Teddy Hugs - colored pencil, die cuts

A teddy bear hug can be so warm and comforting. My Autumn card features a House Mouse stamp, dies from Impression Obsession and CC Designs, ribbon, lace, and several papers.

Putting It Together 

I love this House Mouse stamp. I sleep with a plushy and have done so for most of my life. It's a soft cuddle that doesn't add heat.

I used a dark brown ink to stamp the image on a light brown panel of Mi Teintes. I love using coloured papers with colour pencils. The colours look more vibrant to me.

I used Koh-i-Noor Progresso pencils to colour the image. These are the heaviest pencils I have ever seen and I am thoroughly enamoured of the colours, how easily they go down on paper, and how wonderfully easy they sharpen. This was the absolute best $3 at a garage sale (hosted by a local scrapbooking store) that I have ever spent. Blick's sells them in singles, too, at least online. Not sure if they're available in singles other places. Micheals sells the pack but it is cheaper through Blick. I use the Wescot electric sharpener on them, the same one I use with Prismacolors. I need to push down a bit more with the Progresso pencils, but I have yet to have any break. They don't have a core the whole pencil is the colour. They feel funny, almost plastic-y but are amazing.

 

I used a die to trim the image panel. I did a double cut with the die to have the size and shape of panel I want. Dies with straight sides can be used in this way, you just have to line up the first cut on the sides before doing the second cut.

For the layout, I used a sketch challenge as inspiration.

I did a dry layout using a background plaid paper from a Halloween pad, a word die, and a couple other papers. I was originally thinking to colour the white paper, but liked the way it broke up the layers. I ended up changing the  plaid for a different one. This one was just a bit too.. umm.. orange and purple and.. just not right. Close, but not right.

I decided to to a stacked word. I die cut two from heavy black cardstock and one from orange foiled cardstock. I used a glue pen to stack up the layers.

I did a dry layout with the new plaid I chose, ribbon from Micheals from a couple years ago, and some retired lace from Stampin' Up. To make the ribbon double wide, I adhered two strips of ribbon to a scrap of paper. This let me change a thin ribbon into a wide one and made it easier to move them around. I offset the leaves on the ribbons to give it more character.

I used an adhesive runner to adhered the layers, tucking the lace under the plaid and cutting the ribbon strip flush with the top and bottom. Since the ribbon is adhered to a strip of paper, it's less likely to fray on the edges.

Inside,  I added a sentiment from Unity Stamp Co with the dark brown ink and adhered a strip of the plaid to the bottom.

Supplies

Challenges

House Mouse and Friends: Autumn/Fall Colours
Feeling Sketchy: #203
Outlawz Sunday Songs and Rymes: Teddy Bear Picnic
Love to Scrap: Fall Back
Crafty Gals Corner: Halloween Colours
Art Impressions: Lots of Layers
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart: Anything Goes