Rubbernecker Blogger Challenge 4 and Happy Birthday Dear Sherry!

Happy Birthday to You!  Happy Birthday to You!  Happy Birthday Dear Sherry!  Happy Birthday to you!

Today is not only Wednesday and Rubbernecker Bloggger Challenge day but also our beloved Sherry's Birthday.  Our design team decided it would be fun to hold a birthday card challenge in honor of Sherry. We'd sure love for you to participate so all you have to do to is follow the challenge requirements and come back to the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog and link your blog and/or gallery upload.  We would love to showcase your projects on the blog.

I wanted to make something different and unique for Sherry (I'm mailing it today, Sherry…it will be a little late) as she always reminds me that I need to step out of my box occasionally.  What better time for me to do that than to work to create a special card for her.  I decided to try my hand at painting on the new Papertrey Linen Vellum.  I had no idea if it would work well but thought it would be worth a try as I love the texture of the cardstock. I stamped the Stamp Oasis Hearty Vase image with Brilliance Black ink and watercolored with Distress Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint, and Dried Marigold reinkers. I sponged Mustard around the image after I finished painting and really liked the look but wanted to bring a little more pop to it. Here's a little fact that you might not know.  Distress ink is so juicy that you can easily emboss with it.  I took a small brush and dipped in Peeled Paint reinker and painted various lines and parts of the flowers to just highlight lightly and embossed with gold embossing powder.  I wanted the arrangement to take on an antique and elegant look. I didn't worry that I was painting green on all the colors as I knew the powder would cover it up.  If this is too scary to you then you can use each color reinker individually on the image. I so loved the look of the touches of gold and decided it would be fun to distress and age my ribbon embellishments as well as the sentiment.  I punched holes in the top corners of the main image and pulled through french knots that had been embossed lightly with versa and gold embossing powder.  I heated the strip of ribbon for the bottom of the piece and also the bow for the sentiment to wrinkle for an aged look and then embossed them with gold as well.  I stamped the sentiment and embossed with gold and then deckled the edges, ran across the versa pad and embossed them as well. I didn't really want there to be a pronounced pattern to the background layers so I used my trusty rice bag to apply just a hint of background. The sentiment is a little hard to read in the photo so I will type it out for you as well.  It is so perfectly fitting for a birthday.

        "May you Heart always be Young and your Dreams Live forever"

Happy Birthday, Sherry…my wonderful friend!

Stamps: Rubbernecker Stamp Oasis Hearty Vase and Petite Sentiments

Paper:  Papertrey Linen Vellum, Brocade Blue, Tangerine Tango

Ink:  Brilliance, Distress Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans, Dried Marigold, SU Mustard and Going Gray

Accessories:  Gold Embossing Powder, Versa, Grosgrain, Deckle Scissors, Sponges, Brushes, *Rice Bag

* fill a sandwich baggy with 3/4 cup of dried rice and seal the top.  To use as a background hold the bag loosely in your hand, pat directly on the ink pad and then onto your cardstock.  It leaves a non descript background. You can do the same thing with dried beans, peas, or anything else you can think of. Background stamps don't always have to cost $$$$.