Eat Sleep Stamp challenge #98

I have never partcipated in one of Tracy's challenges before and I really struggled with the oval image. I laid out this card several times, with several different papers and just didn't like how it was turning out. I needed a sympathy card for a funeral that is on Monday and so I dug through my stamps to find something appropriate ... and that would fit in the oval template I had created. I like how the image did turn out - the image on the right is actually the mirror image of the one on the left. Used a handy little trick for that :) All the paper is from my box of scraps - that's been one of my goals lately to not cut into new paper until I've gone through the stash and checked to see if I had something that I could use. About a year ago, I 'won' on Ebay, 2 bags of scrap paper (each weighing a pound), which is absolutely amazing for a card maker!! You can't tell in the picture, but I roughed up the edges of the oval shaped brown paper and the blue paper is actually vellum with the design printed on it.

Because I wasn't happy at all with how it turnd out, I decided to whip up another card, as I have a 40th birthday party to go to tonight.
I used the same sketch but substituted the rectangle 'danger' sign instead of the oval, as I came across it earlier this morning and thought it was perfect!! The checked background is actualy hand-made. I cut out strips of the red and black paper and then wove them together, to create the checkered background and I LOVE how it came out!! So much so, I actually have another checked background ready to go! I used some vellum I had laying on my craft counter and then put some black ribbon on topof it. The 'danger' sign is mounted on red then cardstock and thesentiment is stamped on white cardstock, then mounted on red and then black cardstock. I used a couple brads that I had in my stash to finish off the card.