from my ink pad to yours: Darling Donkeys

A Trio of Darling Donkeys

Can you believe that we are just about in our last week of Sale-A-Bration? I've taken a look through some of my cards and it looks like a few have not made it onto my blog so I am going to spend a few days getting caught up. Here is one of my favorite Darling Donkey cards. It's been, well, just a little popular over on Instagram and Splitcoaststampers so I should finally give it a spot on my blog:

This is a spin off of a card I did last summer with From All of Us. I basically just did a head shot or so of each of the donkeys, cutting them out with the smallest of the Stitched Shapes circle dies. Each was layered onto a slightly larger scalloped circle cut from Baic Gray cardstock with the Layering Circles Dies.
I used mostly Gray Granite Blends for coloring these, with a little Rococo Rose to add just a bit of color to their faces ...and the rose! An extra step I like to take, especially with animals like these - or anything that I would like to give vintage or maybe whimsical look is this: take the Light Crumb Cake Blends marker and lightly trace the outline. It softly blurs the edge just a bit.
The Gray Granite layer is embossed the foliage embossing folder from the Greenery pair. Start with a full 5.5" x 4.25" quarter sheet. After you have embossed it trim it to 5.25" x 4".
Lay out your circles evenly and attach. To be honest, I usually eyeball this. If you aren't comfortable with this, use the scoring blade of your trimmer to score a little notch about 1/2"-1" in from the edge half way - this would be 2 5/8" so that you know the middle circle is half way and then line the top and bottom up from there. I used to punch these circle through the top layer and I came up with this post to show how to do this.
I have a skinny border by layering the embossed Gray Granite layer on a piece of Rococo Rose that is just a bit (1/16") larger.
The twine! Ah, this is why it has taken my a bit to blog this one. It probably needs a video... but I will try to verbally describe this. Fold a large (30?") piece of twine in half. I don't actually cut this until I'm further along and know that it is long enough. Holding the fold about 1 1/4" from the bottom of of your layers, wrap the rest around the card and bring it up around the bottom. Loop the ends through the fold and tie it into a bow. It actually sounds more complicated than it is. The bow usually holds firm on its own but it could come loose so I often put a mini glue dot under the bow to make it more secure. CAM???Feel free to ask questions.

Would you like to see more? You can see all of my Darling Donkey cards in my Darling Donkey Gallery . You can check out more of my gallery pages with the gallery link near the top of the right sidebar.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

Check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link at the top of my blog. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at [email protected]

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the February host code, R9ZD7JQE, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

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Posted at 08:48 PM in Darling Donkeys | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Darling Donkey on "In Good Taste"

Today I'm sharing the very first card I made with the Darling Donkeys. At the time I knew these little creatures did have potential but I though I'd only seen a small piece of it. Since several of my Stampin' Up team of demonstrators, the he'Artstringstampers, had received this set as a prize patrol at a virtual Onstage event last year I though I better unpack their possibilities. I know you've seen me post some other cards I've made since with this set but this is an idea I had for them that I really want to pursue more.

When I was in college my parents built a new home. Yes, that was way back in the 1970's. It was a contemporary home with beautiful views of Lake Superior. I loved the way they incorporated some old barn boards from the farm where my dad had grown up. Instead of what later became the typical horizontal presentation, they put them up diagonally on one wall. It brought a cozy, yet contemporary, warmth to the family room. This sheet of Designer Series Paper from In Good Taste reminds me of these boards. They are warm and weathered AND just light enough to let my stamped donkeys shine through. Don't the donkeys look right at home on this paper?

I started with a piece of the DSP cut out with the largest square from the Stitched Shapes Dies.
I used Stazon Jet Black to do my stamping. This is generally the ink that works best with water and watercolor pencils. I have found that I can get away with using Memento Tuxedo Black if you allow enough drying time and use a very light touch with your water or blender pens.
I added the tree branch from "From All of Us" and a few blades of grass from "High Tide". Hopefully you have something in your stash to lend a little background. Be creative!
Coloring is done with Watercolor Pencils and a light touch of the blender pen.
The DSP square is layered onto a piece of Early Espresso die cut with Layering Squares dies - a large scalloped one.
As I was flipping through my cardstock I was surprised to see how Petal Pink seems to accentuate the warm tones in the weathered wood paper. The Gray Granite card base makes the perfect contrast to the Petal Pink.

As you can see I have a couple of other donkeys on weathered wood circles. If you know of a sketch you'd like to see with these circles, please leave me a comment/link! Once I get them done they will show up in my Darling Donkey Gallery. You can see my other completed cards there right now.

Onstage events are a wonderful perk to being a demonstrator. So much inspiration and a way to meet new stamping friends. We do pay a registration fee to attend so they aren't free so I don't want to misrepresent that. Signing up to be a demonstrator is one of the best deals during Sale-A-Bration. This year you receive an additional 5 packages of Color Family DSP. DSP that will be in next year's catalog.

Let me know if you are interested in more information!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

Check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link at the top of my blog. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at [email protected]

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the January host code, EPASGS3A, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Product List

Posted at 03:21 PM in Darling Donkeys | Permalink | Comments (0)

Darling Donkeys Take on a Challenge

Here I am with my second post of the day...If you are looking for the AWOW Blog Hop that was posted just a bit earlier this morning...

Today is also the Paper Craft Crew's challenge day and I think you want to try this one out.

Isn't this just the perfect day to start working on some Valentine's Day cards? I decided that those are rose petals that she is throwing...

I kind of think of these as table throw cards - you just throw those on your table at an angle, right?
I cut the Real Red DSP with a Stitched Rectangle die because, well I could. I love using those dies for lots of different cards and though it leaves tiny little stitches on the edge of my "throw" you could really just cut your own rectangle this time.
The lace trim comes from Ornate Borders. I trimmed the edges at an angle. That was easier than it looked. I sponged them lightly with some Crumb Cake ink to make them pop just a bit more against the white card.
My Donkey is colored with Blends.

I hope you can play along and have fun with this challenge!

My Darling Donkeys Gallery Page is here. You don't want to miss it!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

Check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link at the top of my blog. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at [email protected]

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the January host code, EPASGS3A, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Product List