Penny Black Plays Along: Less is More Challenge Day 5

It’s day 5 of the Penny Black DT playing on the blog along with this week’s Less is More Challenge. I hope you’ve been enjoying the DT’s creations and, perhaps, playing along!   Today, I get to share my cards following this week’s theme Use a Stamp.

My first card

School started mid-August for my kids.  I usually tuck a little card in my daughter’s backpack to simply wish her a good year and that we love her.  I created this for her.

SUPPLIES Stamps: Homemade (30-119); Enjoy (30-024) Dies: Chat Bubbles (51-003); Circles Std. Small (Spellbinders) Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils; Pumice Stone Distress Ink (Ranger) Black Ink (Hero Arts) Other: Linen & Canvas Impression Plate (PTI); Bie Shot Die Cutting Machine (Sizzix)

I thought I’d use the very cute clear set Homemade (30-119).  I love the little mice on this set.  Just makes me smile.  This strawberry jam image was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and then fussy cut.  On a small piece of cardstock, I cut one of the  bubbles from the versatile die set Chat Bubbles (51-003) and stamped a sentiment from the clear set Enjoy (30-024).  I added a little color to the bubble using a yellow Prismacolor pencil.   I ran a piece of cardstock and a impression plate through my Big Shot.  I then cut a large circle from this cardstock and sublty added Pumice Stone Distress Ink on the edges.  I then partially cut the same chat bubble I used earlier from the circle.  When this all completed, I assembled the card.  The circle and chat bubble were adhered to the card base with dimensional foam.  I directly glued my stamped image to the circle.  The tail was adhered with a little dimensional foam.  And the small strawberry was adhered with dimensional foam.

My second card:

SUPPLIES Stamps: Life’s Messages (40-237) Dies: Bashful (51-008) Coloring: Inktense Watercolor Pencils (DerWent); Distress Markers (Ranger) Various Blue Distress Inks (Ranger); Versamark (Tsukineko); Ultrafine Embossing Powder (Ranger) Other: ScorTape; Zig 2 Way Glue (EK Success); Foam Tape (3M)

To create this card, I first stamped & clear embossed the sentiment from the cling set Life’s Messages (40-237) on a small piece of cardstock.  I then created a rectangle mask on the cardstock with just the sentiment exposed.  I then create a gradient background for the stamp using the emboss-resist method with various blue Distress Inks.  I set that aside and die-cut the flower image Bashful (51-008) from watercolor paper.  The flower was colored with Inktense Watercolor pencils and Distress Markers. I also carefully cut the flower off the stem.  I then directly adhered the sentiment cardstock panel on the card base.  I glued the stem and leaves of the flower die directly on the sentiment.  The flower top was attached with dimensional foam.

And since we’re talking card challenges, I’m going to enter this 2nd card with this week’s Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger: Honoring Hombre .

Now be sure to continue to visit the Penny Black blog.  A lot more inspiration is coming your way!