The Seize the Birthday optional topping is a card for a child which motivated me to finally use this panda stamp from Stampin' Up that I have had for four or five years and never used. As a matter of fact there is a challenge for that. The NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) challenge is designed to inspire us use some of those craft supplies we have have been collecting. This is one of my aspirations for 2023. I have started putting newly purchased items in a bin next to my inks to remind me to use them and am also trying to make it a point to pull out older supplies that need to be christened. As I was thinking about the panda and maybe a balloon, I stumbled on the Once Upon a Time challenge featuring one of my favorite books from childhood, Harold and the Purple Crayon which is about a little boy who uses his purple crayon to bring his imagination to life. If you have never read it, there is read aloud video posted on the challenge page. Now I had my concept. My panda would use his crayon to create a balloon to float over to visit the birthday child and wish them a happy birthday. I used a die from Altenew's Mix and Match Frames set to cut the dotted border for the AAA Birthday challenge to use dots or stripes. I used an old, often used punch to cut the balloon, sponged on some ink to give it dimension and popped it up with thin foam tape. The sentiment was cut using an old die from Simon Says Stamp. To make the crayon I cut a small strip of purple paper, trimmed the end to look like a crayon, used a flat paint brush to apply ink to the ends and cut it to fit his paw. Up, up and away my little panda!
I also plan to enter this in the Retro Rubber Anything Goes challenge. Thank you for stopping by! Until next time, Hansi
