Sunday, June 7, 2009

Skunked ...

You know how I mentioned the other evening how with the Happy Camper set I'd acquired my first skunk stamp? Well, I no more than finished my post when Marv asked, "What's that smell?" Sure enough. The odor wafting in the breeze through our open windows was the smell of skunk! Cute as the stamp is, the smell of a real skunk is most unpleasant, and thus, we quickly closed the windows and suffered in stuffiness for a couple of hours until the odor dissipated. What a coincidence!

Now, about my card, to get the skunk to sit on the log, I had to mask him, and in the process, discovered a new masking material. While reaching for the Post-It note that I usually use for masking, a package of Avery 4x3-inch removable labels fell off the shelf. Having purchased them in error (I needed permanent labels), they'd been sitting on the shelf for a long time. As I reached to put them back, it dawned on me that they might work for masking, too. I stamped my image, cut it out and found that not only did my new mask work well, it is one that can be used again. When I was done, I just stuck it to the back of the stamp set's carrier sheet where it will stay stuck until the next time I need it. Cool!

I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits. If you're thinking that cutting around the skunk's tail was clever, I have to tell you doing so was the result of a happy accident. When I went to mat my stamped image, I found the image was too wide to look good on my card base. Thus, I used my paper trimmer to carefully cut down to the top of the tail and up to its bottom and then trimmed around the part of the tail that would extend off the side with my scissors. Make sense? Embellishments include a little paper flower held in place by a white Bitty Brad and a punched button that I sewed to the card with crochet cotton.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Indian Corn Blue, Sunflower, and Sweet Leaf cardstock; Magic Moments paper packet; Black ink pad; The Cat's Pajamas Happy Camper stamp set; Just Blooms Summer Posies Collection; White Bitty Brad; Martha Stewart Embossed Button punch; White crochet cotton; Needle; Black My Legacy Writer.

I have more energy today, although yes, Jeanne, I think you might be right about our crazy weather affecting the way I feel ... both physically and mentally. Overcast skies day after day are a real downer, and it's cool and damp, which seems to bring on a variety of aches and pains. Regardless of the weather, Marv went to the golf course, and so, for now, I've got the house to myself ... meaning I should get busy! Cleaning is so much easier and much less annoying when he's not here. Dusting around the big lout stretched out in his recliner and having to duck as not to get in the way of the television screen bugs the heck out of me. Ah, marital bliss. LOL. Ya know I love 'im anyway! I'll have at least one more card to show you later, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop back. In the interim, take care and enjoy the day!

6 comments:

Sharli Schaitberger said...

Oh my Goodness - how "STANKIN" cute! (to quote a friend of ours!). I do love the skunk, and it's very clever how you sat him on the log, and left his tail to hang off the image (such an interesting detail!). I will have to try re-positionable labels - the think I love about post it notes is the sticky edge . . . but it's a pretty small area! And if the labels will hold up to multiple uses, well, they might be a real winner! Thanks for the tip - and try to not clean TOO much!

Alanna said...

So cute. Sorry that you had to deal with a real skunk. This one's much cuter and probably doesn't smell. :) Good tip too about the Avery labels for masking. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Sparkplug17 said...

This little guy is so cute! I love the sentiment.

Sarah said...

OMGosh I just about BUSTED UP at that sentiment.... Then again that you guys were smelling a real skunk!
That card is just darling!
If the day brings blue skies and sunshine, I am happy and relaxed....If it is overcast and raining I have a serious case of the blahs!
(Once a Dr called it SAD... HA HA yeah I am sad it is yucky outside!
Oh you mean Seasonal Affective Disorder..sorry.)
:-)

Deborah Young said...

I have to agree with Sharli....stankin' cute! Good lord - I cannot believe that skunky showed up inside your house and outside your door - such a fun story!

Jeanne said...

Wow! LOVE this card! Love the skunk, the papers, the flower, every little thing! Great tips, too. I love the masking one and will be on the lookout for those labels. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to hear about the skunk smell, but how funny it happened as/after you made this card!

I had never smelled skunk before I moved to CO. Our dog, Critter, had been outside doing his business and came back in and plopped down beside me on the couch. I kept smelling something awful, but I didn't know what it was, until Steve came back in the room. He realized Critter had been sprayed! Ewwwwwwww! PU! That was my introduction to the skunk odor. LOL