Thank you for Music Director

Good Afternoon Everyone, It looks beautiful outside, but my body knows that it is only in looks.  When I step out the door, the wind is sharp and the temperature is cold.  That makes for a day that I would rather be inside than out.  So Today is Laundry day for me and while I do laundry, I usually do card making :)  It is a mix of things I must with things I want, not a bad mix if I do say so myself :)

Today I have for you a card that I have made for my Music Minister/Director.   For years I have been on both the praise team and choir.  I have really enjoyed sharing my love of God through music every chance I get to anyone who would listen.  But this spring I was diagnosed with COPD (no, I am not a smoker and never have been, this is due to second hand smoke from when I was a child.)  Unless I take all my meds everyday, I can't catch my breath, so obviously singing is no longer in my life, except for at home where no one but me notices that I have to takes short stops to breathe while I sing.  But, I will miss my music minister a lot.  He not only honed us to as close as perfection vocally as he could, he also cared for our spiritual grouth.  He directed us in Bible studies, led us in prayer and petitions, encouraged us to fast, and only desired the best for each and every one of us.  If you remember, I started a thank-you card that turned into a Birthday card for my brother.  This is who my card was supposed to be for.  I have really wrestled with making Dale a card that fully encompassed who he was, what he did, and how he and I felt.  Here is the card:

To keep the card "manly" I needed to have some "manly" components, so my thoughts leaned toward cardboard.  So I split a piece of card board and then filled the ribs in slightly with light scuplting paste.  It helped give depth and character.  I think Dale had a piano with him in the womb, so this cherub conducting a choir of birds to sing praises was more than appropriate for him.  I stamped  first in VersaMark and used Stampin Up's Clear EP to set.  Then I took some DI (Frayed Burlap) and lightly went over the image to darken the paper around.  Next I streaked on some Malted Milk Acrylic Paint by Jenni Bowlin (Ranger), I let it dry for a bit and then wiped off what ever wasn't dry.  Then to give just a bit of color I painted ever so lightly some Distress crackle paint in Peeled paint.  Again, I let it set for a couple minutes, then wiped it off.  Finally I grabbed the frayed burlap DI and went over the image again lightly and wiped off again.  Finally I took the SB Label 10 and die cut the image and then thin cut a mat of muted green.  Rhinestones are from PizzazzAplenty. 

The woodgrained ribbon was just a small piece left in my stash, so don't remember where that came from.  The full card mat was embossed with PC's Kassies Brocade which I inked up with the Frayed Burlap first.  The Thank you banner is from Layers of Color, the die is SB.  The wording is embossed in black to be sure that it would stand out with all these deeper browns.  I think that is about it.  Card is in the mail and he should be getting it today :)  Thanks for looking!

Blessings!

Challenges this card will be entered into are:
Our Creative Corner: manly, Craft Your Passion:  Browns, Crafty Creations Challenges: Kraft, Cream & one other, Do You Stack up? :  Inspired by song (I will sing Praise!), Dream Valley Challenges:  Anything Goes, Kaboodle Doodles Challenge: Fall colors (browns) Lollipop Crafts:  Thanksgiving or fall colors, Stampin Sisters in Christ: Use an old stamp (Magenta 2001)