What's Black and White and Red All Over?

Here's an oldie for you?  What's Black and White and Red all over? Why, an embarrassed zebra of course! I don't know if animals blush.  I've heard it said that Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to!

For our As You See It Challenge this week, the theme is animals!  What fun!

I got out my Zoo Review stamp set and picked ... you guessed it, a Zebra!  And a black and white colour scheme, with a little pop of Crushed Curry.  I was really thinking African!  The circle of life and all that!

• Look at that DSP from the Kaleidoscope collection!  Is that perfect or what?  It has stripes like a zebra and it's black and white!
• I stamped the Zoo Review Zebra in StazOn Jet Black and the grasses from Wetlands stamp set in Crushed Curry for a little bit of colour.
• The Natural 5/8" Chevron ribbon is found in the Occasions catalogue.  I would sure like to see that stick around in the new Annual Catalogue!

• The Antique Brad makes a perfect embellishment for the overall African design of the card.
• The sentiment, from Petite Pairs, is a little humorous on this card.  The zebra looks like he could be saying this to the recipient of the card.

Contest

I can't seem to think of anything very profound to say today, so I'll leave you with a reminder to enter my Retired List Contest.  If you're a Canadian resident, send me an email  (hcooper52@gmail.com) listing 10 stamp sets that you think Stampin' Up! will be retiring this year.  The person with the most correct answers will win a $25 gift certificate.  The contest closes at 8 pm PDT on Sunday, April 20.  The Retired List comes out the next morning, Monday, April 21st.  

This year, BOTH stamps and other products on the Retired List will only be available while supplies last.  Make sure you get your orders in promptly so you aren't disappointed!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Product List

128769	122199	126695	126697	128706	122497
132995	121045	131199	100730	101406	131173
132982	117273

Hybrid African Valentine!!

I bet that title got your attention!  I'm not talking about hybrid species here, I'm talking about hybrid Valentines, which in the papercrafting world, means a card that is a combination of regular papercrafting and computer generated elements.  In this case the computer part was generated on My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up!'s digital papercrafting program.  The African part comes up because of the image I used from the Zoo Review stamp set.  What do you think?

I don't use MDS (My Digital Studio) a whole lot because I prefer the process and the result of creating cards with stamps and inks and real embellishments, but it really comes in handy in a case like today's card.

I wanted to use the Zoo Review lion image for my grandson's valentine card, but had no sentiment that would do it justice, so I went to MDS to create a flag with the custom sentiment you read here.  The result was perfect for my card.

• I started with a card base of Crushed Curry because I was looking for a "lion" yellow, but something bright enough to give an African look as well.  
• The Regal Collection Designer Series Paper Stack has this tiny chevron design in Crushed Curry, which I think really adds to the African ambience.
• The image was stamped twice, once in Crushed Curry and exactly over the top of it, Crumb Cake, just to get closer to the real colour and to give the image a definition that the plain yellow couldn't give. How did I get the images to match exactly?  Stamp-a-ma-jig!

• The Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon in Early Espresso makes another African-looking element to the card.
• The MDS banner was printed on my own ink-jet printer so the colours aren't exactly true, but they are close.  If you have Stampin' Up! print your projects you will get the exact colour matches.  You should give My Digital Studio a try. Did you know that you can get a 30 day MDS Free Trial version?
   

To purchase any of the products listed below used to make this project, simply click on the links which will take you directly to my On-Line Stampin' Up!  Store, where you can view the products and make a purchase if you like.  You can have it delivered right to your door!

• Zoo Review
• Zoo Review - Clear-Mount Stamp
• Regals Designer Series Paper Stack
• Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Early Espresso 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• MDS 2+ Download
• Early Espresso 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
• Ovals Collection Framelits Dies
• Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad
• Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

Giraffe Wars

The giraffe is proof that God has a sense of humour!  Such an odd animal, but generally quite graceful for its height!



I have always thought of giraffes as sweet, graceful and long-limbed, but violent??  I don't think so!  Yet here is evidence to the contrary:

                                                                                                                                                                           

Ouch!  That's gotta sting!


My card today is in response to The Paper Player's Clean and Simple Challenge # 163 this week:

Most kids love animals, so I got out the stamp set Zoo Review, another set that hasn't seen ink yet, and this is what I came up with:

• Originally, I thought to watercolour the giraffe with the Aqua Painter on Watercolour Paper, but it wasn't suitable for good quality watercolour because of the small designs.  Then I tried Blender Pen and marker, but it still wasn't working as well as I wanted.
• Then I decided to watercolour the background instead and leave the giraffe black and white.  I was happy with that look because it added to the Clean and Simple (CAS) look of the card.
• You're My Hero stamp set has a perfect font for a child's happy birthday  So I stamped that in Soft Suede.
• Knowing my own little grandsons, I was tempted to leave off any embellishments, knowing how they love to put everything in their mouths, but I thought brads and candy dots would work for an older child.

Stamps:  Zoo Review (w128769; c122199); You're My Hero (w130306; c130309)

Paper:  Watercolour Paper (122959); Soft Suede (115318), Very Vanilla (101650) and Crushed Curry (131199) cardstock

Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Soft Suede (126978) and Crushed Curry(131173); StazOn Jet Black (101406)

Embellishments:  Candy Dots Brad Bases (132293); Neutrals Collection Candy Dots (130934)

Tools:  Blender Pen (102845)