Whatever Floats your Boat!

Hi everyone!

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post from Friday *click on the link to take you to the correct post* to be entered to win a free GinaK Designs stamp set of your choice. I'll announce the lucky winner a little while after the 7:00 pm deadline!

Today, I'm sharing the set of 4 cards I made with Rupa's adorable set Whatever Floats your Boat. These little animals have such personality - I love the eyes!

The four animals were stamped on textured Bazzil cardstock in Versafine Black ink and colored with Koh-i-noor pencils & Gina's odorless mineral spirits. While I usually use Stampin Up's whisper white cardstock for this technique, sometimes I want a soft textured look, so I pull out some textured Bazzil cardstock to color on. If you've tried prisma pencils and have been frustrated with the blendability of some colors, try Koh-i-noors. They will shock you with how blendable they are.

I rubbed ink on the Cuttlebug embossing folders *the side with the Cuttlebug logo on* before I ran the paper through to emboss. I like to do this technique with tone on tone colors, so I used the same colored paper & inks for a subtle shading. It really helps the embossing to pop.

I punched out the stars with my well loved EK Success Star punches and then ran them through to emboss. Afterwards, I took my sponge dauber and shaded all around the star edges.

Card Details: Whatever Floats your Boat; SU papers & inks: soft sky, wasabi, river rock; SU afternoon tea dsp & ww; SU punches: corner rounder, scallop border, my way arrow, large square; Cuttlebug & embossing folders; Ranger's Inkssentials White Gel pen; Marvy Scallop square punch; Gems: EK success star punches; Making Memories 1/16 eyelets & eyelet setter; paper piercer; Black Stazon; Koh-i-noor pencils; OMS; blending stumps; Sakura glitter pen; aqua painter; Staedlter journaling pens

When you spend so much time making the outside of your cards look pretty, I think it's a nice touch to decorate the insides of the cards too! I don't always take the time to do this, but I find it adds such a polished look to my projects.

I hand drew the double lines around the white cardstock with my favorite multiliners - my black Staedlter pens. I love to use the .1 and .3 tips for this look. You may have noticed I outlined the arrow punch out on the cardfront. When I first began scrapbooking years ago, I started outlining photo & journaling mats and have always loved how it highlights the image I've matted.

I'm often asked how I get my lines so straight and I always say that I don't! That's why I usually have spaces when I draw my lines - it adds character and covers up my boo-boos. It's hand-made so it's not supposed to be perfect, right?!

After I drew my frame, I used Koh-i-noor pencils, OMS & blending stumps to color & shade. A few dots here and there around the frame, and it's finished!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jessica