For the third day in a row the morning has started with thick fog that seems to absorb every sound. Every sound apart of the call of the male pheasant standing in the middle of my front lawn that is! It also feels foggy inside my head and I fear I may be sickening for something. So perhaps I should stay in and relax like this llama from the Zany Zoo Stamp Set. Although joint issues mean I can’t knit anymore, I can still read and create my own bookmarks.

ZANY LLAMA

I began today’s project with a 2″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card. I wanted everything to have a soft, calming feel and so I selected Basic Gray ink rather than black for my stamping. Then from the Zany Zoo Stamp Set I chose the knitting llama image which is perfect for tall narrow layers.

After stamping the llama onto the card I began to colour the image using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. Although these are designed to blend I kept things really simple and started by colouring the knitting and wool ball with dark Daffodil Delight. For the chair I used dark Balmy Blue for the whole thing. Then I coloured over everything but the valance with the same marker to make that part slightly darker. Finally I used a similar technique with dark Gray Granite on the llama’s arms and legs, but used twice to create darker hooves.

Next I turned my attention to the background and I started by using a dark Petal Pink Stampin’ Blends to scribble some ‘ground’ beneath the chair. Now my llama no longer seemed to be floating in mid-air. Then I used a Blending Brush to add a light layer of Azure Afternoon ink over the rest of the card strip.

By now I had created a layer that would be perfect for a card front. Instead I added a hole at the top using the slot option on the Very Best Trio Punch. After cutting two 6″ pieces of Gray Granite twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack I folded them in half. Then I poked the loops through the slot and threaded the cut ends through the loops. Finally I pulled gently to secure the twine in place.

At this point I thought that I’d be ready to tuck the bookmark into my book but as I looked at the llama she just seemed unfinished. Then as I stared at her face I realised her features were a bit boring. So it was back to the Stampin’ Blends. Using the dark Petal Pink I added a touch of colour to her cheeks. I followed this with dark Balmy Blue on her eyelids. At last she was ready to face the world, and I was ready to curl up with my Patricia Cornwell novel.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I boughts the Zany Zoo Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating Zany Zoo Dies (not used today). Using the single bundle item number to get these two items meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying them separately. For this reason I’ve included a link to the bundle below in case you want to explore this option. Don’t forget that until June 30th 2023 (while stocks last) you can order the coordinating Zoo Crew Designer Series Paper pack at 15% off.