Sunset Meadow Birthday Card | ft. Distress Ink Blending

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; masculine cards are hard. And not just a little bit hard -- but like friggin' ridiculously difficult. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's because all the stamp sets I really like are very clearly for kids or for the ladies, I don't know. But having to do a masculine card is something I need to approach when I have zero distractions.

Maybe I'm wrong and guys actually do like the cute little critters and flowers and sparkles. Who knows?

Today I have a card that could work for both masculine and feminine recipients. The process behind this one is very easy, and can be duplicated with nearly any palette you have in mind.

To begin, I prepped a piece of Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock with my powder tool. You could also use an old make up brush and some kitchen flour.

I used a solid floral stamp from Inkadinkado "Meadow" stamp set with VersaMark ink along the bottom of the panel. It wasn't quite wide enough, so I reinked and moved the stamp over to get the best coverage along the bottom.

I then heat embossed that with ultra-fine black embossing powder to create what will be the silhouette.

I then cut a round mask for where I wanted my sun to be, and then used Distress Inks to create a sunset sky. I started with Scattered Straw around the sun, then with Dried Marigold, Worn Lipstick, Seedless Preserves, Faded Jeans and then Chipped Sapphire. To get a seamless blend but still retain each colour's definition I recommend working back and forth between the colours with an incredibly light hand.

I then removed the mask and filled in the sun with Antique Linen and faded out with the Scattered Straw.

I popped the greeting up on foam tape to give some dimension and adhered the whole thing on a standard A2 sized card base.

When working with Bristol cardstock a little bit of ink goes a long way, so if this is a cardstock you are unfamiliar with, give yourself some time to practice before starting on your actual piece.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own. Don't forget to follow me over on the right sidebar so you don't miss out on any future posts. Toss me a line in the comments section below and let me know what you think.