Clean and Simple Amour

Hi Everyone.  Happy Thursday night.

Tonight's card uses Artistic Etchings.  I just never seem to get tired of this set.  Once again, I tried to combine a vintage feel with clean and simple lines.  The OWH sketch challenge this week was perfect and I changed the layout just slightly.  Instead of a piece of card stock behind the central image, I used ribbon instead.  I know the team at OperationWriteHome would love you to pop along to their stie and also play along!

Here's my take on the sketch:

Card recipe:

• Card stock:  Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla
• Inks:  Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand (for aging), Basic Black (for the Eiffel Tower)
• Stamp:  Artistic Etchings
• Accessories:  Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Newsprint DSP
• Tools:  Oval Punches, sponges

Card instructions:

• Cut card stock to A2 (11 x 4 1/4).  Score at 5 1/5 and fold.  The fold is on the top of the card.
• Cut Newsprint DSP to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" and age using your preferred ink.  I stamped the "key" stamp from the set on the Newsprint a few times.  Adhere to card base using snail
• Wrap Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon around the card and tie a knot
• Cut a Riding Hood Red layer to 2 13/16 x 3 1/2 and a Very Vanilla layer to 2 3/4 x 3 5/16
• Age the Very Vanilla layer with your favorite ink and stamp the Eiffel Tower in Basic Black.  Adhere to Riding Hood Red Layer using snail
• Adhere the focal layer to the card base using dimensionals.
• Stamp the Amour sentiment in Early Espresso over a piece of aged Very Vanilla.  Punch with an oval Punch.  Punch a Riding Hood Red layer to go underneath the sentiment.  Adhere to card.

Tips:

• When adhering a sentiment layer like this, you have to build it up a little if you are using dimensionals.  The focal point was adhered to the card base using dimensionals, so I "snail" the side that touches the focal layer and use dimensionals on the side which is touching the card base.  Depending on the height of my focal image I use either one layer or two layers of dimensionals.  This is the way that I ensure that the sentiment and the focal point are on the same plane. 
• Putting the focal point at an angle adds interest to a vertical image.  When the focal point was straight up, it really made the card look visually too long, so, angling it changed it and made it look more interesting.  It also gave a little more breathing room to the sentiment to put the focal point off center and at an angle.
• Don't forget, the Newsprint paper is actually Very Vanilla and is very bright, aging it tones it down and makes it blend more into the background.
• Riding Hood Red is the perfect color choice in the Red family.  Real Red is very bright and was too bright for this combo.  Cherry Cobbler made the image look too "muddy" because of the brown undertones.  So, always play around with the colors you have in the family to find the right one

On a personal note…..  its cool…. oh yes… the weather that is.   I also got to spend time in my stamping space tonight and made a card.  Oh yeah!  making cards mid-week, that is really cool!

Last night I watched a program on halogentv (my new addiction) called Noble Exchange.  It's the most amazing program that looks at people in impoverished nations in Africa and how these people are helping others.  They themselves often come from very traumatic backgrounds.  The resilience of human nature, the amazing compassion that some people have, the true leadership talent that is found in the most unexpected places brings hope to my heart.  So, 30 minutes I didn't mind spending in front of the television:-)

Tomorrow… FURNITURE arrives… Oh yeah…..  this is Jaydee doing the happy dance… can you see me… yep… you can 🙂

Trish…. so good to hear from you – and so good to hear what your Dr had to say… that also makes me do the happy dance!

I'd like to dedicate tonight's card to my darling hubby.  Ti amo, Pierluigi.  I can't wait to spend time with you in Paris later this year!

As always, thank you for your support – your visits – and your comments.

Have a fabulous Thursday everyone.

Hugs

Jaydee