Welcome to my second card featuring the February Essentials by Ellen Release.
The Latte Love stamp set is FULL of sweet, adorable images, and I had thought, when I was first given a sneak peek of the graphics, that I would work with one of the wee animal images from it.
But, when the set arrived and I sat down at my desk to work on my assignment, I immediately saw something else. I saw the possibility of making a card for someone who was going through a period in her life when it seemed like she was being followed by a rain cloud. As someone who had a serious fight with depression twenty years ago, one that culminated in a hospital admission, I would have appreciated receiving a card like this during my illness. One of the typical ways depression often manifests itself is that the sufferer feels anti-social. So when I created this's card I imagined it as one that I would send to a friend, letting her know that I love her during the battle she is fighting and that, even though she doesn't feel like being around people right now, I am still here for her.
Technique wise, I did have to get a tad creative with the stamp. If you look closely, you'll notice that the cloud stamp has a smily face - making this a happy little rain cloud. So, I needed to remove his smile. Instead of stamping the entire design with one ink, I used Distress markers to color directly onto the stamp. I omitted coloring the eyes and smile, thereby removing it from the design. I used the Pumice Stone Distress marker for the cloud and the Weathered Wood Distress Marker for the rain drops. I then added more color using Pumice Stone, Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood Distress markers as watercolors, thus turning the happy cloud into a storm cloud.
HERE'S THE SUPPLY LIST:
Stamps: Latte Love by Essentials by Ellen
Dies: A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX Set 1 by My Favorite Things
Inks: Tuxedo Black by Memento, Pumice Stone Distress ink by Ranger
Patterned paper: Emerson Lane by Heidi Swapp
Cardstock: Ranger Watercolor paper
Distress Markers to watercolor with: Pumice Stone, Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood
Other: Watercolor brushes, Ranger Craft Sheet, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards), 3D foam mounting squares
Thanks for coming by to check out my latest card. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
