Yee haw! Howdy, Pardners! It’s Thursday and time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts!  The talented Margaret Moody has designed another fabulous sketch for us.  I have been rearin’ to use the Out West set since I purchased it several months ago.  I know…I know…It has been sitting gathering dust all that time.  I just could not find the right way in which to use it, until this sketch came along.  With a huge image space available, I envisioned showcasing the horse image. But to my dismay, the image looked miniscule.  Then I had an “ah-ha” moment!  I was gonna lasso me up a sentiment! I hope you enjoy today’s masculine card.  It’s perfect for a rootin’ tootin’ birthday card for the special cowboy in your life! 

The finished dimensions of this card are 5-1/2″ wide x  4-1/4″ long.

•  Perfect Paper!  What could be better paper for a masculine card than the Well Worn collection!  By turning the “Brick” pattern on its side, you have instant barnboard!  Plus, there is no need to distress this rustic looking paper, thus saving time!

• A Horse is a Horse!  In keeping with the muted tones of the paper, our horse and rider are bedecked in Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, and Soft Suede.  Popping our pony up on Stampin’ Dimensionals adds depth to this card! Go gettum’, Cowboy!

• Lassoing Up a Happy Birthday!  The “Happy Birthday” sentiment is from the Best Dad Ever stamp set and is the perfect font for a masculine card.  Inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto Very Vanilla, the banner has been pennant-snipped, edge distressed, and speckled using the Color Spritzer Tool. 

 

• Texture!  Naturals Ivory card stock was zipped through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  The absence of any stamping allows the eye to focus on this card’s “wow” factor…the lasso!  Tip:  To add more depth, use the debossed side of the “plus” signs!

• Steering You in the Right Direction!  The Steer Head Skull make a perfect embellishment, especially when sporting a coil of Hemp Twine rope!

And there you have it! Won’t you please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of today’s card? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one.  And as always, if you have a questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…


(Please note:  For some reason my blog is experiencing problems.  I am having it checked out.  It appears that some of you can access it, some of you can’t.  Arghhh! Technology…what can I say???)

 

It’s time for a little peek at this week’s Pals Paper Arts card.  The Design Team members who have already seen it have said it is quite different for me…and I must agree with them.  All I can say is that I bought this stamp set when it first came out, and then I never used it.  Have you ever done that before?  It is a masculine card, so the question is whether or not I used pearls. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this one!  So won’t you join me Thursday for the reveal? And just because my first peek does not give you much to go on, here is a second peek:

Brody the Boxer showed at Columbia, Missouri last weekend.  A friend who happened to be there snapped this photo of what I will call “Grumpy Brody”.  As much as they tried to get him to put his ears up, he refused to cooperate.  What a pooh!  However, my little boy is growing up.  He still has at least one more year before he reaches his prime, but just look at how much he has grown since this first picture I took of him and Muffy.  I never thought I would make it through those puppy days with the Twins!

And in a twist of fate, Brady the Boy will be auditioning and interviewing this Friday for a teaching assistant position at the University of Missouri in…you guessed it…Columbia, Missouri!  My two-legged boy is also growing up!

I hope that you have enjoyed today’s peeks…at both the card and my two big boys!  And please, won’t you join me for Thursday’s reveal! In the meantime, remember your comments are important to me. I do read each and every one of them.  Until next time…

It’s Sunday, and time to play with The Paper Players.  The talented Lesley is hosting a color challenge this week:  Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder and Pool Party! Remember that you can substitute with similar colors if you don’t have these! At The Paper Players, we are all about having fun! I hope you enjoy today’s quick and easy vintage style card.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:  The Power of Three
Today’s finished card measures 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″.

• A Trio of  Images! The “Stamp” image from Fresh Vintage was inked with Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, and Pool Party and stamped onto Whisper White card stock.  They were then punched out using the 1″ Punch and mounted  onto coordinating card stock squares punched using the Postage Stamp Punch.  These were adhered to Crumb Cake card stock and zipped through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  A second set of images were stamped and punched out.  These were in turn “popped up” onto the top of the embossed stamps using Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Basic Pearls on each stamp provide the perfect accent.

• A Trio of Sentiments! Sentiments from Loving Thoughts were inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto Naturals Ivory card stock.  They were then flagged on one end, while the opposite end was curled and separated into two layers.  The bottom layer was flagged and slightly curled for a different look.

• A Trio of Ribbons!  Ribbons do not have to match! Snippets of Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Victoria Crochet Lace Trim, and Pool Party 3/8″ Ruffled Ribbon add a “pop” of color and texture!

Today’s card also holds a triple meaning:  I DREAM up my design and CREATE  my card, all in the hope of INSPIRING you! And I do hope that you found today’s post inspiring in some way.  Won’t you please let me know in your comment? And as always, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…