I’m a cat person. There I’ve said it. I had a variety of pets as a child, dogs, cats, rabbits etc. But I love the individuality and personality of cats. We currently have Houdini (who’s just popped into the craft room to remind me I haven’t given him breakfast…). He’s a sweet black cat, 11 years old now, but still spritely enough to catch the occasional mouse. Last month right in the middle of my 24 cards in 24 hours challenge Houdini caught me unawares and brought a live mouse into the house. He then dropped it, went for a drink and stretched out on the floor while I chased his ‘friend’ around the dining room. I eventually trapped the mouse under a large empty ice-cream tub and it was carefully released outside later. When I finally returned to my challenge I just couldn’t help making this card…

PAMPERED PETS

This is a really simple design and I began with Thick Very Vanilla Card. After cutting and scoring the card using my Paper Trimmer, I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Next I cut two pieces of Very Vanilla Card, each one 4″ x 5-1/4″ and prepared to stamp.

First I chose the “Plot Twist” sentiment from the Lighthearted Lines Stamp Set. Using VersaMark ink I stamped it onto one of the Very Vanilla pieces. Then I sprinkled the sticky ink with black Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. After removing a few stray specks I melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

Now I was ready for the images from the Pampered Pets Stamp Set. This time I’d need to stamp each image twice in the same place, so I brought in my Stamparatus stamp platform to help me.

I started by putting the sentiment piece in the corner of the platform. Then I placed the mouse image onto the card just below the sentiment while the cat sat above it. Next I closed the hinged plate to pick up the two images, then opened it so I could ink them up with Tuxedo Black ink. Finally I closed the hinged plate again and opened it to reveal the stamped images.

Now I was ready to colour the cat and mouse, but it was important to leave the stamps on the hinge plate. All I needed to do was clean off the ink with a Simply Shammy as I’d be coming back to them later.

BLACK ON BLACK

To colour the images I used Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. I chose Basic Black for the cat and Smoky Slate for the mouse. As I expected, the black hid a lot of the detail on the cat but I had a plan.

Once the colouring was complete I placed the card back onto the Stamparatus platform in exactly the same place as before. Now I inked up the cleaned stamps with VersaMark ink and stamped on top of the original cat and mouse. After removing the card from the Stamparatus I then embossed the images with black Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Suddenly all the details that had been lost by the black colouring were back.

TIP – I’ve found that using alcohol markers on embossed images can affect the shine of the embossing. So this is why I stamp and colour first, and then add the embossing as the final step.

Once the embossing had cooled I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to attach the completed layer to the front of the card base.

For my coordinating feature I decided to repeat the stamping, colouring and embossing process using just the mouse image. On the second piece of Very Vanilla Card I stamped the mouse in the bottom right corner. Once that coloured mouse was embossed and cooled I glued the layer inside the card base.

Finally I stamped, coloured and then embossed the mouse on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope and my project was finished.

It’s funny where inspiration comes from, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow don’t you think?

PRODUCT LIST

SEASONAL SALE ENDS TODAY – If you still want to save 10% off cardstock, 15% off Classic Stampin’ Ink Pads and 15% off selected dies you haven’t got much time left. The Seasonal Sale ends at 11.50pm Mountain Time tonight. If you’re in Canada you can check the Seasonal Sale Flyer or Seasonal Sale section of my online store for the full list of products and prices.