Hi Everyone, it’s Audrey! I am super excited to be here, sharing a bright and happy watercolor Distress birthday card with you today. Oftentimes when I am working with Distress, I tend to gravitate to the darker colors, mixing in lots of brown and dark tones for that vintage aged look that I love. But today I am keeping things light and bright to show the more summery side of Distress in this fun Crazy Cats birthday design.
Crazy Cats Celebrate Card by Audrey Pettit
- Materials
- Instructions
- Tim Holtz Distress® Mixed Media Heavystock
- Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pads : Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmon, Twisted Citron, Antique Linen, Fossilized Amber
- Ranger Emboss it™ Clear Ink
- Archival Ink™ Designer Series: Wendy Vecchi : Potting Soil
- Embossing Powders : Super Fine White
- Ranger Glossy Accents™
- Ranger Multi-Medium : Matte
- Ranger Mini Blending Tool with Foam
- Tim Holtz® Distress Sprayer
- Ranger Artist Brush Set
- Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet™
- Ranger Heat it™ Craft Tool
- Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Classic Collection Distress Cardstock
- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon
- Tim Holtz by Stamper’s Anonymous Stamp Sets: Crazy Cats, Crazy Things, Vines & Rose
- Tim Holtz by Stamper’s Anonymous Feather Layering Stencil
- Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix Dies: Stitched Ovals, Crazy Cats, Crazy Things, Sentiments Words
Instructions
I made this card for my sweet Mom’s birthday this month, as she is a huge lover of the Tim Holtz Crazy things collection, and I think she’s really going to like this bold and festive design. I’ve got all the details and step-by-steps for you, so let’s take a closer look.
Step 1: To begin, cut a 4” x 5.25” panel of Mixed Media Heavystock paper. Place a Vine & Roses background cling stamp face up onto your work surface, and ink it up with Distress Clear Embossing Ink. Press the Heavystock panel onto the stamp surface, pressing all over the paper to ensure even ink coverage. Pour Super Fine White Embossing Powder onto the paper, and heat set the powder with a Heat Tool.
>Step 2: Brush clean, clear water over the embossed panel using a flat artist’s brush. Press Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmon, and Twisted Citron Distress Ink onto your Non-Stick Craft Sheet. Mix the ink with a bit of water, and then apply the color onto the wet paper, working in small sections at a time. Continue to add color until the entire panel is covered, and then set it aside to dry.
Step 3: Spritz the remaining inks on your craft mat with water using the Distress Sprayer. Cut a 15” length of crinkle ribbon, and drag and mop the ribbon through the ink mixture. Set the ribbon aside to dry.
Step 4: Adhere the water-colored panel to a slightly larger piece of Distress Cardstock. Die cut a Stitched Oval from the center of the panel. Machine stitch around the edge of the panel and oval frame, if desired. Add Twisted Citron Distress Ink to the edge of the frame using a Mini Ink Blending Tool. Die cut a second oval from Heavystock paper.
Step 5: Wrap the ribbon around the right side of the oval frame, tying into a bow at the top. Trim the ends of the ribbon as needed.
Step 6: Place the die cut oval onto the Craft Sheet and cover it with the Feather Layering Stencil. Apply Twisted Citron ink over the stencil using an Ink Blending Tool. Add ink to the edge of the oval, too. Add water droplets to the stenciled pattern using the Distress Sprayer, and then set the die cut aside to dry.
Step 7: Cut a .5” strip of the Distress cardstock. Die cut the Celebrate sentiment word onto the strip. Set aside the positive letter shapes for another project, but be sure to keep all the tiny inner pieces to the letters. Lightly ink a strip of Heavystock paper with Twisted Citron ink, and adhere the die cut strip onto the inked paper using Multi Medium Matte. Add the small inner pieces, too. Trim the strip, as needed.
Adhere the sentiment strip down the center of the card, to the right of the ribbon. Cut the end into a V-notch.
Step 8: Stamp a Crazy Cat image onto Heavystock paper using Potting Soil Archival Ink, and then watercolor the image using Distress Inks. For my cat, I started with Antique Linen ink, and then accented with Fossilized Amber and Ripe Persimmon.
Step 9: Die cut the cat with the matching Thinlits die. Apply Glossy Accents to the eyes. Tuck the cat into the frame opening, and adhere it in place with Multi Medium Matte and a bit of foam adhesive behind the head.
Step 10: Stamp, watercolor, and die cut a party hat for your cat. Accent the spots and pompom top with Glossy Accents, and adhere the hat behind the cat’s head using Multi Medium Matte.
Enjoy!