Birthday rose

This is one for the stash of birthday cards I seem to need in the early part of the year. It's a one layer design with a bit of stenciling and some dots to add some interest - the dots are just the "waste" from dies like tags and buttons domed out by rubbing over the back with an embossing stylus on a foam mat. If you make them from the same cardstock as the card base they give a nice, integrated look.

The rose is watercolored with a mixture of Distress inks and Clean Color markers with a tiny bit of green pencil in the centre. I think this stamp set must be retired as I can't see it on the Waltzingmouse web site which is a shame as the wild roses are so pretty and make a lovely change from the more traditional rose shape.

Stamps:
Roses in Bloom by Waltzingmouse Stamps
Sentiment from Say It All by Hero Arts

Paper: Bristol Board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Picked Raspberry,  Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters)
Versamagic Chalk ink by Tsukineko (Key Lime)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Cressida stencil by Memory Box 
Zig Clean Color pens
Spring Green Prismacolor pencil
"Waste" circles from various die cuts
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Resolutions!

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I do often take part in the postcard swap at UK Stampers and that’s what Jill has chosen for January's theme. I decided to use what is apparently the most popular resolution (lose some weight) as inspiration and added the sentiment as I think it's something that might well be appropriate as a resolution for many of us!

I put a piece of low-tack tape across the top of the upright on the stencil before inking the mannequin body in raspberry ink and adding shading with currant, then swapped the position of the tape to ink the stand in brown. I’ve stamped through the stencil after inking the focal point mannequin, using the same flourish as I used to “frame” the card.

I drew round the inside of the body shape on the stencil and cut a mask so that I could put the grey, shadowy mannequin “behind” the main one. As the postcards go to their recipients as traditional postcards (no envelope to protect them) this kind of layering with inks, stencils and stamps is perfect to create interest without adding layers and embellishments that will be exposed to the rigours of the postal service!

Stamps:
Vintage Flourish Dinkie by Indigo Blu
Journaling Words 3 by The Artistic Stamper

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Raspberry and Currant)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Modern Dressmaker stencil by Memory Box
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have 2016 off to a great start!