It's a beautiful Memorial Day!!!

First of all, I want to thank every person who is connected with the US Armed Forces. Especially those who are on active duty. Our thanks is not enough, I know, but it is from the heart. I pray God's mightiest blessings over you. That our God will keep you SAFE...physically and mentally. May God send His angels to build a hedge of protection around ALL of our service men and women. And may you know His GRACE!!!!

Our son-in-law is in the Navy and I know from personal experience that it is a very difficult time for the families of these men and women. The dedication of the families are a gift of love to this country also. It is not an easy life. But thanks be to God for them all.

At this time, our hearts also go out to all the families suffering loss from the tornadoes that have devastated our land. It is a huge tragedy that will affect so many for years to come. We pray that God's grace and love will be made visible through all those who have stepped forward to help in this time of need.

Now, on to my card for this Monday.
I am grateful for all the challenge blogs that are available on line. It makes it fun to share our creations with others and be inspired by their DT teams. I don't know who started the ball rolling, but my hat is off to the one who was inspired to take a chance and start something new. We are all grateful participants.

Two of my favorite challenges are the Play Date Cafe and the Top Tip challenge.
The Play Date is saying goodbye to one of their co-founders and they chose the colors black/white and green because that was Sarah's favorite combo. The the Top Tip it was to use 2 or more stamps. So these two challenges went together really easily. I made this card to enter:

I love black and white, but green is not my favorite color. But it works with any kind of foliage so that's what I chose. Maybe I should have colored that little bird a different color, but I didn't want to introduce something else to the mix. Isn't he the cutest though? He came in a stamp set a long time ago, I don't even know what company made it. But he has been a favorite whenever I need a little bird for something. He just has the cutest little look. I don't know if you can tell, but his little belly is small flourishes. I LOVE it!!!

On to the deets:
My frame is from a huge 12x12 pad of paper that was all black/white and silver. I have used tons of it.
The card itself is black and I use a white insert so that I can write on the inside.
I cut the black/white to leave a little 1/8 inch edge around and then cut the inside out to make it a frame
Four thin pieces of black are used to finish off the edges.
The filler in the middle is from a white Hallmark card my husband gave me that has beautiful dotted swirls on it (like from a cuttlebug) and it is just stunning.
The cut tag is the back side from the one used on the Hallmark card. I used 3 different small foliage stamps to make the foliage in different shades of green and then stamped the little bird.
The black swirls and hearts are from K&amp Company. They are just gorgeous and are called "Pillow Stickers"
A little bow from black see-through ribbon finishes the look.

http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/
http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/
My TIP for the Top Tip blog is to save the cards and advertisements you receive. There are many beautiful papers, inspiration, or colors that can be used in your art. Look at your cards & such with a critical eye. Sometimes cutting out small images from a beautifully colored piece of paper can be stunning. Hearts, butterflies, stars can be just gorgeous and you don't need a large piece to cut those.

Thank you for looking.
Have a wonderful, fun filled day!