I really loved this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. The design team’s cards are gorgeous and the gallery has so many awesome cards posted. Here is the sketch for this week:

FMS Final 193-001

I had been feeling as though I didn’t have enough of a selection of stamps to keep my card challenges varied (I’m sure no one out there feels like this – LOL) until I remembered I had a few retired stamps in the cabinet which are out-of-sight and out-of-mind. I chose my color palette of Watermelon Wonder and DSP paper from the Cherry On Top paper stack. I accented the card with Watermelon Wonder ribbon.

You might think this was a quick card for me, but that was not the case. I started out doing just fine. I had first stamped the chicks with the Momento ink and used some Blendabilities but the lightest blue I used was too dark and I couldn’t get it to blend with the color lifter pen. So, I re-stamped the chicks with my Staz-On and used Stampin’ Write Markers along with watercoloring for the background.

Next step, a sentiment. I had a great idea, I thought, I’ll add a die-cut “thanks” at the bottom of the card in Tip Top Taupe. Once I cut it out, it was too wide which required me cutting some of the letters apart and gluing them together with less space in between each letter at the bottom of the card. Ok, it didn’t look great (the word was too large and overwhelmed the card), but I was going to go with it until I . . . . . decided to stamp the chicken feet as a signature at the bottom of the card. Oh good grief, it just looked like a jumbled mess. Then, I had the bright idea of cutting out the thanks, meaning fussy cutting behind all the letters to keep the thanks on the white card stock because I knew I couldn’t pull it off without tearing all the letters (I used the liquid Mono glue – can I get an Amen?). As I’m sitting there cutting the word out, I think, “You know, I could have re-cut this die word at least five times in the time I’ve sat here cutting this word out.”  Hmmm. “Why don’t I just use the word that goes with the chicks?” Hmmm. I did just that and I’m very happy I did. This card looks sooooo much better than the original. I hope you enjoy it and PIN it.

FMS193

Supplies: not pictured – SU! Best of Cluck stamp set, Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write Markers, Aqua Painter, Tip Top Taupe ink