Adventures of Ben and Chloe

Hello Blogger friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with the Charmed Life Blog today.

 

Happy April 1 to you all. I can believe I am even saying that it's April already. March went by so quickly. I have to think of a little joke to play on my hubby today with it being April fool's day. It will just be something silly, nothing elaborate or mean.

 

Yesterday was the first fish fry of the Lenten season for our church. It's a very popular event among churches in the Pittsburgh area. It went well and my shrimp and crab chowders sold out.

 

We also serve fish tacos which are a bit hit as well. We serve thai tacos and chipotle tacos. The chipotle are my favorite and are served with a delicious pico de gallo and a sour cream based chipotle sauce. Both are made from scratch in our kitchens.

 

Both hubby and I were exhausted when we came home last night. It's a 7 hour day for us being on our feet but we both enjoy being a big part of the success.

 

Time to move onto my card for today. This one I made for my weekly DT post on the CottageCutz blog. A couple of months ago there was a new release of the cutest little bear stamps & coordinating die sets. They are titled the Adventures of Chloe & Ben.

 

If you haven't seen them before take a look back on the CottageCutz Blog. The DT has featured them on lots of daily posts.

Today for your viewing pleasure, I am showcasing one of those dies.  I present Ben, Up Up and Away. He will be the star of my birthday card. So without further delay, let's get started on how I created my card.

Step 1: I used Tuxedo Black (Memento) ink on  X-Press It Blending cardstock to stamp the image. I always stamp 2 just in case I make a mistake in coloring.  Used both Copic Markers and Prismacolor pencils to color and this cardstock works great with both these mediums.

Copics used: R27, R29 (red), B93, B95 (blue), YG 41, YG 45 (green) and R20 (blush)

Prismacolor Pencils: PC1082, PC947 (brown) and PC928 (blush)

After coloring I cut Ben out with the coordinating die. It's included in the set.

 

Step 2: My layout decision was next. I used this week's MojoMonday sketch. It allowed me to use some bright and festive patterned paper and also had a separate layer where Ben would have the center stage.

 

When I work with a sketch, I print it out and then figure out the sizes of my panels. My card base and first layer are the easiest.

Turquoise Card Base: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
1st Patterned Paper layer: 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"

Then I look at my printout and guesstimate how much of a border will be around the next layer. In this case, I thought 1/2" was about right. I cut a piece of scrap paper to lay it down and check to make sure it works. Then I actually cut the cardstock and patterned paper I will use.
Neon Pink cardstock layer: 4 5/8" x 3 3/8"
Striped Patterned Paper Layer: 4 3/8" x 3 1/8"

For the image panel, I again take a piece of scrap paper and fold it roughly and make sure the borders on my card look like the borders on the printout. Then I used the 2nd largest CottageCutz stitched stitched rounded rectangle die and cut my panel. I stamped my birthday sentiment in an emerald green ink.
ImagePanel: 2 5/8" x 3 5/8"

 

For the long rectangle piece running the width of the card, I used turquoise cardstock. I thought of ribbon but I didn't have any turquoise that worked on this card. The sketch has a bow on this panel. But, I decided to use the CottageCutz Number Candles die and add a "3" for this element. I need a birthday card for a 3 year old. So this worked out perfectly for me.

 

Step 3: Now that everything is cut and stamped, it's time to assemble my card. I used dimensional adhesive on the image panel and also on Ben. It adds depth and interest to your card. I did the same for the #3.

Well, that's my post for this first day of April. So until next time...........God bless.

 

Dies used to create card:

 

 I am also entering:

1.  Colour Crazy Challenge has an anything goes challenge.

2.  Crafting With Friends has an anything goes challenge.

3.  Just Add Ink has a just add critters challenge.

4.  A Gem of a Challenge has a furry friends week challenge

5.  My Time to Craft has a woodlands animal challenge.