Magical Masking Tape Meets Magnificent Maple

How's that for a mouthful of a header??  If perfectly describes today's project though...

CAS Thank you card featuring the Magnificent Maple (131868) stamp and using the Magical Masking Tape Technique with sentiment from Simply Sketched (Hostess 129672)

This month my techniques group is learning the Magical Masking Tape technique.  I thought it would work perfectly with this month's inspiration sketch.  Here is the sketch...

August Sketch Inspiration

I actually had a ton of fun with this sketch...I have LOADS of samples to show you...all in good time ;)
Here is a closer look at this one...

In case you aren't familiar with this technique, here's a quick how-to:

• Be sure to use painter's tape...not regular masking tape for this technique.  I like the blue stuff best.
• Choose various widths of tape for visual interest.  I wanted to use some narrower tape but my husband used it all up when he painted our son's bedroom a couple of weeks ago (sheesh!!).  I settled for uniform widths on this project but it would be SO much better with different ones!
• Use the old-style felt ink pads.  The new firm foam ones are WAY too juicy for this to work...you'll just end up with a mess...ask me how I know ;)
• Use light colours.  Dark ink doesn't look good...again...ask me how I know ;)  On this card I used So Saffron, Pool Party and Calypso Coral.
• To apply ink to the tape, tear a length of tape, lay it sticky-side-down on your ink pad and lightly burnish it (I used my bone folder so as not to get my fingers inky...the ink just wipes right off the bone folder!).  If your tape is longer than the ink pad you'll need to move it and burnish again to ink the entire piece.
• Lay the tape on your card stock and burnish gently again (I just used my fingers for this).  Don't rub too hard or you'll have trouble peeling the tape off again.
• Carefully peel the tape off...the ink will transfer to the card stock and you'll have a lovely, textured strip of colour.
• Repeat as many times as you'd like to create the background you want.  Then stamp over top with a darker colour.  Here I actually heat embossed the Magnificent Maple image in Early Espresso.  The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso ink.

We'll be doing this one for my techniques class this evening...hope my gals like it!