Masculine Birthday Card...It's A Man's World...

Fly Fishing!!!!  Now that's a man's world isn't it? 

I finally got around to posting a masculine mans card for you. I know I've had a lot of feminine cards on my site but decided it was time to share something more masculine.   My brother lives to fish and travels around the world fly fishing and sometimes teaching his favorite sport when he can.  He sent this picture to me a long time ago and I decided to take it and use it for his Birthday card. (I made a copy on my scanner, and  shrunk the size down  down to print and saved the original.).   I think he will feel a great sentiment to this card when he receives it.  It will bring back fond memories of where he was at that time fishing with his buddies and that I used it for his Birthday card years later. 

The bird feather attached was actually lying on my driveway.  I found it lying there one day and I said to myself..."I can use this on a card for an embellishment".   The leaf is also from my yard.  It's fun to pick up natural things and use them on your cards when ever possible? 

As you look closer you will see more of what I did to this card.

I also had some needle point material.  I frayed the edges and used it for the back ground of the picture.  I ripped an old page from a book and embossed it with my Cuttlebug embossing folder called "Script".  I then lightly colored the script with brown ink.  The script writing helps add depth and a more masculine feel. I used a black button and tied a bow through it with white twine. Then added some pine branches with my Martha Stewart punch.  And made my own homemade photo corners on two corners only.  I used black Stazon for the Happy Birthday stamp.  Also I added two masculine brads to the top right corner. 

Next time your thinking of a mans card and run out of ideas.  Come on back to my blog and check this out again for inspiration.  Hope you like it?  Hope you all have a good week?

Blessings to all…

Leanne

Christmas Is In The Air....

Ok,Ok, Christmas is in the air. I've been trying to get through Thanksgiving first.   I know I've been a bit slower than other stamper friends out there while sharing their Christmas cards already on their sites.  So today I finally have this to share with you for the upcoming holidays.  I do have a special person in mind for this one.  Can't name names, in case (she's) watching?  LOL!

Each year I make about 30 identical Christmas cards to send to friends and family.  This is not one of them.  I usually start my Christmas cards early in the year about June.  I work on them slowly so I don't feel rushed when the holidays appear so quickly.  Soon I will be posting the cards I made for my family and friends to share with  you.  I usually send out my personal Christmas cards right after Thanksgiving (so not to spoil it for those friends that peek on my blog).   I will post it right after they have been sent out.  

Just so you know... I truly believe Thanksgiving is much more important a holiday to me, personally.  Thanksgiving is a time of reflection of our great blessings that God has given to us. 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Psalms 100:4

So putting away Thanksgiving next week Christmas seems to come faster and faster each year.  Doesn't it???  I've already heard my first Christmas Carols while shopping in the stores and decorations have already been hung in certain places I see around town. 

So I guess I'm really not to early for this?    Until then...have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Blessings To All…

from Leanne

Tracing On Vellum...

 

Here's what I would like to share with you today....  A few directions on tracing on Vellum paper. I felt it was time to show you pictures and directions and how to do this.  Sometimes words without pictures make it hard to understand.  So today I wanted to try to show you with pictures.

I used a dark black background so you could see the white ink on white vellum paper on camera.

I took  Stampin-Up' Whisper White pigment ink and stamped my image on white vellum paper.  Notice,  I turned the stamp sideways so that it would look centered rather than square on the vellum paper.  I took my heat embossing gun and carefully blew it dry to help the ink set faster before going on.  Be careful when using your embossing gun to help dry the ink, do not to leave it on one area to long, as it will burn your paper.  Pigment ink takes longer to dry so this helps the process go faster.

 I then took my vellum paper after stamping it and drying it, and  turned it over to the other side.  Now find a soft surface such as a mouse pad or piece of soft foam and on the reverse side I used my Fiskars Embossing Tool and traced exactly on the white line that was stamped.  Be sure not to press to hard to puncture the vellum paper.  First try it lightly, then heavier if needed.  I used a very thick round edge on my Fiskars Embossing Tool so that when pressing I would not go through the paper.  (My Fiskars embossing pens/tools have four different sized heads to choose from.)

Now when your done tracing, turn it over to the originally stamped side, the white ink will look allot darker and raised up. Unfortunately the picture is unable to show that it is actually raised  slightly.

I then took light pink paper and placed it beneath the stamp and then took my Spellbinders Nestabilties die cut (Labels Ten) and cut them both same shape. Putting colored paper beneath the vellum really makes the stamp show up nicer and help add more dimension to the card.

Hope these directions helped you and you'll want to give it a try for yourself? 

This is the final product and all the embellishments I used for the card. 

A close up shot for you to see how much darker and thicker the white looks. 

Happy Stamping…and Blessings

to each of you today!


From Leanne