Blank card: Stinkin’ cute

What:

A card with a similar layout to this has been in my Pinterest for a while — I really wanted to have another go at the split panel background (I did a simpler version for the wedding card that will be posted here after the wedding next week). It also gave me the opportunity to do some liquid masking, which I haven’t tried on cards before.

Inspired by:

The skunk is straight from the Gerda Steiner May challenge and the general idea for the layout came from Thordis Døgg on Flickr (via Pinterest).

How:

I printed out the cute skunk and carefully coloured with Copics; our inkjet is reasonably Copic-safe if the prints are left for a day or more, but they can bleed a bit if they’re coloured sooner. I then masked off the critter and cut the card base while waiting for the masking fluid to dry. After masking off the bit of background I wanted colour on I applied some Distress inks and stencilled lightly over the top with grey to add a bit of texture. Once I’d removed the masking fluid I realised I’d managed to get a smudge near the flower and that’s what prompted the pointillist shadowing around the skunk. Then it was time to divide the panel up, trim the top piece to compensate for the spacing between the pieces and mount them on the card base with excessive amounts of foam tape. A few embellishments — sequins, the wavy die cut and a touch of Wink of Stella on the flower — and the card was finished.

Lessons Learned:

Be very careful when removing masking fluid to avoid smearing any ink on top of it onto your image.

Supplies:

• digital stamps:
  Gerda Steiner – stinkin’ cute
• dies:
  Reverse Confetti – doing’ the wave
  Mama Elephant – landscape trio
• stencils:
  Memory Box – texture – distressed grid
• colour:
  Distress – ink pad – bundled sage, peeled paint, stormy sky, pumice stone
• Copic markers:
  Skunk, white bits – C00, C0, C1
  Skunk, black bits – N5, N7, N9, 100
  Skunk, nose and cheeks – R01
  Flower – YR07, YR09, YR23, G43, YG91
  Pointillist shadows – G21, G85, YG91, YG95
• embellishments:
  Doodlebug sequins
  Wink of Stella – clear
• paper and card:
  Paper mill Direct – plain ocean blue
  Neenah – solar white
• miscellaneous:
  Pebeo drawing gum