Card - St. Patrick's Day Birthday

I made these two cards for a friend who requested special cards for a relative that celebrates her birthday on March 17th.  I started with the Spellbinder A2 Ribbon Threader die which cut some DSP by Echo Park - For the Record2 - Damask - this is the flip side.  It gave me some illusion of movement with it's diagonal lines.  I trimmed the holes at the bottom of the die which here is the right hand side.  I then found this wonderful soft green image of a shamrock wreath to which I added the greeting then color printed it.  I added notches on the corners with a punch.  I had some mint colored seam binding which was too clear a color for the rest of the card so I colored it with Tim Holtz Bundled Sage Distress Stain to give it some warmth in color.  I ran one length through the slots and taped the ends to the back.  Then, I pulled a second piece through behind the first one and tied a nice soft bow.  I found a card in the coordinating green but it still needed something.  I decided to add a layer of DSP by Basic Grey - Porcelain - Chintz which supported the warm greens in the rest of the card.  This layer was adhered to the card, then the ribbon threader then the wreath was added with 3D foam tape.

How To: Ink Spot Background

Here's a tutorial on how to make Ink Spot Backgrounds with Tim Holtz Distress Stains. I used Broken China, Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage.

You must protect your work space not just the surface as you will see from my note. I had ink on the walls.
Select your colors that coordinate or work with your theme.  I think this paper will make nice baby cards. You must strike the paper quite firmly.  Do a test on a scrap first if you need to. Spread your spots around the paper randomly.  This for some will be the most challenging.  Have fun!!

This would be a great activity with kids. They can then make projects (cards) with their paper. The paper takes about 10 minutes to dry.  The ink goes a lot way.

TH Distress Stains - Christmas Colors

I'm working on the April Christmas Card Challenge so I decided to see how the colors from the Tim Holtz Distress Stains collection would work together.  I had paired them in my mind and had to change the combos a bit.
I've decided to pair these top and bottom. The vintage colors set on the left, traditional colors in the centre then an alternative color combo on the right.