It’s been unusually cool and rainy in Oakland for this time of year and so I felt like making my own sunshine. I started by laying the Emma Background Stamp from Simon Says Stamp on my work surface, etched side facing up. I inked it up with VersaMark ink, and then laid a piece of Neenah Solar White 80# cardstock over the top, offsetting it just a bit to get the composition I wanted. Then I laid a sheet of scrap typing paper over that to keep my hands clean while I rubbed over the top to make sure I got a nice stamped image. With that done, I sprinkled Hero Arts white embossing powder over the image and heat set it.
Then it was time for the fun part. I used three colors of Distress Oxide ink: Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, and Spiced Marmalade. Starting in the middle of the embossed image with Fossilized Amber, I blended outwards into the darker colors. I went heavy with the ink for vibrant color. At this point I realized that I really do “need” the new Squeezed Lemonade color because the Fossilized Amber and Wild Honey didn’t give me the quite contrast I was hoping for. I did take a water brush to the very center of the image to pick up a bit of the Fossilized Amber hoping to lighten that area a bit, but I don’t think the result is noticeable.
With the inking done, I moved on to the sentiment using the Large Thanks die set from Honey Bee Stamps. I tried several different colors (yellow, orange, and white) for the shadow layer and settled on using a light gray cardstock which I felt gave enough contrast to make the sentiment readable against the white embossed pattern, and didn’t distract from the rest of the card. I like to use Recollections cardstock from Michael’s because you can easily collect a rainbow of colors without breaking the bank.
I glued the sentiment pieces together, and then to the card front, with Ranger Multi Medium Matte glue. Then I glued the entire thing to a card base to finish this A2-sized card.
