QUACKY BIRTHDAY

I am drawn to stamp sets that feature animals, whether they're silly or realistic. Because of the presence of a very sketchy fox and a pair of mallards, I needed to have this Sale-A-Bration set in my arsenal.

For this card, I chose to highlight the mallard ducks in a very simple, fairly masculine setting. I wanted it to be a CAS (Clean and Simple) card, meaning it features lots of white space and not too much going on in the card.

To add to the masculine feel of the card, I cut a strip of woodgrain Designer Series Paper and used the lined folder of the Stripes andd Splatters Embossing Folders to add texture and maybe a more real feel to the "wood".

Below you can see a closeup of the "wood" and how well it complements the ducks.

After stamping the mallards in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I used Stampin' Blends to color them in as realistically as possible, using photos of actual mallards to do so.

I love the sketchy look of this ducky pair. It adds so much more interest than if they'd been sketched without the extra lines.

The only dimension on this card comes from the slightly elevated piece containing the ducks with the help of Stampin' Dimensionals and then the two mallard green rhinestones that flank the simple sentiment.

Following is a tutorial on how to make a card similar to this one.

SUPPLIES:

White cardstock

Woodgrain Designer Series Paper

Itty Bitty Greetings (unfortunately retired)

Stylish Sketches (from the most recent Sale-A-Bration)

Stampin' Blends in:

     Light and Dark Crumb Cake

     Light and Dark Soft Succulent

     Dark Daffodil Delight

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Die cutting/embossing machine

Tasteful Labels dies (retired)

Stripes and Splatters Embossing Folders (page 177, Annual Catalog)

Green rhinestones

Stampin' Dimensionals

DIRECTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Cut a 1 3/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Woodgrain Designer Series Paper that coordinates well with the colors you will use in your ducks. Emboss it using the stripes folder of the Stripes and Splatter Embossing Folders.

Adhere this strip to the card base about 1/2" - 3/4" from the right edge.

On a 2 1/2" square of white carstock, stamp the male and female mallard ducks from the Stylish Sketches stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Color the ducks as desired.

Use the appropriate die from the Tasteful Labes set (or any other label die that you have that will nicely frame your couple) to die cut the ducks. Use Stampin' Dimensionals to add this over the wood look strip about 1" - 1 1/4" from the bottom.

In black ink, stamp the sentiment on a strip of white cardstock that measures 1/2" x 1 3/4". I used the sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings (or use any other sentiment that will fit the occasion and the label). Add this flat onto the wood strip, so it lands about 1/2" from the bottom,.

To finish it off, add green rhinestones on either side of the sentiment. If you don't have green rhinestones, you can always color a couple of Basic Rhinestones with Stampin' Blends to match.

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We are united with all life that is in nature. 

Man can no longer live his life for himself alone.

- Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) -

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Quacky

Smiles.