Age is Just a Number

I'm so pleased to be a Featured Stamper on The Color Throwdown CTD648 here this week! The colors you need to use are shown below. I decided to use this cake stamp with its beautifully drawn flowers for this week's challenge.

I stamped, then colored the die cut cake and banner, then assembled the card front with my handmade "shiplap boards" that I had left over from a card I made several months ago. (See description below for the shiplap step) I popped up the cake and banner on foam tape and added Wink of Stella to the sides and top of the cake for shimmer. I don't think the camera caught the full effect of that shimmer like it is in person.

Products used:

Cake/Banner stamps and dies - Concord and 9th Happy Day

Colors: Shades of pink, orange, green and lavender Prima Watercolor pencils

Ink: Simon Says Stamp Intense Black 

Shiplap directions: 

On white cardstock that is about 1.5 times larger than your intended card front (so you have plenty of shiplap to make a card front with), ink blend 2-3 colors of ink (I used pale grey and a pale brown) all over the panel until there is no white left. I do splotches of each color here and there, no pattern at all. I dry it briefly with a heat gun. 

Run the ink blended cardstock through the Big Shot machine using a woodgrain embossing folder or cover plate for a wood texture.

Water down some white acrylic paint and brush it  horizontally on the panel, lightly, so that the ink blending will still show through. Then dry the panel with the heat gun. 

Last, water down some black (or dark brown works) acrylic paint and flick it over the panel to get some specks of color. 

After that dries, cut the panel into approximately 3/4" strips that are longer than you need to cover the width of the panel. (If they are longer you have more strips or partial strips to work with.)

To make a card front/panel: 

Use glue to adhere the strips to the front of your card because they are stiff and need a strong adhesive. 

Add 2-3 strips per horizontal row on the card front, with the strips butting up to each other at a different spot on each row. (Have 1-2 butting up points on each row that do not match the row before or after the row you are working on) 

With a paper trimmer or scissors, trim away any strips that extend beyond the card front width or length.

The card I made today only shows two butting up points because the cake covers the others. See them below the cake? 

Variation in the color of each strip makes the card front even more interesting. 

Hope this all made sense and that you try the shiplap technique. It is fun and not hard at all!

Check out The Color Throwdown challenge this week for all the great ideas using the colors this week!

-Carol