A Sad Card and Two Christmas Cards

First of all today, for Festive Friday "International Animal Rights Day", a dog sympathy card to have on hand. 

For Festive Friday, you have to choose at least 3 things from their list - I chose animal, supportive sentiment, texture (the embossing folder), neutral colours, and animal patterns (the paw prints).

I did a letterpress technique on the embossing folder by running dark grey ink over the raised area of the folder before embossing.  The dog and the sentiment are stamped in black.  The condolences sentiment is inside the card.

Next up, Can You Handle the Pressure? challenge wants dry embossing with a twist of Christmas, and Shopping our Stash "Splish Splash" (use a water medium - I used Magicals, a powder that is activated with water).  My best friend always asks me to make her several Christmas cards with a dove / peace theme.

The background was made with the embossed toilet paper technique.  I layered 5 squares of toilet paper, misting with water in between each one and again on the top layer.  I placed it inside a script embossing folder and ran it through my Cuttlebug.

Then I took a piece of mixed media cs, sprinkled it with Magicals and spritzed with water.  When dry, I stamped and heat embossed the dove on it and then fussy cut.  The sentiment was die cut out of the same piece.  I created a frame with a pierced die, cut twice and layered for more substance.  I find using a frame of some sort over a toilet paper background prevents the edges from coming apart.

The embossed toilet paper has a wonderful feel of homemade paper.  For more ideas for using it, see this video and this tutorial.

For both this card and the first one, I used some cs I bought at a paper outlet.  I don't know what brand it is but the colour is labelled "chalk" - it's a great neutral colour.  I have a big pack of it so I'm sure it will show up often!

A threefer today!  For AAA Cards Challenge "Black, White, and Gold" and My Time to Craft Christmas "Snowflakes":

I started by using gesso to stencil the snowflake on black cs to create a resist for my stamping, then stamped the Christmas script background stamp over it in gold. I replaced the snowflake stencil and sponged gold ink through it.  I splattered with a bit of white acrylic paint and trimmed the panel.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in white on vellum and wrapped it around the panel, then popped the panel up with fun foam on a gold shimmer card base.

   

       

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU dog, Technique Junkies sentiment
Ink - SSS Intense Black, Versafine Clair Morning Mist
Paper - chalk cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders rectangles, unknown embossing folder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - unknown dove stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - toilet paper, chalk cs, mixed media cs
Size - 5.25" square
Accessories - Sizzix embossing folder, blue Magicals, clear embossing powder, MFT pierced square frame, TH peace die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - unknown Christmas script stamp, Stampabilities sentiment
Ink - gold and white ink
Paper - gold shimmer cs, black cs, vellum
Size - A2
Accessories - snowflake stencil, gesso, white embossing powder, white acrylic paint, fun foam