One of a Kind Dad

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a good weekend :)
I found a few minutes to play with one of the retiring hostess sets that I haven't used nearly enough.  When I saw the sketch challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week I knew it would be a perfect fit for this set.  Here is the sketch:

...and here is my card, featuring the Postage Collection Hostess set:

Father's Day card featuring the Postage Collection Hostess set and the Off the Grid background stamp for HSS184

Now, I took a few liberties with the sketch, opting to add my sentiment as a hanging banner, rather than one below the images as in the sketch.  That decision was driven by the size and shape of the sentiment...I love that it fits perfectly in the Banner punch!

 To add texture to the card base I stamped the Off the Grid stamp (that's the one I'm going to miss most when it goes!) in Versamark and heat embossed in Early Espresso.  I love the subtle texture it adds and the way it echoes the texture of the burlap ribbon.  I used still more retiring product in the DSP, which is from the Soho Subway pack and the little button brads from the Vintage Trinkets.

Inisde view with sentiment from the( NOT RETIRING!) Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

On the inside I stamped the grid image once more in Early Espresso.  I punched an Artisan Label from the Soho Subway DSP and layered it behind a Modern Label in Early Espresso and the stamped sentiment in Island Indigo, which is punched with the Word Window punch.  I love layering my punches!

Birthday Bomb

Happy Monday!  Can you believe the weekend is over already??  I spent most of mine in bed with this yucky sinus thing...it just won't give up!  It sure makes doing much of anything difficult these days!
Today I have a project I designed a couple of weeks ago.  I love the grungy feel to it...check it out:

Masculine birthday card featuring the Bombs Away Birthday stamp set, as well as Gorgeous Grunge, Clockworks and Off The Grid.

I kind of went a little crazy with this one!  I used stamps from four different sets, but love the result!

 

I know I typically give you a run-down of how to recreate my projects, but today I am just feeling too darned crummy.  I hope you'll forgive me.  Here is a peek at the inside...

 Have a good week everyone.  I am hoping this week will see the end of this illness for me!  Enough is enough already!!  Time to start feeling better and get back to normal :)

Time for a new Twisted Challenge

Today is the 15th which means its time for a new technique challenge over at The Technique Twist!  This week we're all about Faux Patina...one of my very favourite techniques!  Today I'm going to share one of two cards I did for this challenge...

Any-occasion Man-card featuring the Faux Patina technique, along with the Seasonal Sayings (128009), Clockworks (131973) and Off the Grid (130736) stamp sets.

There is lots going on on this card!  I did this one with my monthly techniques group last week and they loved it.  Here is a rundown on what I did:

• To create the Faux Patina panel I inked the smooth side of my Alphabet Press TIEF with my Crumb Cake ink pad and then ran a piece of Whisper White card stock through it.  I then sponged with Island Indigo, Always Artichoke and Early Espresso ink (in that order) to get the depth of colour.  Then I lightly rubbed my Versamark ink pad across the whole panel and heat embossed with both gold and silver embossing powder.
• The background panel is a piece of Early Espresso card stock that I stamped with the Off the Grid stamp and then heat embossed with Early Espresso embossing powder.  I then stamped the gears from the Clockworks stamp set using the silver Encore Metallic ink pad (132142).
• The sentiment is also heat embossed but this time I used gold, silver and Early Espresso embossing powder.  I sponged the edges lightly with Early Espresso ink and curled the banner with my bone folder before adding the Antique Brad (117273).

I really loved creating this card.  It has been a while since I did this technique...it really can be addicting, especially when you start playing with other ink colour combinations.  Be sure to visit the other design team members' blogs to see their fantastic creations the stop by later this week to see my second project and you'll see how switching up the ink colours gives a whole new look to this technique.