Let It Snow on the Penguins!!

Hello, Friends!

I'm back!  After my card making spree, I needed a bit of a rest!  So I took some time off to clean, organize and work on some other projects that you'll see here soon!  This past week, we've had company at our house and I didn't want to be rude by dragging out all of my crafting supplies and getting into my stamping zone!  Sometimes, I get so focused on what I'm doing that I miss whatever else is going on around me!   So I waited until I just couldn't wait to stamp anymore!

Today, I couldn't wait any longer and had to make a card!  There are so many great challenges and I had to jump in on them before they were over.  

   

The first challenge that inspired this card was the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge #258:  Penguins!  I love penguins, so I had to make a card for this challenge!  Freshly Made Sketches 307 provided the design for this card.  As you can tell from the sketch, I didn't follow it exactly, so you'd be able to read the words under those cute penguins.  

  

Speaking of words, I wasn't sure what I wanted this card to say, however Just Us Girls Week #413 challenge gave me the idea to use word die cuts on my card.  Because the penguins are all standing in a line in the show, I decided to use the words "Let It Snow" for my sentiment.  This was the first time I had used any of the dies on this card and the patterned paper.  This meant it also qualified for my dear friend, Darnell's NBUS Challenge #12.  Don't you just love the name "Never-Before-Used-Schtuff" that Darnell created?  

The actual card is pretty straightforward, although I will give you a tip!

I wanted to be sure my penguins really stood out from each other, knowing they'd be colored in grays and black Copic markers.  If you emboss first and then color with your Copics, it can mess up the tips, which are also called nibs.  I've read this and heard it on a video.  I haven't tried it myself, because if it's true, I didn't want to mess up my markers.  So I used a trick I learned that still allowed me to emboss those cute little penguins!  First, I stamped my penguins in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink using my MISTI.  When I was finished, I left the stamp on the MISTI.  I used Memento inks because they are Copic friendly, so I could easily color in my penguins.  Since I kept my stamp on the MISTI, after I was finished coloring, I stamped the same image on top of the first, this time with VersaMark Ink.  Then, I heat embossed the image with black embossing powder.  These embossed, raised, shiny outlines really made each penguin stand out.  I used a Clean Color Real Brush marker to make the sky.  I didn't color it in perfectly because I wanted it to look like a blue, but snowy sky.  I did move the ink around a little bit with my Clear Wink of Stella pen to make the sky sparkly.  Then, I colored in the snow under the penguins with the same  Wink of Stella pen to make the snow sparkly, too.  Unfortunately, the camera never picks up the sparkle, but it is there!

And with that, I'm back to stamping!  Making a card everyday isn't something my back will allow very well, so I'm hoping to post on my blog three times a week, some might be more, some might be less.  Either way, I am so thankful to have the strength to make each and every card I can!  

I hope you've enjoyed this card and that there will be many more to come!

Be sure to check my blog on Friday, October 6th!

I have a fun post to share with you that day!

I'm super excited for you to see one of the things 

I've been working on behind the scenes!!

Happy Stamping, Friends!

I used the following products to make this card:

Mimi's Christmas Stamp Set by Penny Black

Let It Snow Border and Everyday Sentiment Banners 

Lawn Cuts Dies by Lawn Fawn

Single Stitch Line Circle Frames Die-namics by My Favorite Things

Memento Tuxedo Black and VersaMark Ink Pads by Tsukineko

Copic Markers

Clean Color Real Brush Marker by Zig

Solar White Card Stock by Neenah

True Black Card Stock by Papertrey Ink

Electric Red Card Stock by My Favorite Things

Christmas Delivery 6 x 6 Paper Pad by Carta Bella

Black Opaque Embossing Powder by Zing

Clear Wink of Stella Marker by Zig