Dia daoibh!
You know it’s October when you walk into the shops and the shelves are groaning under the weight of Halloween sweets… yet just around the corner, there it is — Christmas wrapping paper and novelty socks staring you down like, “Go on, panic early!” Honestly, at this stage I’m expecting Easter eggs to sneak onto the shelf beside the pumpkins. It’s retail time travel, and I’m not ready.
Anyway, speaking of seasonal surprises, it’s time for the monthly Card Chain Challenge! The idea’s simple but brilliant: you sign up, pick a theme, send off your card — and like magic, one lands in your letterbox too. It’s like pen pals, but with glitter and far less chance of dodgy handwriting. My card flew off to Daja in Germany, and in return, I was lucky enough to receive a gooooorgeous creation back from Imke in Germany as well. Clearly, the postal service has decided I need a round trip of Deutsche crafting goodness!
Now, onto my own card:
I used the Spellbinders Grand Flamingos die set — and let me tell you, these flamingos are as fancy as they sound. Cut from lush textured and glitter card, jazzed up with glitter, glossy accents, a sprinkle of iredescent sequins, and a few clear gems for good measure. The sentiment is from the Ellen Hutson Inner Flamingo stamp set, stamped neatly with Stazon ink (because nothing says commitment like ink that never wants to come off your fingers).
A few challenges:
- Krafty Chicks #788 - Birthdays
- Sisterhood of Crafters - Birthdays
- Try It On Tuesday - Animals - Real or Imaginary
- Stamps & Fun = Creativity #482 - Animals
- Dragonfly Dreams - Sep - Happy Birthday
And there you have it! A tropical flamingo card made in the middle of pumpkin season — because nothing says autumn like a bright pink bird strutting across your craft desk. Sure, if that isn’t crafting against the odds, I don’t know what is. At this point, I’m just waiting for a flamingo in a Santa hat to appear in Tesco’s freezer aisle.