Just Sayin' Hay and Happy Birthday

Hello again! Seems like I'm just working a craft assembly line over here, as it takes my mind off of my Arthurs pain. But, my brain is not attending to its assigned duties well -- I woke up today and realized I have a nephew's birthday coming up on Saturday and had nothing to mail him so I had to just grab and create. 

Several months back, I purchased 7 Creative Expressions slimline scene stamps and had not used any of them yet. I had a vague idea of creating a summer scene and knowing that my nephew grew up spending summers on his grandparents' farm in central Texas, I thought he might like this scene. Down here, hay is mowed and baled all summer long and into the fall. This scene is a common sight out in the fields along all our highways and farm-to-market roads.

So, I got out my Tim stamping platform and put it on top of my trusty 1/2"-thick Oct. 2013 Marie Claire magazine that I stamp on (it really helps!). I recently found some sticky grid paper that I added to my platform - it holds my card beautifully so I'm no longer wrestling with it pulling up with my stamp even secured with magnets. I inked the stamp up with Versafine Clair Morning Mist grey ink and got a very nice print, which I clear-heat-embossed and cut with one of my Tutti Designs stitched slimline dies. I next colored the grass and hay with Promarkers and ink blended a sky with Distress inks and a blending brush.

I used this SplitCoastStampers Sketch SC825, which I've used once before sideways as a tall card, but this time I used it as shown. The 3 column front is there, behind my focal image scene layer. 

Without even knowing what papers I would use, I picked my colors for the sky and decided to just brush-drag each color across. But luck was with me, because the finished sky instantly reminded me of some striped papers in my Cosmo Cricket's Summer Love 8x8 collection:

These papers have come in handy so many times and I still have lots of sheets left. The striped papers complement my sky perfectly, so I got a scrap of thin card and adhered the stripes on each side and a diagonal center stripe in the middle. Then I cut it with a larger Tutti's slimline die in the same set. I actually think the diagonal stripe tricks the eye into seeing a bit of sky cloud movement (or else I need to see my optometrist, lol).

A close-up to show the heat-embossing on the stamped image. To stamp the sentiments on the card front I used some regular VersaFine in Majestic Blue (haven't touched the regular inks since I got the Clair inks a couple of years ago and yet it inked right up, juicy as ever. Gotta love that). Elizabeth Craft hay sentiment on an MFT die cut and MFT sentiments on a scrap card strip.

Inside my card I stamped Verve and Stamplorations sentiments on another piece of Cosmo Cricket paper cut with a Tutti die. I just grabbed all of these sentiments without thinking any of them through because of time. I know I could possibly have created more clever sentiments in PSE, but as I mentioned, my brain has not been focusing well. So was happy to find these.

The back has only a stamped Lawn Fawn siggie. I used Recollections 110# heavyweight card for this base and I'm glad because it holds unevenly-distributed paper-layer weight very well. Usually I would have to add to the back what I have to the front, but not with this card stock! It's way too thick to go through my printer so I use it for bases: cards, decos, tags.

So there are 3 paper layers of card stock on the front plus the sentiments, and yet it mailed nice and flat because I did not have to "dress" the back. That also saved me precious time, because about 15 minutes after I finished, took pics, addressed the envie and walked it out to the mailbox, the mail lady came. I cut that one close! And then I took a long nap, as all the excitement of the deadline stressed me out. Thank goodness I'm retired! haha 

Thanks for your visit and I hope your week is going well. Stay well and until next time, Craft On! xoxo

MY CHALLENGES PLAYLIST:

1.   SplitCoastStampers Sketch SC825

2.   Stamping Sensations June: "I Love ___" -- #2/3 I love stamping scenes, especially when they are all on one stamp! Probably due to me having been self-isolating since 3/1/20, but anything outdoors looks like fun to me lately.

3.   Die Cut Divas: Bugaboo June Birthdays -- #2/4 Die cuts used card front: mat layer/focal image stitched slimline dies, vertical fishtail sentiment banner 

4.   TIOT: Here Comes Summer

5.   Double D Challenge: Signs of Summer -- #1/3  

6.   Sweet Stampers #57: Birthdays -- #1/5

7.   Pearly Sparkles #63: For the Men/Boys

8.   ModSquad Challenge: Masculine -- #3/3

9.   A Place To Start June 2021 Challenge #6: Create Your Own Challenge -- #3/8 I chose Card / Birthday / Embossing  

10.  Aud Sentiments #277: Anything Goes + A Sentiment -- #2/5

11.  Classic Design Challenge #6 June 2021: AAG

12. The Creative Crafters #41: AAG -- #1/3

13. Inkspirational Challenge #241: Designer's Choice - Slimline Cards  

14. Incy Wincy Designs: Slimline or Shaped Card -- #1/5 Slimline Card

15. Outlawz Twisted Thursdays 6/17-6/30: AG + Opt. Twist Emboss It! -- #2/2