Day of the Month Card Club Challenge #48 GDT - National Umbrella Day ☂️

Hi everyone,

I'm delighted to have been asked to be Guest Designer again for the Day of the Month Card Club February Challenge as a result of being voted the winner in December.

This month our theme is

☂️☂️☂️ National Umbrella Day ☂️☂️☂️

February 10th is National Umbrella Day, which honours one of the world’s most useful inventions, the umbrella! Not only does the umbrella help keep us dry from the rain, but it also protects us from the heat of the sun and can be used as a fashion accessory. While the umbrella is primarily practical, it can also be decorative…  think cocktails!!  🍹 Umbrellas have also found their way into the worlds of art and music - Rihanna’s single “Umbrella” was one of the most played singles in the UK in the 2000’s; and they play a vital role in some movies too, e.g. Singing in the Rain in 1952 and Mary Poppins in 1964. 

Interesting Umbrella Facts:

The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow. Brolly is a slang word for umbrella, often used in Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Bumbershoot is a fanciful Americanism for an umbrella from the late 19th century.

The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China.

One of the first umbrella shops opened in 1830 at 53 New Oxford Street in London, England. The shop, operated by James Smith and Sons, still operates regular hours at the same location today. 

In 1928, Hans Haupt’s pocket umbrellas appeared. Then, in 1969, Bradford E. Phillips, the owner of the American brand Totes, obtained a patent for the first “working folding umbrella.”

So now you know … here’s my GDT card.☔️

To fulfil this challenge I dug out a really old wooden Me to You "Tatty Teddy" stamp which I think is really cute, and which features the all-important umbrella!. I stamped it onto a square of stamping card using Memento ink, then masked it so I could create a green landscape and cloudy sky by blending Distress Oxide inks using hill and cloud stencils. I then removed the mask and coloured the image with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, and added a computer generated sentiment. I thought the landscape looked a little bare so I added a few Lavinia flowers in the corner with second generation stamping plus a little bird. I die cut the image panel and a linen card stock mat using my stitched square dies, then matted everything onto my base card. To finish I created some "falling rain" using a ruler and Sakura Stardust pen - here's an angled picture to show the sparkle a bit better.

Stamps: Me to You "Tatty Teddy" - "A Gift Inside";  Lavinia Wild Poppies, Field Grass, Bird Collection;

Media: background - Distress Oxide inks (Bundled Sage, Rustic Wilderness, Stormy Sky); teddy - Promarkers and Flexmarkers; Memento ink (black); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink, Shady Lane); Sakura Stardust pen (clear);

Tools: Lavinia hill masks; home-made cloud stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

A Gem of a Challenge #3 2023 - Anything Goes

Classic Design Challenge #2 2023 - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals #69 - Anything Goes With an Animal - TOP PICK

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (February) - Use a Stencil - TOP 3

Krafty Chicks #649 - Stamp Act

Let’s Craft and Create #192 - Anything Goes with option Use a Sentiment

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2305 - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping (February) - Anything Goes with option Add a Stencil

Word Art Wednesday #581/582 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Worldwide Open Design Team Challenge #1 2023 - Anything Goes

I hope you can play along with the challenge this month - please link up your entries here.

Don't forget to visit the Day of the Month Card Club February Challenge to see more fab inspiration from the Design Team, who I would like to thank for asking me to be Guest Designer again this month.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,