Carpe Librum

What could be better than kicking back under a tree to read a book? Having the time to read a whole stack! Carpe Librum! Seize the book!

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Putting It Together

This card was made for a friend and co-worker for her retirement, so there are a few personal touches for her in the design. She has a great love of books and reading studies genealogy as a hobby (the tree represents that hobby *grin*. She also has a black kitty (inside the card).

I stamped the image with Memento Desert Sand to be able do a "no lines" colouring with Distress Ink and waterbrushes.

To do the painting, I smush the Distress Ink mini pad on a plastic sheet and then use the waterbrush to pick up the ink to paint on the image. When I'm done, I use a wet wipe to clean off the sheet and make sure the brushes are clean, too. Between this and resin work, I use a lot of wet wipes *laugh* I've been using the Kirkland wipes, a box from Costco, the adult kind, not the baby ones. The price difference between the adult ones and the baby ones does not justify the addition of lanolin to the baby ones and I don't really need lanolin for my workshop uses.

The colours used are in Supplies above (or you can see them, too, in my notes I included with the palette picture).

I loosely fussy cut the image because I wanted to have it 'popped' over the background.

I used a Clarity brush to add an undulating grassy area (which mostly got covered in the end *laugh*) and a stencil to add sky and clouds, both with Distress Ink. I love this stencil from Elizabeth Craft Designs! I used the Clarity brushes for a softer touch.

I used a potion of a stencil from Teresa Collins stencil to add the tree. I used the blending tool for a heavier addition of the Distress Ink. I used three colours of green for very slight variations in the colour of the tree.

The completed background: I created the background directly on to the card base which was made from 100lb white Soft Finish cardstock from Elizabeth Craft Designs. I love the slightly pebbly texture of the soft finish with this type of background treatment.

I dry fit the reader in the background and laughed when my carefully crafted undulations for the ground were covered up.

I added the sentiment in the trees. I used foam mounting tape on the image to "pop" it up from the background for a little dimension.

Inside the card, I added more personal touches: A bird flying away.. she's retiring and becoming free to do what she want, and a black kitty for her kitty. The sentiment I thought rather apt for someone who is retiring and becoming free to pursue new interests.

Challenges

Crazy 4 Challenges: Inspiration from a Book

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Make Your Own Background

Tuesday Throwdown: Thinking of You

Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: For a Special Lady

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday: Anything Goes

Penny's Paper-crafty: Anything Goes