As I was designing this card for my stamp club, the refrain from Anna Nalick's song "Breathe" kept running through my head:
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in your hands....
And breathe, just breathe,
Whoa breathe, just breathe.
I can think of several friends and family members that this card could go to right now. Sometimes you just have to stop, take a deep breath, and try to find center again, you know? Been there, done that. Thankfully, I'm in a really good place now, both mentally and physically! And I think my location physically has a huge influence on the mental part.
You may have noticed my blog header has changed. That's my little mini farm in the picture, as seen from across the river. You can just see the red roof of our house peeking from behind the trees. This is my peace, my soul soother, far away from the hustle and bustle (and traffic and sirens) of the city. Ahhhhh....
So, enough rambling about how blessed I'm feeling today, let's get to the card details! I demonstrated the Watercolor Smoosh technique, which is an easy way to add an interesting background to your cards. For this one, I used acrylic Clear Block D, but you can use whatever size suits your design, or even a window sheet!
There are a couple of ways to add ink, either by coloring on the block with a Stampin' Write Marker (great way to add different colors for a mottled look!), or just inking it with a Classic Ink Pad, as I did here. Either way, once the ink is on the block, spritz it a couple of times with plain water, then "smoosh" it on your cardstock.
I used Shimmery White Cardstock, but Watercolor Paper works well, too. When you remove the block, if you don't like the streaky effect, you can quickly run a dry paint brush over it to smooth it out. But you gotta act fast! I really like that no two smooshes look the same. Variety is the spice, and all that. *grin*
Here's the "How To"
Chair: Soft Suede 2-1/8" x 2-3/4"
Background: Shimmery White 3-3/4" x 5"
Mat: Bermuda Bay 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
Card base: Crumb Cake 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored & folded at 4-1/4"
- Using the smoosh technique described above, tap clear D Block on Pool Party ink pad. Spritz with Stampin' Spritzer and smoosh on Shimmery White, leaving an even border on each side and at top. Note: It needs to be high enough to leave room for the grass and greeting underneath.
- Using the High Tide stamp set, stamp the water in Bermuda Bay ink, the grasses in Crumb Cake, and the birds in Basic Black, as shown.
- Stamp the greeting from Colorful Seasons (available June 1st) in Basic Black.
- Adhere background to Bermuda Bay mat and then attach to card using Stampin' Dimensionals.
- Die cut Soft Suede with chair die in Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies (available June 1st) and adhere to card with Liquid Multipurpose Glue.
Note: Not all products used are listed below as we can't link to the new products yet!
Product List
