21 cards - #30

Hi friends.  I just can't stop!  But I guess that's a good thing.  This is another page to add to the cards I've been making for January's monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  This post shows how I made the base for my cards.

Today I happened across an old Take Ten magazine from 2008, and while browsing through it, I found a fun technique that uses spray starch and pearl ex, so I decided to use it on my background.  I used super russet pearl ex.  The one thing I did differently is not start with black card stock.  It was a very cool background, but it just wasn't working for me - way too much shimmery stuff.  I'm just not a girl who likes a lot of glitz.  So, I pulled out my gesso wash and went over it with that, leaving the color without the shimmer. 

I also came across this Irish blessing that I liked, so I decided to use that.  I printed it out, die cut and embossed it with spellbinders labels seventeen and then sponged creamy caramel ink over the edges while the paper was still in the die.  I also stamped a bird (birds galore - Inkadinkado) in creamy caramel right over the words. 

I die cut another of the same shape in black and just cut strips from the edges to use as an accent.  I used a white gel pen to add dots. 

I wanted some flowers in the corner, but didn't want to hunt for some paper the right color, so I brushed some dusty rose acrylic paint over a scrap of card stock, let it dry, and punched out a bunch of flowers.  I sponged vintage photo distress ink on the petals and glued two flowers together, plus a smaller one in black and then added white gel pen dots in the centers.  The leaves are punched from certainly celery card stock. 

Thank you for stopping by.