Two Challenges In One

Today I made this card using yesterday's Sketch Challenge and today's Ways to Use It Challenge on Splitcoaststampers. Since I didn't get around to doing the Sketch Challenge yesterday, I was "inspired" to combine it with today's challenge - to add some "bling" to the card. I thought, "Hey, I can do both".....that doesn't happen often for me.

Here's how I made this card: I stamped the large zinnia from the Fabulous Flowers set in Sage Shadow on a 3x3 piece of Very Vanilla card stock. Because I was using dye ink rather than pigment ink, I stamped over the flower using Versamark ink. Then I added the Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heated it with my heat gun. If I had pigment ink in the Sage Shadow, I would have skipped the VersaMark and just added the embossing powder. I also stamped one of the smaller flower from the same set in VersaMark on Sage Shadow card stock, then embossed it with the same EP.

I used a sponge dauber to ink the all the edges of the card stock in Chocolate Chip and then slightly distressed the same edges. I added two gemstones to the designer paper that has the stripes and one to the smaller flower (attached with a glue dot). I also attached two loops of ribbon behind the largest square of the main image. Finally I "glued" everything together. (So far the best adhesive I have used is a tape runner called Ad tech, bought at Walmart. If anyone uses something better, please let me know.)

After I took a good look at the card, I thought the bottom right hand corner was looking kind of "blank". I didn't have any stamps, with sentiments I wanted to use, that were small enough to fit in that corner. So I took the stamp that says, "Someone like you should be celebrated every day" from It's Your Birthday set and coloured "celebrate" with a blender pen inked up in Chocolate Chip. You may ask why I used a blender pen. Well....I don't have a marker in Chocolate Chip.....gasp.....can you believe it??? Hey, don't knock it. You can see proof that it worked!

I also uploaded a close up of the "bling" to give you a better idea of what it looks like.

So that is how this card evolved. Thanks for stopping by.

Recipe:

Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, It's Your Birthday

Paper: Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, My Mind's Eye Designer Paper, Sanylion Designer Paper

Ink: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, VersaMark

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, Cutter Kit (distresser), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Gemstone Brads (the Paper Studio), Glue Dot

4 3/4 x 4 3/4 card