out by coloring straight onto the tree image using my Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Markers.

Then I stamped the butterflies in Tangerine Tango raising them up. To make them look a bit more interesting I added some Candle Light Shimmerz - love that stuff!!!

I decided to distress the edges and sponge them with some Chocolate Chip Ink. I also added some more Shimmerz to the distressed edges.

The sentiment is actually from a different ISC Set - Passion Flower. I distressed, sponged and added Shimmerz to the edges as well. Right below the sentiment I added some Silver Pearls (Michael's).

Before I pulled it all together I added the Net-Ribbon from Stamper's Dream and the new SU Basic Jumbo Grommets.

Hope you'll find some recyclable stuff and play along??? Make sure to stop by all the other girls too - Cindy, Jennifer, Lori, Kim, Vicki, Frances, Robin, Loretta and Jenny.

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This card was inspired by the Dirty Dozen *Go Green* - CT0409 theme, the IC176 - Skeem, this OCC Challenge and Sharon Johnson's ssnotime 82.

I have chosen this awesome looking pillar because of the bird theme and the earthy color tone. Of course it all about the *recycled* items on my card - I added the same packaging cardboard item as on my first card (basically the leftovers) and some leftover Ribbon. The Stamp Set is from Flourishes - Home Tweet Home. The layout is from the TECC63 Sketch.

I inked the branch image with Memento Rich Cocoa first and colored it with the Copic Markers - E47, G94. The CS I used is - Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi and White (PTI).

Next I stamped the birdhouse on a separate piece of CS and cut it out. I attached some leftover Light Brown Scrap Floss (Karen Foster) to make it look like it's hanging from the branch - isn't it too cute???
This is where Sharon Johnson's ssnotime82 - *Hang it Up* comes into play. I've been wanting to hang something all week long - LOL!!! Sounds funny - huh???

I stamped the bird once on the image itself and then raised it and colored it with these Copic Markers - E00, Ro8. Next I stamped the sentiment on the left side.

The button is from a button collection purchased at Hobby Lobby.

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I had some time Friday morning and I thought I'd show you a card I made with the Innovative Stamp Creations Set - Nature Silhouette II that you can win by participating in the OCC Challenge this week.

Since I was in a happy mood.... I uses some colors that I usually don't combine often - Taken with Teal and Passion Pink.

The card measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". All the butterflies were inked twice and than raised up. I dressed the butterflies up with my fav Silver Pearls (Michael's).

I pierced around the Taken with Teal CS and raised both panels up. The matching Ribbon is from Flourishes.

Can't wait to see the card you'll create!!! ~TFL~