hey friends! i hope you have enjoyed a wonderful weekend - thanks for stopping by to catch up on another week/edition of mail it monday!
i normally send cards to those i know - friends + family, but for this past week, i stretched myself out a little bit.
early last week jon and i were in vegas for a little getaway weekend. we always try to do something different in terms of adventures or experiences when we are there. on this trip we purchased a groupon for glow in the dark putt putt with a twilight zone twist. there was an employee who i really felt went above and beyond - she was super friendly while joking with us, told us some history of the show [which neither one of us has ever seen] and was just delightful. the course wasn't very crowded so she'd come over on random holes and challenge us with contests, awarding us with glow in the dark bracelets. she was just awesome and i thought it would be great to let her know! so, channeling our black + white experience, i made this card:
before we started playing, she suggested either an orange or a yellow ball because they glow the best, so of course i picked construction worker orange! the card design was partially inspired by these hanukkah cards i just added to the shop. the stencil is from neat and tangled and i just love the shape of it. i used two shades of distress ink, black soot and hickory smoke and blended from the inside out. it just so happened that the stamps i was using from papertrey ink happened to coordinate with a new die-cut from my favorite things.
the black card base provides a super stark background and the neon looks like it is glowing so bright. i just love the way that it turned out - i might have to make a bunch just to have on hand. here's one last up close detail shot. the hexagon die is elevated off of the card base with foam tape - it's such a small detail that makes such a big impact.
for my second card of the week, i kept with my vegas experiences and continued to stretch out to someone i don't really know. there was a clerk at the front desk of our hotel [the linq - my favorite!] who was super helpful when there was a mixup with our room. she did everything she could to fix it and was just so pleasant. in the world of customer service, i'm a huge fan of nice people. i took my inspiration from the carpets in the hotel, they range from reds and purples to purples and blues to blues and greens - all depending upon which wing you're in. we stayed in the red wing, so that's where the color came in. the patterns include lots of circles in a variety of sizes, so i channeled that!
i did some ink blending with more distress inks, starting with victorian velvet and working my way down the card front with dusty concord, seedless preserves and finishing with chipped sapphire. after spritzing the inked card front with some water for a splotchy look, i ran it through this older embossing folder to add some incredible texture.
i have heard that spritzing your paper with water before embossing it can help it make the texture that much more bold and holy wow do i love the results! this was the first time i had tried it, but certainly won't be the last. i stamped the sentiment from a papertrey ink stamp set onto the white panel, cut a small notch in the end to look like a flag or banner, and lifted it off of the card with my favorite foam adhesive.
so many fun techniques! i am adding them to my short list of things to make for upcoming shows and events. i am all about making things that you typically can't buy in the store from hallmark and that aren't mass produced. nearly all of my cards are one of a kind designs - aside from those i love so much that i copy myself!
there's a few cards on my radar for friends i haven't reached out to in a minute for this week - but in case you need a few reasons to send some mail, here ya go:
november 13 is world kindness day - this is a day i will be celebrating in as many ways as possible! this card would be great - who doesn't appreciate a good compliment?
november 14 is national pickle day - there are so many great pickle products out there nowadays. are you a fan? what's your favorite kind?
november 17 is national take a hike day! how fun does that sound?
i hope your monday is off to a great start! as always, don’t forget to contact me if you’re interested in being on the receiving end of some handmade happiness.