Becoming less socially distant - Day 1

So everything is cancelled, and we're just home forever, or at least until the dire threat of dread disease passes.  And you would think that with all of this time on my hands, all gigs off, and work scarce this week, that it would be prime time for crafting.  And you would be right about that.  But amidst all my craft room organization tasks, and the millions of things I have to play with, I still need something to focus on - a project, a goal.  Enter letter writing.  Remember that?  And why not, while I'm at it, look at those pieces of cards lying on my table, the backgrounds I'm going to use some day, the techniques I'm trying to get better at, the new stamps I want to use, and make a daily card and send it to a friend I miss seeing in these days of isolation.  Okay, here goes...

Stamp:  Ornate Background by Simon Says Stamp
Sentiment:  Little Halo Hello by Poppystamps

I love this background stamp.  Months and months ago, I stamped it a bunch of times in a bunch of ways just to have pieces ready:  white embossed on white card stock, gold embossed on black cardstock, Versamark ink on white with pan pastels over top, etc.  This version is black ink with clear embossing on bristol paper, I think.  I used my watercolor markers to highlight a portion of the design and stopped there.  I don't know if I planned to come back to it and keep coloring, but this is how I found it.

The other morning, I watched a Jennifer McGuire video where she was demonstrating a technique with alcohol inks - a product I don't own, and don't really intend to explore, even if the results are stunning.  In one of the cards she made, she used a colorful, busy background, and just added a die-cut sentiment, with only a little more embellishment to make a lovely card.  And I thought, hey, I have a million background stamps, and a million sentiment dies, let's give it a go.

I took my possibly unfinished background, decided to use a Hello sentiment die I've had for over a year and not touched, and went crazy and broke out some metallic paper and even some tiny gems (so on-trend.  Yes, I am).  I learned something important about my metallic paper:  it's too thin to manage if you don't mount it on cardstock first - excellent lesson, especially since I've owned that paper pad for years and not used it before either.  It took three tries, but I eventually got a dark pink, metallic Hello that I didn't tear.

I really like how my card turned out.  I need to work a bit on gem placement, but the relative simplicity suits my style, and I succeeded in my goal of using bits and pieces of my stash.  And I even wrote the letter and put it in the mail!

What are you doing to stay busy?