Nature Boy

Ever since participating in their Banksy challenge, I'm hooked on Daring Cardmakers! This week's challenge is Krafty: use kraft paper as well as 3 natural items. I also adore Cards for Men, and chose Ground for their "G is for..." challenge. I used the decidedly hip swirl stamps from the Raisin Boat Make a Splash set. The star of this show, of course, is Skate Board Edward from Tellen's Place Designs. Love this guy! He reminds me of summer.

For my "natural items" I grabbed a couple of small leaves from the yard (Hurricane Irene made that easy; I think they're Maple & Mulberry), put them in the freezer for a few hours (to kill bugs), dried them out with my heat tool (with only some burning), then sprayed them with hairspray to set. I made the cork button by slicing up one of my long-hoarded wine corks, adding holes & eyelets with my Crop-O-Dile. I sewed it on with baker's twine, which I'm hoping was made with "natural" cotton and dyes (I'd've used hemp twine if I'd had it)!

Inspiration:
Daring Cardmakers: Feeling Krafty (plus 3 natural items)
Cards for Men Challenge #18: G is for... (Ground)

Stamps: SB Edward 2 by Tellen's Place Designs, Make a Splash set from Raisin Boat
Paper: Recollections, Hammermill
Tools: Fiskars papercutter & deckle scissors, Martha Stewart scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, hole punch, Marvy heat tool & punch, Crop-O-Dile
Other: Versamark & Memento inks, ZipDry & Tacky glues, stash eyelet, stash baker's twine, Recollections embossing powders, Sutter Home cork, stash eyelets, leaves, hairspray
Copic markers: RV11, E13, E33, E11, E31, E35, E47, C-1, C-5, C-7, BG49, BG15, BG10, FYG1

"If Graffiti changed anything it would be illegal"

I was so excited to see the "Inspired by Banksy" challenge at Daring Cardmakers. If you're not familiar with Banksy, he's a graffiti artist out of Britain. His work isn't always easy to look at, but it's as powerful as any social satirist's. Be sure to check out the incredible DT & challenge projects.

My husband & I spent a nice bit looking at some of Banksy's work online, and he gave me the following suggestion for color theme: "Slightly militaristic...greens & browns...can you do a shiny black?" You know I can, Baby! 

I decided to make a card and then add the slightly satirical "graffiti". I designed the stencils in SCAL and cut them onto adhesive masking paper with my Cricut. I made the base card first, then added the stencils separately. The dog is inked with black ink (using a paper towel), then sprayed with Frost glimmer mist. The sentiment was inked the same way, but then inked again with watermark ink & heat-embossed in (shiny!) black.

The base card was inspired by Sketch n Stash. For their requirement to use "your newest or neglected stash", I pulled out my long-neglected decorative tape. Humph, that stuff isn't as easy to use as one might think! But I love it. I also pulled out this "Hello Friend" sentiment embossing folder that I haven't used since purchasing.

"Hello Friend" is dry-embossed with the Sizzix Boutique on Core'dinations paper, and sanded to bring out the sentiment.
The blue-green and brown ribbons are colored with Copics. I used the dog-shaped mask & a scrap to create the inside. I sprayed it with glimmer mist, after edging the message section with black ink.

Inspiration:
Daring Cardmakers: Inspired by Banksy
Sketch n Stash Challenge #68

Stencils: Begging Dog from Zazzle, Good Foot font by PizzaDude
Paper: Core'dinations
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Cricut, SCAL, Marvy heat tool, Tim Holtz paper distresser & scissors, Sizzix Texture Boutique & embossing plate, Inkadinkado stamp masking paper, sandpaper, paper towel
Other: Tattered Angels glimmer chalk spray (Frost), ZipDry glue, Versamark & Memento inks, Stampendous embossing powder, decorative tape from Michael's, Offray & Celebrate It! ribbon
Copics: BG49, E47