All About "U"

 A couple months ago, I decided I needed to step down from some of my DT work.  I have some "new" commitments having to do with church and a volunteer organization, so I needed to free up some time.  One of the challenge blogs I designed for was closing at the end of December which was a perfect out without having to feel like I was letting anyone down.  (It turns out that the owner decided NOT to close the challenge, but she is working without a design team anyway.)  Another team was running a design team call, so I figured it was the perfect time to step down since they would be able to acquire new team members without any problems.  And then the third team (the one I was planning to keep designing for) suddenly was closed down without any definite plans for the future.  So, I find myself without any DT commitments.  It's sad, but it's also good--now when I make (and post) cards it will be because I need them or because I WANT to make a card, not because I HAVE to make one.  This is my first card after being Design Teamless.  It is a birthday card for my cousin and I tried Jennifer McQuire's "Eclipse Sentiment Stamping" technique for something a little different.

A while ago (ok, a very long while ago) I purchased this "U" die from Altenew.  I had some other ideas for it, but decided to start here: by using it as part of the sentiment.  This card kind of started with the large blue die cut star.  I had several of them left over from a baby shower project last spring, and I have been slowing using them up.  I die cut out a couple smaller stars to go along with it and matched them up with some colorful paper.  Unfortunately as I was stamping on the star, it shifted a little in my MISTI and blurred a little.  UGH!!  Luckily, I had ONE more of the stars, so I adhered it over the original and it was all fixed!  I added a few little star sprinkle pieces that I got from Kat Scrappiness.  They add a fun pop of color!

Supplies:

Stamps: CASual Fridays "Shenanigans"

Dies: Altenew "Mega Alphabet U"; Stamps of Life/Stephanie Bernhart star; Verve small stars

Kat Scrappiness "Superhero Star Sprinkles"

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #173--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #461--something beginning with "S" (Stars, sprinkles, stamping and Sentiment)

Cut It Up #242--birthday cards

Unicorn Challenge #72--layer it up

Cards Galore #95--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper

Creative Inspiration--anything goes

Craft Rockets #88--use dies

Crafty Catz #577--anything goes with the optional twist: CAS

Snippets Playground--anything goes with snippets (my patterned papers were all scraps and all the die cuts were cut from scraps--or were left over from a project)