Get a Man!

Ha ha!  Not really.  I was just looking for a fun title for this blog post.  Besides,  I've never been one to tell anyone what to do with their life.  For all I know you already have a man, or a woman, or a chicken that makes you perfectly happy.  However, I created this card to send to a friend of mine who is single AND who just happens to own a gun, so I think she'll appreciate the sentiment.

I started by randomly stamping the Holstein cow pattern from Artistic Outpost on a scrapbook paper that looks like an old newspaper.  My cowgirl (also from AO) was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  For her background I doctored up a patterned paper with white acrylic paint, a crackle background stamp and distress inks. The decorative border is a piece of Dresden trim.  Originally it was glossy white, so I sponged it with gathered twigs distress ink to make it work with my design.  It looked almost like a subtle gold in its final state.

This entire card was made with paper scraps from my bins.  Although I'm happy to be putting those scraps to good use, one card here or there is not the most efficient way to tidy up my art room.  Drastic measures may be required.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; miscellaneous patterned papers (unknown); stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger watering can ink; pumice stone and gathered twigs distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; crackle background stamp; Dresden trim; punchinella; Derwent light charcoal pencil; Colorbox white pigment ink.

I Can't Help It

I feel as if I need to subtitle this post "And now for something completely different" (spoken in my best Monty Python accent), because this is not a gluebook page and the style is moving into new territory for me.

It's an ATC triptych!
Do you recognize this glamorous woman?

It's the incomparable Marlene Dietrich.
She is one of my favorite actresses from the first half of the 20th Century.

Last night I visited a blog where the artist had a video tutorial on the melted crayon technique (available on Splitcoaststampers.com in the resources section). Since I knew I had all of the supplies needed, I decided to try it. As I was shutting down my computer, I saw the folder of Marlene Dietrich photos I had pulled from the internet at some point in the past, and an idea was born. I made three different backgrounds using the melted crayon technique, stamped them with a French script stamp, and then embellished them with cut-out photos of Marlene and other ephemera. I love how they turned out!

This week has flown by, and now we have a three-day weekend thanks to Memorial Day on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Glossy white cardstock (Ranger); Crayola crayons; craft iron; French script background stamp by Stampin' Up!; black Stazon ink; gold Dresdren trim; Bazzill decorative black border; Paper Studio music paper; K & Company patterned paper; Cavallini Paris sticker; Prima flower; Tim Holtz film strip ribbon; butterfly clip art; Glossy Accents; Pressed Petals adhesive letter; mini gold brad; gold Stickles.