I had the hardest time deciding which new PaperTrey set to "sneak peek" today! When I played with my first set I was sure that it was my pick--until I played with the second set, and then the third set. (You get the picture!) So I am sharing a very simple card tonight and showing you a couple of tricks that I thought enhanced it.
Incidentally, I am so glad that we have some GUY sets this month! My husband asked me for a birthday card this morning; as many cards as I make, I did not have one suitable male-birthday card ready. This set should help with that problem!
First, some hints on inking the duck. I Googled "brown wood duck," thinking that I remembered such a creature from reading science books with my son. I found him, but he was quite the colorful character! I scrolled on down and found that his non-breeding plumage was much drabber and simpler to replicate. So I chose some Versamagic Dew Drops for my duck image: Sahara Sand, Gingerbread, and Mango Madness. I love using Versamagic Dew Drops with acrylic stamps because I get such good coverage, paired with a rich matte finish. (You can click on pictures to enlarge, if you wish.)
I used my lighter colors first, the Sahara sand on his underside , breast, neck, and part of his head, and the mango madness on his bill.
I then added the darker Gingerbread color to the top of his body and stamped him on PaperTrey Stamper's Select White cardstock. (In real life, the difference between the browns is a little more pronounced.)
On the cattails I decided to use flocking. (Mine is camel color from CHF, and I found a caramel latte at Ellen's store.) I stamped the reeds in PaperTrey Spring Moss, then used Versamagic Gingerbread for the cattail stems and Jumbo Java for the cattail heads, then Aquatic Splash for water circles.
Next I used a Sakura Quickie Glue pen to apply glue to the cattail heads. (Work quickly, dumping a generous amount of flocking on each one as soon as you get the glue on, then gently pressing it on. The glue dries quickly!) I emptied the excess flocking off and back into the jar. (It takes so little that you might have some left to will your grandchildren, but it's a cool effect!)
Here's what the finished cattail heads looked like. (I still needed to brush some of the excess flocking off of the lower part of the picture!) These are very simple steps, but they add to the card. Don't forget to check out Nichole's final sneak peek! Hope to meet you at the release party at the PaperTrey forum at 10:00pm EST tonight, April 14. Thanks for visiting!
