New Year's Day Card Recipe Challenge (with prizes!)

I have a lot of collage sheets.  I make them, I trade them, I buy them.  And I use them. . . . mainly making collages.  Last year, I began to use them more in card-making, as well. Here's an easy recipe for using collage  images in cards:  patterned paper + image + ribbon + embellishment.  I challenge you to use this recipe sometime this weekend to make a card using a collage image.  To enter the challenge, make a card, post it to your blog, add a link back to this post, then comment below telling me you've completed the challenge.  Don't have a blog?  No problem, post in any kind of forum or email me a picture of your card (to rinda1961 at yahoo dot com) and comment below. You have until Sunday night 9 p.m. California time to enter. The winner will receive an assortment of my collage sheets.

Need more detailed instructions?

1.  Choose a collage image. It can be vintage, fun, grungey, whatever.  Mat if desired.

2.  Choose a patterned paper for the background - coordinate color and mood, but a small and fairly busy pattern works best.

3.  Choose an embellishment (or set of embellishments) that captures the same color and mood of the card.  I like to use small embellishments in groups of three.

4.  Choose a coordinating ribbon.

5.  Arrange the image and embellishments.  Adhere.

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Acknowledgement and Variation

I got this idea from a pair of cards I received in a card swap.  The cards were created by Debbie B, and her original card (with the Dubai postage stamp) is below.  If you would like more layers on your card (or if your patterned paper background is not busy enough), you can add some stenciling on the patterned paper and stamped script, like I did in the "Daddy's Girl" card below.

Amy asked a good question:  what is a collage sheet?  It's basically a collection of images that you can cut up and use in your art.  You can buy them at places like artchix, or you can find lots of free downloadable collage sheets by googling free downloadable collage sheets.  Here's a link that's a nice start (you just click on her image and it will give you a screen that you can print out).  I welcome comments with other sources of free downloadable collage sheets.