You Make Me Smile (a card)

During the majority of my scraptime (Sadie's sleep time) this weekend, I worked on my Italy album. When I started to feel less creative and more like an assembly line, I took a break to make a card for the Hero Arts Club blog challenge. Last week's challenge was to create a card using one-layer. Meaning no cute patterned paper strips, no scallop strips, no matting. No glue, even. Right down to the nitty gritty of stamping with lots of masking and colored pencils. Here's what I came up with:

1. I stamped the elephant (from the ClearDesign: Elephants set) on the card. And again on scratch paper to use as a mask.
2. I used the negative image from the image stamped onto scratch paper to mask around the elephant so I could stamp him with Scattered Flowers Design Block.
3. I masked a small circle and inked with yellow for the sentiment (from the ClearDesign: Thinking of You Messages set).
4. I masked the yellow circle and the elephant and used a large circle mask so I could ink a green circle around the elephant.
5. I colored several circles on the card background using masking. You could also use a set of circle stamps. I stamped each circle with the Scattered Flowers stamp.
6. I masked each circle and the elephant and stamped the card with Raindrop Background Design Block.
7. Added a stamped scallop (from the ClearDesign: Scallop Borders set) along the top.
8. Colored everything with pencils, and added a little bowtie (I couldn't resist - it was hard enough scrapping without patterned paper).
 
Phew! So much planning for one little card, no? It was challenge for sure, but I am really good at masking now. Well, at least I think so. :)

Comments

[Lydia Jackson]

Wow that is a lot of masking, but the card turned out beautiful. Very cute boy or girl card.

[Rhonda Steed]

holy masking!!!! looks AWESOME!!

[Lovely Cee.]

thanks for the free class! i have to read it again to understand this very simple method but truly this card is darling and mesmerizingly cute.

[Dani]

Holy smokes! I've never seen so much detail on a one-layer card! I loooove it! :) I seriously don't know how you come up with your ideas. I wouldn't have thought of any of that, no matter HOW long I sat and thought! You should totally win the challenge :)

[Dani]

P.S. I'm not ignoring your email about Italy... just want to take time to really answer properly, and haven't gotten a chance to sit down and do so :)

[Sandi Janke]

Very cute. Masking is a very cool technique. Don't quite understand it but you make it look so easy!!

[laura vegas]

girl! you're a freakin masking genious! lol! this card is amazing ... i can't believe how much detail you got on there with just stamps! gorgeous!

[Deneen]

Love this card and great job on the masking WOW is all I can say!

[Natty]

Oooh that is really lovely, I love how you've managed all that with the masking and the teeny birdie is so cute! :o)

[Deborah]

This is lovely! Reminds me of summertime and lemonade!