Happy Trails

Where does the time go?? Here it is, a week since I last posted. Sigh! I guess I'm not a very good blogger or maybe it is just that I'm too busy at this time of year with all of the end of the school year things going on. I guess that is the price we pay for having active kids but I'm so glad my boys are involved in positive, creative activities. As busy as it gets sometimes, I know I'm going to miss it when my older son graduates next year and is "out of the nest."

I made some time tonight to make a card for a guy in our office who is leaving to pursue other things. Oh, to be young again . . . I decided to make use of my Gina K. Out West set, which was designed by Theresa Momber. I haven't played with it yet despite the fact that I've had it for quite a while. This seemed like the perfect time to pull it out and play since it seems to work well for a male card and for someone who is heading off to new things. I was inspired by a beautiful card created by Theresa that you can see by clicking here.

This card was really a lot of fun to make. I incorporated a couple of fun techniques, including the foil embossing technique that was featured on Stamp TV recently. I used my paisley Cuttlebug folder on the foil and then went over the embossed image with some silver metallic rub-on paste. I have a real love/hate relationship with that paste! It makes things look so cool but I inevitably end up with it everywhere because it is hard to clean off your fingers and every time you touch something to which it has been applied, it comes off on your fingers again! (If anyone has tips for how to keep the paste for coming back off onto your fingers, I'd love to hear them!)

I also used the bandana technique on the small red square behind the main focal image. Using various stamps from several stamp sets (a paisley stamp, swirl, circle and circle flower) I randomly stamped them in black ink on the red paper. Then I used my white gel pen to outline, fill in and make dots until it looked like one of those red bandana handkerchiefs. Easy to do and it makes a really fun background paper, especially with this set.

The red card base is made from Stampin' Up Real Red paper as is the bandana paper. The black is Pure Luxury Black Onyx from Gina K. and the ivory paper on the front is also Gina K. Pure Luxury.

I stamped the images and sentiment with black memento ink and colored them with Copics. It is hard to tell in the photo but the cowboy hat was cut out and popped up with a Stampin' Up dimensional. I used the silver rub-on paste around the edges of the ivory paper to help it blend with the rest of the card a bit better. The "lasso" is made from some twine and the little metal tag embellishment is from a Stampin' Up Hodgepodge Hardware kit (I think it is one that is retired).

So, there you have it! A fun, fairly simple card that is perfect for a guy, or for anyone who likes cowboys, the west, etc. I'm really looking forward to playing with this set some more and to trying the foil embossing on other types of cards. My eleven year old son came into my craft room and saw what I had done with the foil and had to try it with some of my other Cuttlebug folders. You know it has to be a pretty cool technique when an eleven year old boy wants to play with it!! LOL! Some of them turned out really cool so I can't wait to incorporate them into my cards.

I hope you are having a beautiful, sunny day today like we are here in southern Wisconsin. Spring/summer has finally arrived and I am loving it! Too bad I have to be at work today. Oh, well, tomorrow morning my hubby and I leave for a long weekend in New York City for my birthday. Woo-hoo! I can't wait! Four days of being grown ups without kids tagging along.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!