You're a Whale of a Friend!

Hello!  Happy Memorial Day!  First I want to say ...thank you to all who have fought for our country in the past and to the troops who are on active duty now.  We honor you and are proud of you.  Unfortunately, my card today is not not a patriotic one, but it is cute!  You see when I was creating in my room yesterday, I wasn't thinking about today being Memorial Day.  I was thinking about the email I got from The Cat's Pajamas showing their current sketch challenge and decided that I had not used their whale stamp in a while and it would be perfect to fit their sketch, so I went with it.  I love how it came out.  Here is my card.  Enjoy! 

And here is the sketch:

I guess I need to stop saying I don't like cards with slanted panels, because every one that I create that has them, I like!  But, of course, this one is a combination of slanted and straight.  My card just came together so easily with this sketch.  The only trouble I had was I had originally thought my whale was to be out of yet another pattern paper, but when I layed it down, it just got lost.  So, I noticed the paper has a little bit of a gray in it, so I changed my whale to a solid gray cardstock ...perfect!  I even had an open star die that I could use to match the sketch.  Too fun!  So, what do you think?  Do you like how it came out?

Recipe:

Paper - My Minds Eye Fine & Dandy True Blue 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock Brown, White, Gray
Stamps - The Cat's Pajamas Whale Of A Time
Ink - Versafine Black
Tools - Classic Scalloped Oval, Classic Oval, Petite Oval Nestibilities, Cuttleubug Polka Dot embossing folder, The Cat's Pajamas Waves Die, Sizzix Sizzlets Stars Die
Other - Rhinestones, Star Sticker by Stampendous, Twine by The Twinery, Button by Doodlebug Designs, Linen Thread by The Cat's Pajamas

I am using my new Texas stamps for Texas Tues-Step tomorrow, so gallop on by for that! 
Enjoy your day today!
Happy Stamping!
Tina