Cowgirls Rule

This has to be one of my favorite stamps.
These cowgirls are just so cute.
The images have been colored with
colored pencils and blended with
baby oil on a blending stump.

The phrases are computer generated.
The dies are Spellbinders and Bosscuts.
Faux snake skin has been used on the
2nd and 3rd cards.
Most edges have been sponged with
a dark brown ink.

Waving cowboy

I began this card with a discontinued crackle paper
from Karen Foster Designs.
It was attached to the card front, then
sponged with Ranger Archival coffee color ink
around all four edges.
A mountain scene (stamp unknown) with buffalo
grazing was stamped with VersaMark and
embossed with fine line white embossing powder.

The cowboy, image by Viva Las Vegas Stamps,
was stamped in Ranger Archival black ink.
It was colored with colored pencils,
a blending stump dipped in baby oil
was used to smooth out the pencil strokes
and blend the coloring.
The waving cowboy was torn out of the
piece of white card stock and the edges
were "burned" by sponging with Ranger Archival
coffee and black ink.

Western Flavor

Begin with a fantastic image from
Wildlife Enterprises stamped
with black Ranger's Archival ink.
Why archival? So when you smooth
out the colored pencil with a stump soaked
in baby oil the black ink doesn't run.
A non archival water based ink
will "move" and smear when it get
wet with the baby oil.

Cut the finished image to a rectangle,
punch the corners and sponge the edges
with a dark brown ink.
Layer onto a dark brown card stock,
trimming the left side with a decorative scissors.

The faux snake skin is also layered onto
dark brown card stock with
the bottom edge cut with the
same decorative scissors as the
hat and gloves image.
Place three brads at the top and
some type of decorative western
embellishment at the bottom.

Attach the faux snakeskin and
stamped image as shown in the picture.
I used a beige parchment card stock for
my card base. The edges of
the card have also been sponged with
dark brown ink.

Stamp Camp background

When attending stamp convention in August at Loveland CO I visited the booth of Stamp Camp. I could spend hours at this vendors display, drooling over her fantastic product.

This image was stamped in dark brown dye ink and then lightly colored with colored pencils. The edges where heavily sponged with that dark brown ink to soften the borders. It was then layered on cream and then brown card stock.

The scalloped border of dark brown card stock is a border punch from EK Success Martha Stewart line. I have found the best selection of these punches at Michael's. (another product I just drool over, those are some great innovative punches) The punch around the page punches are great. (especially when you have a 40% off coupon, LOL)

Using Corrugated Cardboard

Yesterday I showed you a quick and easy way to turn your cardboard boxes into great embellishments. Today I am showing you how to use that corrugated cardboard on a card.

One side of the corrugated cardboard is torn. I gently rubbed a dark brown ink pad over the corrugations and then sponged the torn edge heavily. This was layered over a striped vellum. The vellum was cut with a mega Fiskars decorative scissors, then the cut edges were lightly sponged.

The image of the fisherman and the phrase are by a fantastic Montana stamp company, Sweet Grass Stamps. Stampers Quest showcased the quality and versatility of their stamps in their last Design Challenge. The image and the phrase were both stamped with black Archival ink by Ranger.

The fisherman was colored with Rose Art colored pencils. Yes, Rose Art, the inexpensive ones that you find with the school supplies. As you can see from the picture of the card the fisherman image was cut out on three sides and torn on the fourth. The phrase was torn on all sides. Lighter brown inks were "swirled" in a short distance on both with the final touch being a heavy sponging of dark brown ink and the very very edges "burned" with black ink sponging.

Pheasant feathers were placed at both ends of the phrase. Three bronze colored brads were used as a masculine accent on the fisherman.