Card Challenge: Digi Darla's Challenge #59--Earth Day and Tips for Recycling for the Craft Room

It's time to welcome in a new week with a new challenge over at the dandy Digi Darla's Challenges Blog. This week for Challenge #59 the theme is "Earth Day" which is rather appropriate considering this actually is Earth Day.

On April 22, 1970, the modern environmental movement was born.  While the original name and concept of Earth Day was pioneered by a man named John McConnell in 1969, the event took flight a year later.  Spearheaded by Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson and Harvard University student Denis Hayes, the very first Earth Day involved 20 million people that participated in teach-ins around the USA, addressing decades of environmental pollution.  Then in 1990, two million Canadians along with 200 million people living in 141 nations came together to celebrate the very first International Earth Day.  Each year over six million Canadians join with one billion other people in over 170 countries around the world to stage events and projects to address local environmental issues.  Nearly every child in every Canadian school takes part in some sort of Earth Day activity.  

"What difference can I make?  I am just one person."  This is a statement that is heard all the time.  However, one person can change the world, one recycled item at a time.  There is a lot that you can do within your own household to spearhead your own program to reduce your environmental footprint.  If you need help getting started, the web is a good place to look.  

We can also make a difference in our craft rooms.  I myself keep a container filled with scraps from designer papers and card stock.  Every sliver goes in.  You might think that a strip of paper that is only 1/2 in by an inch is too small to create anything, but you'd be wrong.  You could easily punch out a few tiny elements with a small punch or even create a patchwork quilt from a bunch of small pieces.  Another great item to recycle is old cards.  If you tend to throw away these cards after awhile, don't.  You can easily recycle the half with the verse and look carefully at the front of the card to see if you can keep it and use any of its parts.  You might be able to fussy cut around some items and attach them to new pieces or you even might find add-ons that would be perfect for embellishments.  I've even started saving the mesh from orange crates, old bath scrunchies, colourful fliers that come in the mail that have patterns that I might be able to use in creating homemade flowers and other things that might come in handy that you'd never think of using. The ideas are endless so make sure to save your scraps and the odds and ends you find around your house. 

REDUCE when you can, REUSE what you are able to and RECYLCE what you can't.  These are important concepts to live by in a world that desperately needs our help to survive and thrive for future generations.

So for this week's projects we want to see you use at least one recycled item on your project.  In can be as simple as using scraps but make sure to tell us what you used somewhere in your post.

One person will be the lucky winner of FIVE Digi Darla (DD) images!  AND any entries using a DD image get entered into a SECOND drawing for THREE images. So, you could technically win eight images! Think of all the amazing cards you could create with eight new digis!  In fact just this past week, one person walked away with all eight images so it does actually happen.  If you do use one of Kim's fabulous images make sure you write DD after your name.

This week I got to work with:

• Digi Darla's Holly and Berries 
• Digi Darla's Ornament Set 4
• Digi Darla's Because You Mean So Much Christmas 

Here is the front of the card I am showcasing for this week's challenge...

Here is the inside of the card... 

With a closer look at the left...

And a closer look at the right...

Here are the card details, I hope I haven't forgotten anything...

General Information:

• The recycled item I used was the piece on the front of the card with cardinals in the tree.  It is from a previously received Christmas card.  Additionally, the piece I used to make the post for the lantern was a scrap piece of cardstock that I had kept.
• Now I really hope that when a challenge says, 2 DPs it means as long as there are two DP's in the project and not just on the front.  If not, I'm in trouble. 
• One of the challenge themes is 'ornaments' and while I have used the image as the top of a lamp post it actually is an ornament.  Does that count? 

Digital Images:

• Holly and berries (front):  The image on the front of the card is Digi Darla's Holly and Berries.  It was coloured using Copic markers.  Holly:  YG61, YG63, YG67 (leaves).  Berries:  R22, R24, R29.  I also came in with a white marker and tried to add a small highlight to the berries.  The image was then fussy cut and adhered to the front.
• Ornament (inside):  The image on the inside left is Digi Darla's Ornament Set 4.  This is an ornament but I saw the shape and immediately thought the top of a lamp post and figured it would be easy to convert it into one by simply making it look like there was flame on the inside and just add a strip to make the post.  Post:  E21, E23, E25.  Ornament: Y17, YR04, YR07 (flame); B21, B24, B29 (outside of decoration).  Grounding around the image:  Little bit of blue chalk.  The ground was coloured in using watercolour pencils.  The image was then fussy cut and adhered to the left hand side of the inside.

Digital Sentiments:

• Inside sentiment:  The sentiment on the inside of the card is Digi Darla's Because You Mean So Much Christmas.  It was recoloured digitally to match the papers. 

Paper Products:

• Card base: Michael's Recollection's Cardstock, cream.
• Designer Papers:  The solid blue paper on the front and as the shadow behind the sentiment on the inside is K & C Company Designer Paper--blue colours collection.  The striped DP on the inside is from Recollection's Mosaic Memories paper pad.

Embellishments:

• red gem stones--Craft brand from Dollarama.

Challenges I hope to enter include:

• Stamp 'n Doodle -- Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday -- Challenge #76:  Anything Goes
• 613 Avenue Create -- Anything Goes/Colour Twist
• Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 2 -- Anything Goes
• Jingle Belles Rock -- Earch Day Special
• Creative Inspirations Paint -- Inspired by...Anything Goes
• Glitter 'n Sparkle Challenge Blog -- 1-2-3
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge -- Red and Green Must Be Seen
• Christmas Card Challenges -- Ornaments

Some more challenges may be added to this list later this week and/or month.

So, why not come and play with us over at Digi Darla's Challenges?  While you are there please check out the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team.  We always look forward to seeing the delightful creations you come up with.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  As I've now added to my comment section, whether you are a regular, here for the first time or popping over in your official capacity as a DT member, please know how much I appreciate the words that you leave behind.  Your encouragement helps me to become a better designer.   I try my best to reply to your comments (when an email address is available) but that is getting more and more difficult as my plate fills up with new responsibilities, new roles, and new obligations.  If I don't get the opportunity to thank you personally, know that I don't take a single comment for granted. Thank you for your understanding.

Until next time,

Note: I apologize if there are any further formatting issues.  This is a scheduled post and we all know Blogger has a mind of it's own.  If it turns out that something looks wonky, i.e.--part of the sentence is a different size, font, or colour than the rest, I'll fix it as soon as I'm able to.

References:

Author Unknown. (2013). About Us: Our history. Available: http://www.earthday.ca/pub/about/history.php. Last accessed 20th April 1013.

Author Unknown. (2013). Earth Day. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day. Last accessed 20th April 1013.

Author Unknown. (unknown). Earth Day: The History of A Movement. Available: http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement. Last accessed 20th April 1013.