Groovy White Sands

Super quick post today, with a sort-of quick card. I started with this week's SCS color challenge, Groovy Guava, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White, and paired it with Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch #48 and some new Amy Smyth stamps by Inkadinkado. Coloring is with Copics, I masked the flowers and sponged Sahara Sand around the branches. The black speckling was done with my air art tool (when was the last time you used that thing?!) and a black Stampin' Up marker. I stamped a second branch, trimmed out the flowers and popped them up for some extra dimension. Frosted Lace Stickles are in the flower centers.

[Gerri K asked about the colored flower on the inside of the card, specifically whether I colored it with a Copic marker, and if so, did it bleed through. Yes, I used a Copic marker and no it didn't bleed through. The card base is Stampin' Up's Whisper White, which I have found very difficult to saturate -- a good thing when you don't want it to bleed through to the back, not so good when you're trying to color and blend. (I suspect it's because of the coating, which is what makes it so smooth for stamping.) Papertrey's Stamper's Select White would work well, too, because it's thick enough that you can do a light coloring without it bleeding through. The Papertrey card stock is my preferred card stock when I want a white card base, because it's thick, heavy, and will hold up to weighty layering and embellishing on the front. The only other white I have is the Georgia Pacific that you can get in reams at Wal-Mart for about $5. The bleed-through is really bad on that, plus the card stock itself is too flimsy for a card base. But it's great for coloring things that will be layered! The Copic color goes on nice and smooth with almost immediate saturation - and no streaking. (I know I said the other day I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart ... this card stock is one of a handful of products I will buy there, but only because I can't find them elsewhere).]

Funny story ... Monday afternoon, I took my daughter and niece a couple of hours down the road so they could spend the week with my parents. Yesterday morning, I headed back home earlyish, since dh was at home with my two boys waiting to go into work. Next thing I know, I'm getting pulled over for a speeding ticket (73 in a 55, yikes). I tried to make light of it with the officer telling him I must have gotten carried away with the freedom of not having three needy children as passengers and being able to blast my own music rather than I'm a Little Teapot, Froggy Went A-Courtin' and such. I think he *may* have chuckled ... right before he said, "Now just sign here, ma'am." (And I thought gas was expensive! Prepay on the ticket is more than $200!)