"One, Two, Three... Get Loose, Now!"

Do you like that loose relaxed style that seems to be all the rage, now?

I love it! But I find it totally im-possum-ible, so I'm trying
to get a little more chilled out in my card layouts...



Not sure if this little card qualifies as relaxed, but it felt that way
when I was making it. ;-) (It's a 4-1/4 inch square card).

Step 1) Print subtle graph paper & add some splatters. This is some Distress Ink spray that I made: tumbled glass & distilled water, but instead of spraying, I flicked the inky water on using the mechanism-thingy from the inside of the spray bottle.



Step 2) Stick an SRM sticker on the paper and sand off some of the black ink.

It will take away some of the sticker ink leaving a funky distressed texture and softer look:



You could sand the sticker before you add it to your project to reduce the chance of smudges but I just stuck a piece of low tack painters tape on...



... and when you lift the tape, the black dust from sanding lifts right off:



It gives you a nice clean look and the black dust won't smudge onto your paper.

Another trick with tape that surprised me:



If you put picket fence Distress Stain on washi tape it will stay put
and it gives you a lovely texture:



Step 3) Stick the tape onto cardstock & make a little tag shape.

Step 4) Stamp the Bakery hometown stamp. (I heat embossed it with black pigment ink & clear embossing powder. One of the nicest things about the hometown building stamps is that they are not too small. (This little Bakery is just under 2.5" tall.) Makes it easy to colour!

I stamped it 2 times.

Once to cut the window out of to add a bit of acetate & layer it up:

I also stamped the Bakery image a second time to cut the awning out:

(The handy thing is that I could use the same image I cut the awning from to also cut out the yummy contents of the window to pop in behind). The layers in behind the whole thing are all grey cardstock. I like that better than foam dots since it's sturdier and looks like a shadow.

To layer it, I did this schtuff:

A) Stamped the image & cut the window out with a hobby blade.
B) Glued 3 pieces of white cardstock together (a bit smaller than the size as the image to fit in behind it).
C) Temporarily adhered the 3 layers of cardstock in behind the stamped image with the window cut out of it.
D) Cut the window out of the layers that are in behind -- using the first window cutting as a guide.
E) Cut a little piece of acetate & glue it in behind the stamped image. Permanently adhere the layers for dimension.
F) Add the awning (coloured & cut) with layers of grey cardstock in behind.
G) Add the bakery window contents in behind the little acetate window.

Step 5) Stick it all together:



Step 6) Add a little paper to the inside of the card
and line an envelope to match:



It's just simple printed digi paper, with faux stitches drawn in pen.
(I'll add the three digi papers I used for this card in the next day or two).

The tutorial for lining an envelope in a big old hurry, is here.

As soon as I saw this hometown collection,
I knew I just had to have it:



It's from Purple Onion Designs,
and it's drawn by Stephanie Ackerman.

• Bakery stamp from Purple Onion Designs hometown collection.
• White cardstock (80lb) white copy paper (thin to line envelope).
• Ranger Archival jet black ink, clear embossing powder, heat gun
  
• Dark grey cardstock, A2 sized white envelope, double-sided tape.
  
• Piano monochrome Sweet Bella tape & picket fence Distress Stain.
• SRM Sticker set: "SWEET" We've Got Your Sticker.
• Copic markers: RV-02, V000, c-7,c-3, c-1, BG-10, B-00, YG-00.
  

Hope your day is a sweet one!

P.S. On an extra personal note: Sorry the posts around here continue to be random. I've been working on managing my energy levels and diet (anemia and the no gluten or dairy or egg etc...) It's has been a bit of a struggle. I'm a regular zombie, I tell ya (and oh man my house is a big old MESS!) :-) But Charles is more patient than a saint, and we've been enjoying days here and there spent in the community garden and spent with our amazing family. I am starting to have some non-zombie days and my migraines are fewer! Yay!!! I hope you and yours are feeling oh so well, and are as lucky as we are.

P.P.S. "One, Two, Three... Get loose now!" Got that song stuck in your head? Here's "It Takes Two make a Think go Right" (for my fellow the Rob Base & D.J. Easy Rock fans). :-D And of course, "Joy & Pain" too!