Today is my longtime friend Valarie’s birthday. Val and I have been friends since we met in college in 1986. Even though we live in different states and don’t get to see each other often, we carry on like we just saw each other last week. I love and miss Val and she is never far from my thoughts. Happy Birthday, my friend.
I made this fun, colorful birthday card for Valarie. I used Tim Holtz’ Crazy Dogs stamps – I knew she’d love the silly dogs. I started out by creating a mixed media background using stencils and various colors of Distress Inks. I then added some little hearts using Simon Says Stamp Stacked Heart Wafer Die. The crazy dogs were stamped onto watercolor paper using My Favorite Things Black Licorice Hybrid Ink then colored using Distress Inks. Before coloring the dogs, I used masking fluid to mask their eyes, ears, noses, collars and tongue. Next came the smooshing (a.k.a. Smoosh Technique)…rub a Distress Ink pad directly onto a piece of acetate. Spritz with water then place watercolor paper on top. Smoosh the paper down into the inky water droplets to pick up color. Afterwards, I went in with a paintbrush and watered down ink to fill in the rest of the color and add contrast. When the dogs were completely dry, I removed the masking fluid and used Copics to color their collars, noses, tongue and inside the ears.
The presents and party hats were stamped onto Crafter’s Companion Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock (SNUSP White) and colored with Copic markers. After fussy cutting the dogs, presents, party hats and banner, everything was assembled on the background piece and adhered to a 5″x5″ cardbase (SU! Orchid Opulence).
Thanks for checking out my blog. I had fun creating these party pooches.
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