Team Challenge--Black and White

Having received yet another little envelope with bits and pieces, I was happy to get my black-and-white card making on.  To tell the truth, I have admired many black-and-white cards, but I don't believe I have ever succeeded in making one.  Starting out with the best intentions to remain sleek and classy, I somehow always end up going technicolor all over it.  However, having received several pieces of the new "Back to Black" Designer Series Paper along with some of the gorgeous silver 5/8" satin ribbon, I was determined try again.  JUST black and white.  Ok, with just a tiny pop of color.

I saw the paper with the little raindrops and immediately thought "April showers bring May flowers."

And I have the perfect little flowers in need of some rain...


Step one, cut out a window using the Labels Collection Framelits.  Put on your ribbon, tie a nice bow, but hold off from taping onto the Whisper White card base 'til after your stamping is done.  Just mark with a pencil where exactly your frame will be on the card, so you can center your words.  

The sentiment is from the fabulously versatile "Crazy About You" set, stamped in Rich Razzleberry.

I used three stamps from the "Sheltering Tree" set to make the grassy hill and flowers.  (Did you know that the little grass blades line up perfectly with the six little blobs to make cute little flowers?)

On a Whisper White card base, make your hillside.  The grass is in Wild Wasabi.  Stamp off once to get the hill lighter, and stamp the little stems full strength.   I used Rich Razzleberry ink for the flowers, but stamped twice each time before inking up again, to get light and dark blossoms.  

Once your stamping is done, erase your pencil marks and tape the designer paper onto the card base.

My second card is here.  I just love the little "chicken feet" pattern.  Okay, it looks more like tulips, but it'll always be cute little chicken feet to me.  Step, peck, step, peck.  Silly.

Same set of Labels framelits, but this time I used two consecutive sizes.

Best way to line up the frames:  
Cut your DSP to 3-3/4" x 5", and a piece of Basic Black to 3-7/8" x 5-1/8".   Cut the label frame out of the center of the DSP with your Big Shot first.  Then, tape the DSP on top of your black.  Now, taking the framelit one size smaller, center it on your layered paper, and run through the Big Shot again.  

The flower, leaves and sentiment are from the "Bloom With Hope" stamp set.  Again, before you tape the DSP to the card base, just mark where your window is.  The sentiment is not centered in the window, but pushed up towards the northeast.  Stamp your leaves in Stazon and color with Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz markers.  Erase your pencil marks, and tape the layers onto the base.

The flower is stamped on scrap paper and colored in Melon Mambo*.  Use water color paper with your Aqua Painters or Blending Pens to get a watercolor effect, if you like. After fussy cutting the flower, I decided to give it a more distinct shadow at the back, so I layered it onto a scrap of black, and fussy cut a thin outline on the southwest half of the flower.  The flower is popped up on dimensionals at the front, but because of the added layers, I only used some glue dots at the back to give it a more level height. 

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* I used my Blendabilities, but as they have sadly been discontinued, if you don't have them, the same effect can be had with Melon Mambo/Strawberry Slush/Pink Pirouette and a blender pen, or by watercoloring with just Melon Mambo.