It's the last one of these I promise!

I have to stop making these stripey male cards, I promise this is the last. I will admit I was short on time (busy with work stuff) and this has been my go to design for the last few months so it's time for a change.

Here's the card:

This card was made for a friend's birthday.

Materials:
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Close to Cocoa (retired), not sure what colour the orange is called - maybe Peach Parfait? Printed acetate (My Memories), Rough and Tough: Awesome (Kaisercraft).
Ink: Stazon black, Versamark.
Stamps: Best Dad Ever, French Foliage (Stampin' Up).
Accessories: Cappucino baker's twine (The Twinery), hemp twine (Stampin' Up), star charm (My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose - Hattie "Happy" Bits and Pieces).
Tools: Paper trimmer (Fiskar's), mini glue dots, glue tape (Stampin' Up), scoring board (Martha Stewart).

Tips and Tricks:
1. It's all pretty simple - cut and trim stripe layers to fit.
2. Layer the acetate on the cardstock with mini glue dots.
3. The charm was quite heavy so I anchored it to the card with a glue dot so it doesn't pull the twine down too much.

Stuff Ups:
1. The third layer (acetate on black) was cut slightly crooked which I didn't notice until I stuck it down. You can't really tell in the photo (yay) but it bugs me.
2. I don't know if I like the cappucino baker's twine on the card or not. It's a bit too much.

Pleasant Surprises:
1. Only having to stamp on the acetate once!

Another twist on an old success

I made this card yesterday and based it on this card that I made back in October. I played with stripes and colours and I'm pleased with the effect.
Here it is:

Again it's a simple card. I'd spent most of the morning making a baby card just like this one which took longer than expected thus cutting back on the time I had to make this card.

Materials:
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Basic Black, printed acetate by My Memories, P187 Spring Greens: Cabbage Patch by Kaisercraft.
Ink: Stazon Black.
Stamps: Best Dad Ever (for the happy birthday sentiment).
Other: Mini glue dots, baker's twine in Caribbean and Cappuccino by The Twinery.

Tips and Tricks:
1. The sentiment is stamped on the acetate and left to dry before using.
2. All the acetate layers are affixed with mini glue dots.

Stuff Ups:
1. I had to redo the sentiment on the acetate so I removed the ink with Stazon cleaner and tried again.
2. In this picture the cappuccino twine is twisted over itself but I straightened it out before I posted the card.

Pleasant Surprises:
I managed to get the light right for once so the colours in the picture ring true. I also found my mini easel which made it easier for me to get a better photo of the card.

A twist on an old favourite

I've made another male birthday card and again this is a twist on my favourite design. I've created several male cards with the patterned paper you see on this card. All are slightly different from each other but have the same basic design.

Here's the recipe -

Materials:
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Printed acetate by My Memories, Rough and Tough: Awesome by Kaiser.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Bashful Blue, Stazon Black.
Stamps: Trendy Trees by Stampin' Up, Sophie's Sentiments by Lawn Fawn, Roughin' It by Bo Bunny.
Other: Honeydew bakers twine by The Twinery, Martha Stewart circle cutter, sponge, mini glue dots, Fiskars corner punch, stamp-a-ma-jig.

Tips and Tricks:
1. After cutting the circle, I used the scrap card with the circle hole in it as a mask to sponge the grass under the trees. I used a Pear Pizzazz marker to add texture to the grass. I trimmed off the bottom of the circle so it hides nicely behind the twine.
2. I sponged around the circle with Bashful Blue ink to show some sky. I sponged heavier at the top than the sides.
3. Getting a clear, precise image on the acetate took a few tries but luckily I remembered a trick. If you make a mistake on acetate with Stazon, just use Stazon cleaner to wipe off the ink and try again. It worked and didn't damage my acetate.
4. The acetate is secured with mini glue dots.
5. I used a stamp-a-ma-jig for the trees and got their placement right the first time. I stamped the leaves first rather than the trunks as the leaves are the bulkiest part of the tree, therefore they need the correct spacing.

Stuff Ups:
1. Stamping on the acetate took me about 8 tries to get right.
2. I still haven't mastered that circle cutter so the circle is a bit rough around the edge.
3. The Bo Bunny stamps just don't hold Stampin' Up ink nicely. It tends to pool on the surface. Lawn Fawn stamps do hold the ink nicely.

Pleasant Surprises:
1. I like the way the acetate looks on the card, particularly because it is patterned so in some parts you can see through it to the patterned paper underneath and in other parts you can't because it's opaque.

2. The honeydew bakers twine matched the patterned paper perfectly. You may not be able to see the pale green in the paper but it's an awesome, coincidental match.