Saturday, September 5, 2015

Watercooler Challenges - Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #32

The Watercooler Blog Challenges have moved to a new day and have a new title.  The challenges will now run from Wednesday to Monday and are called "Watercooler Wednesdays Challenges".  

I'm looking forward to playing along with these weekly challenges and I think you will too.  I'm challenging all of my stamping friends to join in the fun and participate in these weekly challenges.  Tell them Penny sent you.
  
Okay let's get down to business. The wonderfully talented Kath Rick's is starting off this Watercooler Wednesday challenge with her awesome sketch WWCM#32: 
Here's My Card:
I have another male birthday coming up soon, so it was the perfect opportunity to use the Watercooler Wednesday sketch to make a masculine card.  

Originally I planned to use my retired In the Wild stamp set for the images and the Go Wild DSP Paper stack for the mat layers, however all that changed.  Why?  Well, while I was doing some test stamping and checking the ink density and image clarity on the Tip Top Taupe card stock my plan took a bend in the road.  I enjoyed stamping all the animals and a beautiful pattern began emerging from my random stamping.  It didn't take me long to figure out I wanted to use the sample instead of the DSP.  Don't you just love when those unexpected things happen?  It's the a-ha moment, personified!


A 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Early Espresso and a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Very Vanilla card stocks were adhered to the inside of the card.  Another giraffe image was stamped in Early Espresso ink and a sentiment from the retired "Full of Life" stamp set was added. 
Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Gorgeous Grunge, In the Wild (R), Full of Life (R)
Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Tip Top Taupe
Ink:  Versa Mark, Early Espresso, Tip Top Taupe
Accessories:  Lots of Labels Framelits, Trimmer, Big Shot, Bo Chic TIEF,  Two brass brads, dimensionals, Tom Bow glue, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Gun 
The animal images were stamped randomly with Early Espresso ink on Tip Top Taupe card stock on a 4" x 5" piece.  After stamping I cut the larger piece into two pieces measuring 1 1/2" x 4" for the top mat and 3 3/4" x 4" for the bottom mat.  I've been dying to use my new Lots of Labels Framelit dies since they arrived last week, so this was a perfect opportunity to work with them. Each layer is separated with dimensionals.
Two small gold brads I'd recycled from another project were place in the center top and bottom of the Early Espresso layer.  I stamped the "happy birthday" sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Versa Mark Ink and embossed it with Gold Embossing powder  on a piece of Tip Taupe Top card stock.  I've never been able to part with my small retired oval punch so I hauled it and the Large Oval Punch out and layered the sentiment with dimensionals before adding it to the bottom corner of the card front.
I stamped the speckled image from Gorgeous Grunge in Tip Top Taupe ink and then again with Versa Mark ink on the top and bottom panels and the background of the smaller label and then embossed them with Gold Embossing Powder. What a difference this makes!  The embossed gold specks add the right amount of life to the images. Before adhering the top stamped mat, I wrapped it a couple of times with gold thread.  Once again this small addition added more interest and life to the images.  

For the card's focal point I stamped the giraffe from In the Wild in Early Espresso ink on the smaller label.  I sponged the edges of all the layers and mats with Tip Top Taupe ink.  When I was finished I felt that the giraffe image looked a little flat, so I stamped a second giraffe with Versa Mark ink on a scrap of Tip Top Taupe card stock, heat embossed it with Early Espresso Embossing Powder and BAM! the image really popped off the page. I fussy cut the second image and mounted it over the original giraffe using small strips of dimensionals. 
 
 I hope you enjoyed this challenge and my masculine card and perhaps you'll join in the fun and enter your own creation for this challenge, you've still got time.
Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens



17 comments:

paper bag create said...

Love this masculine card and it was fun watching you add the little details to finish the card. Great Saturday creating. :)

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Sheri. I'm glad you were there watching this card evolve. It sure went in different directions from start to finish,but that's the fun of it!

Heidi Weaver said...

Where to begin, Penny... What a stunning card! You certainly embraced the opportunity to use those Lots of Labels! Love the results. The gold heat embossing, the animals stamped randomly in the background, the colours--everything works together and adds a touch that brings the card from a regular masculine card to a WOW card that could easily be given to anyone. Thanks so much for supporting our Watercooler Wednesday challenge and for inviting your friends. You rock!

Jackie said...

Penny, what a wonderful card! So many layers to create interest and I like that fact that you made a masculine card. LOVE the smattering of gold embossing to lift the card to another level. Thank you so much for playing along with our Wednesday Watercooler challenge!

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Jackie for your comments on my card. One can always use masculine cards, and the fellow that's getting this card loves Africa and in fact is going back next year, so this card fits him to a T.

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Heidi for your awesome comment. Much appreciated. Because the Watercooler Design team is such an awesome group,and so supportive, I really wanted to give back by encouraging some of the great gals that I stamp with to pick up the banner and do some challenges. So far three have joined in and are enthusiastic about future challenges. Have a great long weekend!

Bev said...

Amazing! Glad you took the "bend in the road" with this one. Interesting a giraffe is featured as I've been playing around with a punch art giraffe for a niece. Anyhoo ... love what you ended up with and thanks for challenging your friends to join us!

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks for your comments Bev. That is funny. Giraffes seem to be in vogue right now, not sure why, but I've seen a few cards and a scrapbook page actually featuring the same stamp set.

Marsha Reed said...

Fantastic card, Penny! I love all the layers. Thanks for joining us at the Watercooler Wednesday challenge. Marsha DT @ WWC

Created by Kath said...

Penny, wonderful use of the sketch, I love when the unexpected turns out so awesome! Kath

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Kath for your comment. Yes don't you like those twists and turns. This card went in such a different direction from how I first visualized it.

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Marsha. I loved the layers too. The Lots of Labels Framelits were fun to use and just gave the card a bit of a changeup.

Anonymous said...

Very nice card, Penny. I love all the extra "details" you added. Thanks for playing along!

Anonymous said...

I love this card, Penny. The love the gold splatters all over the background. The giraffe is so cute. Thanks for participating in our challenge! I hope you see you next week!

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks for the comment Buffy, appreciated!

Penny Hanuszak said...

Thanks Susan for your comments on my card. Glad you loved the giraffe and the splatters. I think they both worked out well for the card design.

Heather Hopson said...

Penny, your card is beautiful I love your design, see you are teaching us all to think out of the box. You inspire us all, and love your detailed instructions.

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