Happy Friday! For this week’s TGIF Challenge, we have the sketch below. I love a good sketch; it’s a great way to jump start a project. I needed to make some masculine birthday cards, so I decided to use the In The Grove Bundle. The mountains, pines, and aspen die-cuts are perfect for my family.
To create the rectangles, I used the Deckled Rectangle Dies with a little manipulation. The smaller ones are straight die-cuts, but the middle one needed to be a little narrower. So, I used a partial die-cutting technique to first cut the whole shape and then reposition the die and trim off a little from one side. I also used that die to trim down the large aspen frame die-cut and make it fit.
All the rectangles are die-cut from Basic White Cardstock and watercolored with both Balmy Blue and Misty Moonlight ink. It is possible to watercolor Basic White Cardstock, by using a few tricks. Mix the water with the ink to exactly the shade you want and then apply it with minimal brushstrokes. Avoid overworking the paper which will cause pilling.
To stamp the trees, background, and fox, I used Sponge Daubers to ink up the stamps with multiple colors before stamping on Basic White. I love this stamping technique! It’s easy and adds a great artistic touch! For the trees, I inked up the stamp with Granny Apple Green ink and then added Mossy Meadow ink for shading. For the background “grass”, I inked up the stamp with Basic Beige ink and then added Wild Wheat ink to the top portion. For the fox, I inked up the stamp with Crumb Cake ink and then added Pecan Pie and Early Espresso ink for shading.
To tie all the rectangles together visually, I added a strip of Pecan Pie Bordered Ribbon topped with a Linen Thread knot.
Here’s the inside of the card. I added a few more of the multi-colored stamps.
Be sure to check out all the designers’ projects this week using this sketch by clicking over to the TGIF Challenges Blog.
Have a great day!
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