A Crafty Cat and an Artist Trading Card for America's 250th Birthday

Hello everyone, it's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and Donna is hosting this time. Her optional theme is "Stencils" which are my favorite tools (besides stamps) to use. We have a selection of stencils from the Allsorts prize box for 2 lucky winners. 

And here is what I made:

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I colored this cute cat at the end of last month when I tried to join the We Love Stamping challenge where the theme was "hobbies and sports". Who can resist this cute crafty kitty working on a handmade card? As it so often happens to me, I didn't get a chance to finish the card for that challenge but it was a perfect starting point for this Allsorts challenge theme. 

The image which is part of the Penny Black stamp set Furry Affection has been stamped with Versafine Onyx ink and colored with Derwent Inktense pencils. For the wall I used a stencil by Tracy Evans for Aall and Create (Crisp Tulips)  and I drew lines for the floor after lightly coloring with the pencils. I added a strip of patterned paper to the top edge and die cuts made with Penny Black's die set Doodles of Love. I've had this die set for a few years now but this was my first time ever using it. 

The card above fits these challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Die Cuts or Stencils (I used both)
• Craft Rocket Challenges - Animals
• Cut It Up - Critters and a die cut
• Pattie's Creations - AG
• Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB Stamps
• The Male Room - Hobbies (cardmaking)
• Word Art Wednesday - AG

I have another project to share today which also fits Allsorts' Stencils theme.

As we are celebrating America's 250th Birthday today, I decided to make an Artist Trading Card for this special Independence Day.

I love this eagle stamp from Tracy Evans set Fully Fledged (from her Aall and Create release) and thought it would be a perfect choice as the Bald Eagle is the national bird of the US. Then I used the star stencil Lotsa Stars also from Aall and Create on the background. Also used are Tracy Evans Boutique Design sets Alpha Florals (USA and little squares) and Numerical Cats for the number 250. I used a small circle punch to punch out the numbers then added to the fussy cut squares with glue dots. Inking and stenciling was done with Distress inks Fired Brick, Chipped Sapphire and Faded Jeans. I also used a stripes stencil but it's hard to see. 

The photo below was taken at the end of January at a dam on the Mississippi River about an hour from where I live. They gather at this dam to hunt for fish in winter when most of the river is frozen and it's always fun to see many of them. Perfect winter activity!

I am linking this ATC up here:

• Ally's Angels - AG
• A Perfect Time To Craft - AG
• Crafty Catz - AG
• Crafts Galore Encore - AG
• Creative Fingers - AG
• DL.Art Linky Challenge - AG
• Fab n' Funky - Beginning with B (Bird)
• If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Inspiration photo

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stars and/or Stripes
• Tag-Along (and ATC's) - AG
• The Paper Funday - AG
• Triple B - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies
• We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative

Thanks so much for visiting and Happy Independence Day to my readers in the United States.