Friends Make The World Warmer

Greetings.  I'm on a mission to get my greeting card file filled for the next two months.  I have searched for ideas for sorting and storing my cards so that they are ready to send when it is actually the person's birthday.  As opposed to a week later.  Novel idea, I know.  I start out with all good intentions to get my card made and mailed on time, but somehow I often miss it.  Hence, the aforementioned mission.

This card is for a special friend.  The Penny Black verse is fitting.....friends make the world a little softer, kinder, warmer (I stamped the first word, friends on the front and the remainder of the verse inside the card).  I am so glad she is in my life.  She definitely brings warmth and kindness.  I can't image my world without her.

The stamps are all Penny Black.  Flowers are the 40-331 Gentle Whisper.  Background stamps are some of my favorites by PB.  I used my Misti stamping tool and inked the stamp with the lightest color in each of the two color palates.  I used Tim Holtz distress inks.  Then I kept inking and stamping different areas of the flowers with different colors, until I achieved the look I was going for.

Here is a link to the YouTube video by Virginia Lu, where I saw this technique.  I pretty much did what she did, except I used inks and markers on the stamp...and I added colored pencil.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9peSh5aLciw

I used color pencils to soften the look and add depth and highlights.  The shading around the main images I did with pastels and a cotton swab.  Background images were stamped lightly to add some contrast, interest, and balance.  

I felt the background images were a little too dark, so I painted a little gesso over parts of the card to lighten.  

Finally, sequins bring a touch of sparkle.  I rubbed the inks in some of the colors used on his flowers along the edges of my main card before mounting the panel.

I entered this card in the Penny Black  Saturday Challenge, Anything Goes http://pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/2016/01/psbc-january-anything-goesmore.html

Stop by and check out.  The design team samples are gorgeous!  You have another week to enter.

I'm off to the shower, then church.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Blessings.

lynda