It’s a Monster Mash

Hi Everyone.  Happy Wednesday night.  Hope you all had a fabulous day.

Today's card is inspired by two great challenges. 
The sketch for the talented team at Waltzingmouse and the mid-week throwdown from OWH to create a card that service man/woman could send home to their child.  Well, I couldn't resit that challenge, now could I?  I loved the sketch at waltzingmouse and kept pretty true to the sketch.  I made only two small changes – I ran my card on the vertical instead of horizontal, put the central panel at an angle and I put the circular treatment on the side of the focal panel.

I had so much fun creating this card.  One of my purchases from the new IB&C was the Make a Monster set.  In fact, I bought this set especially to make cards for OWH.  So, it was a pleasure to take it out and use it.  Why was I inspired to use it…. well… take a look at the sketch … the button seemed to me like a single eye and the single eye got me thinking about the Monster set…and then I was off!

It was also a great excuse to bring out some of my new DSP.  This particular piece of DSP really looked as though it needed the Bot or Monster stamp sets!   I also loved the three stripes at the bottom of the sketch.  It really seemed to fit with the stripes and dots of the background DSP.

Of course, the paper then led me to my color scheme.  Pacific Point, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Bashful Blue and Baja Breeze.

Creating the monsters was the most fun I've had in a long time.  All the piece parts are interchangeable.  The only thing that remains static is the body outline.  I really think its such a fun set.

So, here's what I did with the sketch and the theme.

You can see that my Signo white pen got a work out, too.  I mean, I just had to give them white teeth and white eyes!

Card Recipe:

• Card stock:  Pacific Point, Real Red, Old Olive
• Stamps:  Make a Monster (118742W, 120606C), Sentiment:  Lots of Bots (114293W, 120009C)
• Accessories:  Brights Buttons (119747), Celebrations DSP (117164)
• Tools:  Word Window Punch, glue dots

Card Instructions:

• Card base is A2 – vertical.
• DSP is cut to 5 1/4 x 4"
• Pacific Point layer is cut to 3 1/4 x 3 1/2
• Real Red layer is 3 5/16 x 3 1/4
• Whisper White layer is 2 7/8 x 3 1/8
• Lay out the two body shapes on a single clear block and stamp using StazOn.  Stamp onto Whisper White layer.  Color with your favorite mediums.
• Adhere all layers using snail.
• Cut strips of Pacific Point, Ral Red and Old Olive and arrange along the bottom of the card layering and alternating layers – in no particular sequence and adhere to DSP
• Ink "Happy Birthday, Human" sentiment from the Bots set using markers.  In this case I carried the theme through and used Old Olive, Pacific Point and Real Red.  Punch out with word window punch
• Adhere sentiment over the strips using dimensionals.  Add a matching button to either end of the sentiment.
• Choose three matching buttons and place in the top left hand corner.  For me – they resembled a strange sort of space ship and satellite mini ships!

Tips:

• When creating a card like this, try not to be too particular about the layers being straight and even – it creates a more informal feel … this is particularly hard for me, because I spend ages agonizing over something when it is slightly off…. I had to put that behind me for this card 🙂
• The repetition of the bright circles on the paper is echoed by the bright buttons and even the monsters themselves – creating a sense of continuity.
• Color the bodies to make them feel reptilian – anything other than human 🙂

On a personal note:  Oh boy…. it was hot and really, really humid today.  The temps were in the 90s and the air was the heaviest it has been all year.  I went outside to bring in the garbage cans and was enveloped by a stifling layer of hot, wet, air.  We have been under a heat advisory and tornado watch all day.  The heat index pushed us up to nearly 110 this afternoon.  WAAAAAAAY too hot for me.  I stayed in the cool of the house all day, except when I had to meet the landscape gardener.  So far, no severe weather in our town and it looks as though we should be good through the night.  Hopefully, we are due for a cool down soon.

I'm hoping to get a little time in my stamping studio tonight.  I haven't crafted since Sunday and am really itching to do something.  There are lots of goodies in my cupboard just waiting for me to take them out and ink them up!

I did see a couple of projects I wanted to share with you…… its a journey that will take you around the world – literally and you don't need a passport, to stand in line, or have your baggage thrown around even when it has "handle with care" stickers on it!

a wonderful baby sensory book.

Talking about chocolate oatmeal

A jar of flowers

Get well wishes

Hello, Baby

A parliament of owls

Continued prayers for Trish, Jim/Lynn – Lynn, hope everything went OK at the ticker tocker today, Pri, T. Rach I'll be really thinking about you these next few days.  Germaine, so glad to hear that you are feeling so much better!

As always, thank you so much for spending a little time in my area of the stamping blogosphere.  Your visits, your support and your comments are much appreciated.  Have a fabulous Thursday.

Hugs – and remember, smile at a stranger, it may change their life.

Jaydee