Green Sympathy Card

I never make sympathy or birthday cards before I know to whom I am sending it. I always want the card to reflect the person I am sending it to...to make it more personal. I had to make a sympathy card for a friend who is male and is married, so it couldn't be too feminine. Here is the very simple card I came up with. I am also submitting it to the Gingersnaps Creations color challenge for "glorious greens".

I did not end up using the flowers, as it looked too feminine. I love Prima packaging. It is great for repurposing. The little green tag was given to me with a charm on it from Nancy Arbuckle-Mayer, from the ATT Yahoo Group.  It is too cute and perfectly colored and distressed not to use for something. Thanks Nancy!

I used corrugated paper to die cut the flourishes and lace. They were inked with Pumice Stone Distress Ink. I heat embossed the sentiment on the Prima packaging and then coated it in Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. I applied gesso first and then stamped the green background with script in Evergreen Bough. The green mini tag was stamped and heat embossed with the Time sentiment using Archival Ink and Vintage Photo Embossing Powder.

Supplies:
My Sentiments Exactly: Innie & Outie Sympathy Stamp
From My Stash: corrugated paper, Prima packaging scrap

Core′dinations Nostalgia	Distressed Doily Die	Mini Flourish Movers & Shapers Die	Mini Playful Journey Stamp Set	Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso	Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder
Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint	Pumice Stone Distress Ink	Ink Blending Tool	Distress Embossing Ink	Glossy Accents	Winter 2011 Distress Ink Pack
Jet Black Archival Ink	Idea-ology Long Fasteners	Washers	Paper distresser

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

AO Designer February Blog Hop

Artistic Outpost challenges it's designers to come up with a project based on a particular stamp theme each month. I have the privilege of being a guest designer, so I get to participate in this month's theme of "Using London Stamps"! The two stamp sets I have used are Loverly London and London Underground. I cannot stress enough how wonderfully detailed these stamps are, and the images are so unique and fun! You can use these on so many different themes besides a London one, as I have sort of done on my card titled "Mind the Love Gap". Isn't love so much fun? Well...most of the time!!!

The backgound images are all stamped in Mustard Seed Distress Ink. All the AO images are stamped in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The kraft paper card is stamped with AO sentiments in Tea Dye Distress Ink. Everything on the card is border inked in Walnut Stain.

Graphic 45 paper is tucked behind each AO image die cut from Tim's Styled Labels Die. The regal lady's hat is embossed and layered with another image of the hat, and then adorned with Prima roses sprayed with Blue Patina Perfect Pearls Mist. She is also colored in with watercolor pencils. The right side up butterfly was coated in Glossy Accents and adhered to the butterfly strip.

The gorgeous gent is looking suave in that peacock blue tie and colored rose in his pocket. His hat is also double layered and embossed in Vintage Photo Embossing Powder. He is colored in with watercolor pencils as well.

I love these male and female chipboard pieces from Maya Road. They are covered with Graphic 45 paper and stamped with the AO London newspaper image in Rusty Hinge and Iced Spruce Distress Ink. The hardware is from Oriental Trading, and brads are Idea-ology. Mind The Gap is stamped with Walnut Stain on transparency and heat embossed with Vintage Photo Distress Powder.

This is a blog hop, of course, so just click on a designer's name below and get going while you nibble away on yesterday's gift chocolate...(I didn't get any...hubby's birthday, remember?!?) All comments are immensely appreciated by each of us! AO treasures each of you for taking the time the meander around, as do we!!! And...don't forget about the February Referral Challenge "shades of red". There is still time to join in for a chance at that wonderful prize.

Robyn Sharp
Gerrie Johnnic
Lisa Somerville
Suzanne Czosek
Linda Coughlin
Tracy Evans
Yvonne Garner

Supplies:
Maya Road: male/female chipboard pieces
Graphic 45: SteamPunk Debutante pape
Oriental Trading: lock and key brads
From My Stash: transparency film, white cardstock

Loverly London Stamp Set	London Underground Stamp Set	Craft Paper Card	Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder	Watercolor Pencils	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink
Mustard Seed Distress Ink	Tea Dye Distress Ink	Rusty Hinge Distress Ink	Winter 2011 Distress Ink Pack	Ink Blending Tool	Movers & Shapers Styled Labels Die
Parchment Petals Scroll - Prima Marketing Flowers	Glossy Accents	Washers	Idea-ology Mini Fasteners

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!