Hi, Lois here. I'm so glad to say that I've been invited to join the CottageCutz design team. This is my first blog post as part of the team . . . and just in time for their new Fall release, In the Forest. I have a friend whose daughter is just in love with squirrels, and I was thinking of her during the entire time I was making this card. Isn't that squirrel just the cutest thing peeking behind that log?
For this card I used:
Chocolate card base 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", folded in half
Cream cardstock 4" x 5 1/4" embossed
Chocolate cardstock 4 1/2" x 3 1/2"
Cream cardstock approx. 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" (to be cut with die)
Gray, green, brown cardstock
Distress ink - Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain, Tumbled Glass
Copic markers - Black, Pink
White gel pen
Sponge applicators
Embossing folder
Narrow washi tape
Double-sided adhesive sheet
Cut all the images with the dies.
You'll notice that I cut the leaves on a small scrap of green cardstock which I had backed with a piece of double-sided adhesive sheet. Those leaves are quite small, and I thought it would be easier to finally adhere them to the card if they had the adhesive cut at the same time. Next time I may cut all the smaller pieces from cardstock backed with an adhesive sheet. When I cut the grass pieces, I wanted the cattails on only one of the pieces, so I trimmed back the second die-cut to remove the cattails.
Sponge some ink onto the die-cut pieces to give them some dimension.
After I sponged the squirrel pieces with the dark gray ink, I used a white gel pen to color the inside of his ears. After the ink had dried, I went over the white with some pink marker. The eyes and nose were colored with the black marker.
Three of the base pieces were cut with a paper trimmer. The fourth, smallest piece was cut using the largest Double-stitched Rectangle die.
Emboss the larger cream panel. Run a narrow strip of washi tape around the edges of the die-cut panel, covering the stitched lines. Then sponge the grass and sky around the edges.
Remove the washi tape and assemble the card. I ran many of the die-cut pieces through a Xyron machine; and, as noted above, next time I may cut all the pieces from a piece of cardstock that has been backed with an adhesive strip.
Completed card.
Dies used on this card: