Happy Birthday to Ewe

After the fun I had with the ink blended clouds yesterday I decided to have another go at them today. I made this card for Thing 1, who is turning two tomorrow. I already had a different card for him but I decided I really wanted to give him a sheep themed card, because he loves sheep. Although he seems to think every sheep is called baa!

I began by trimming down a piece of watercolour paper to create my focal panel. I used the grass embossing folder from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Springtime Background and Borders set to emboss the lower edge of the panel. I then created a cloud mask using the largest Lawn Fawn Simple Puffy Clouds die, and blended Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink across it to create yellow-orange clouds. When the clouds were finished I sponged some green pigment ink onto the grass to give them some colour.

Next I stamped two of the sheep from Clearly Besotted’s Feeling Sheepish stamp set onto a piece of watercolour paper. I wasn’t sure which sheep I wanted to use so I figured I’d cut and colour both, and then I could see which one looked best in situ. I used my watercolour pencils to add some very simple colouring to the sheep, and blended it out with my Wink of Stella. I then fussy cut both sheep and, after playing around with them on the focal panel, decided to use the front facing sheep on the card front. (I ended up putting the second sheep on the inside of the card, though I forgot to photograph it!)

Having worked out where the sheep would place I wanted to add my sentiment, which is from the same stamp set. The way I wanted the sentiment positioned would have it going off the edge of the focal panel, so I decided to stamp it onto some vellum. I used black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I stamped the second part of the sentiment directly onto the focal panel, again with black ink embossed with clear powder.

At this point I adhered together the elements of the focal panel. I used my glue pen behind the letters on the vellum, then pressed that into place above the “ewe” on the focal panel. I again used my glue pen to adhere the sheep to the panel, and left an acrylic block on top of the panel for a moment to help press them into place.

I picked out a yellow card base as I felt it would go well with the colour scheme I had going. Though it did look good I wanted to add a little something extra. I found some green vellum in my stash and cut down a couple of pieces using one of the Pink and Main Scallop Waves Dies. I then adhered them, one on top of the other, to the card base using my tape runner. I made sure I only applied the tape where it would be hidden by the focal panel. I added some yellow craft foam to the back of the focal panel and then used my tape runner to adhere that onto the card front.

This stamp set has the cutest images, and I feel like it’s difficult to make a bad card with them! I am very pleased with how this card came together and I hope that Thing 1 will like it too. The only bit I’m not keen on is the vellum part of the sentiment. Perhaps if I’d had a die to cut a banner with for it, rather than using my paper trimmer..? I feel like the edges look a bit rough or something. I don’t know. But overall I like it! I am also glad that, in the process of linking things up for this blog post, I noticed that the stamp set is going on clearance – as is it’s coordinating die set which I don’t have, so I have now ordered it!

Love,

Lady Joyful

Challenges included:

Addicted to Stamps and More – Anything Goes

Global Design Project – Sketch/Layout

Mod Squad – Colouring