THAT OLE BLACK MAGIC

This was soooooo much fun to make and I love the way it turned out.

The main cardbase is Pink Pirouette and is double scored at 1/4" and 3/8" around all sides then pierced between the score lines. I used the Medallion stamp set from SU! on Basic Black Cardstock and the Spellbinder's Shapeabilities die: Lattice to create the center medallion then adhered it to the center of a piece of 4"x4.5" pink pirouette card stock. I used a decorative corner punch on the pink pirouette square, added mini black gemstones to the points of the decorated corners and in the "points" of the lattice and placed it on a mat of Basic Black. The entire center piece was popped up off the cardbase using dimensionals.

I wish you could see this card in real life. The photo really doesn't do it justice. It really is beautiful and the colors seem to "pop" right off the card.

Thanks for visiting with me today -
and until next time -
Happy Stamping.

Jill

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Today is "Thankful Thursday" on one of the local radio stations.


I'm thankful for my family today - all of them - but especially my hubby and this sweet, funny guy (my son, Tristan).



What are you thankful for today?
Jill

AHOY MATEY!

I received some email feedback on yesterday's post (thank you) and wanted to answer a question and also share the answer to one of my own.

First - the little thingy on the back of a button that you have to cut off to make it lay flat is called a "shank". I DID know this, but couldn't pull the word out of my befuddled brain when I was posting. Thanks to Sarah J. for the answer to that piece of trivia. Thanks too Sarah for providing another sentiment for the Polar Bears - "Thanks for "bear"ing my Burden" is a winner!

Gloria W. wanted to know which Copics I used to give the Polar Bears definition without changing them from white. In this case I used 3 shades of cool gray - C3, C1, C00 - just small amounts of each. I tried to leave ALOT of white space.

Today's card uses another "oldie but goodie" from Stampin'Up! called SCHOONER. I'm really drawn to the artistic renderings of some of the older SU! sets and have been happy to see more of that style coming back into the most recent catalogs.



I used two images from this set - the ship and the captain's wheel. Again because the ship's sail is white I didn't want to add too much color - but did want a little color in the shadow areas. I used Y21 - Butternut Yellow over the shadowed areas then used B000 - Pale Porcelain Blue here and there around the edges of each sail, in the clouds and in the water. I chose to use the Butternut Yellow because it matches the So Saffron card base perfectly and unifies the theme. The ship hull was colored using E57-Light Walnut and E31 - Brick Beige.

I sponged around the edges of all the white and So Saffron pieces of the card using So Saffron and Soft Suede inks. The main image is backed in Marina Mist and Early Expresso cardstock and the greeting and wheel are back in Early Expresso and popped up on dimensionals.

I added the brad to the wheel, scoring to the card base and piercing to add a little extra texture and dimension.

The greeting is computer generated.

I had fun making this card. I'm challenging you to pull out some of your old sets and put them to use again and don't be afraid to play with color. Who would think you could use butternut yellow to shade a white sail!

Until Next Time -
Happy Stamping!

Jill

BRRRRR! BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!

It's been snowing here in Illinois for the past 18 hours - mostly lightly - but long enough to have accumulated about 5" of the white stuff. I don't mind really - other than when I have to be out in traffic - otherwise, I love the stuff. I like it falling from the sky and freshly falling in the yards and the on the branches of the huge pine trees in the neighborhood park. It's actually very pretty. The snow that is. Unfortunately, here in the Midwest, we can't just get the pretty snow without the frigid temps - 11 degrees is the high they are prediciting for this weekend. Which isn't bad if you're a polar bear!!!!!!

Which brings me to my card for today and it's appropriate theme - POLAR BEARS!

(My main computer has died the death and I'm using a VERY old laptop with a VERY old monitor - so if the colors look different than described - please "bear" with me!)

The image is from a retired Stampin'Up! Tis the Season stamp set - and I think it's waaaaay too cute to retire from use! I used Copics (of course) to color it then cut it out with a Nestabilities Label Two Die. I pierced holes around the edges using the SU! Mat pack and a piercing tool and chose an orange glittery DP that a friend gave me as the "frame". I know - ORANGE!!! but doesn't it POP against the Marina Mist cardbase? I think this color combo is a new favorite!

I embossed the cardbase with two Cuttlebug embossing folders SNOW DOTS and SWISS DOTS and placed the image centered vertically and toward the top of the card.

The silver medallion is from a cheap piece of costume jewelry I found at a garage sale some time ago. I colored a small portion of it with an Orange Copic Marker then added a snowflake button to the center. Of course to make it lay flat, I had to cut off the little thingy on the back with my Stampin'Up! Rubber/Craft Scissors - they are the BEST! btw - what do you call that little thing on the back of a button?

To finish it I added the little orange bow. Now all I have to do is figure out a greeting for the inside. Any suggestions? I came up with "thanks for your help" but am open to suggestions.

Thanks for taking the time to visit with me today - and until next time -

Enjoy doing whatever it is you're doing!

Jill