A Fun Challenge

When I saw Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge this week, it didn't throw me for a loop the way it sometimes does. Instead, I almost immediately had something in mind.

First of all, I love red and blue. When my boys were little, I "color coded" them. My dark-haired, brown-eyed child was frequently dressed in red, and his younger brother, a blue-eyed boy with a mop of blond curls, donned blue a good part of the time. Often, their clothing matched with the exception of the color. That lasted until they reached school age, although I don't think we got quite that far before they started complaining about it. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, and I shudder to recall some of the "discussions" we had about clothing prior to their becoming adults. I suffered through some rather distasteful stages, allowing them to express their individuality . . . so long as it remained what I deemed "decent."

Back to my card, the flower in the "Treasures of the Heart" stamp set is all-time favorite for dry embossing with a stamped image (directions below). As for the rest of the card, it pretty much explains itself. Bright and cheerful, it's one that makes me smile.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Moonstruck, and Cranberry cardstock; Route 66 paper packet; Moonstruck and Cranberry ink pads; Treasures of the Heart stamp set; Just Blooms White Daisy Variety Pack; Red mini brads; Yellow big brad; Embossing tool; Sanding block; 3M mounting tape.

How to Emboss a Stamped Image: Stamp your image on colored white-core cardstock using any ink color that you will be able to see clearly. Place your stamped piece on the sheet of foam that comes with your stamp set, a piece of fun foam, or your Coluzzle cutting mat (a surface with a little "give"). With an embossing tool (or dried up ballpoint pen), trace around your stamped images. When done, turn your piece over and sand, allowing the white-cored cardstock to show through. Finish your card.

And by the way, as much as I've been tempted by their coloring (a dark-haired, brown-eyed child and a blue-eyed, fair-haired boy) and the fact that I still love red and blue, I haven't color-coded the grandchildren. Should I be blessed with a granddaughter someday, however, I'm thinking that, regardless of her coloring, I'll be buying a lot of pink . . . at least for a while.