The cards I created are pretty simple but pack a punch.  I started by pulling out all the supplies I wanted to use, rummaging through some of my previously created backgrounds, pulling out paper, dies, stencils, inks, and even some texture paste and glow in the dark embossing powder. 

I started with the bold stary moon background.  I had two left in my stash for previous projects and I thought this would look so good with the city stacks die, I decided I would create a few more.

I remember being inspired by a video that Jennifer Mcguire  had posted where she stamped with stencils and I knew I had to try it.  I pulled out my distress oxides in picked raspberry, peacock feather, squeezed lemonade, wilted violet and I believe twisted citron.  Then I went to town adding my ink.  From there I pulled out an old stencil from my stash and added black soot distress ink onto it and spritzed it with water.  I then placed it on top of my inked background and pressed it into place, making sure to leave it a couple of seconds to make sure the ink transferred well.  

I set the inked panels aside to dry and moved on to the second set of cards I wanted to create.  This time using some spectacular pattern paper from the Arty Love pad from Paper Rose.  Eek, this stuff is so awesome!  The paper is thicker than normal which makes it hold up to more altering.

I decided I wanted to add some stars in the sky to really make the CityScape border work.  To do this I mixed up some texture paste with some glow in the dark embossing paste and applied it with a stencil.  I repeated the process for a second time and set the backgrounds aside to dry.

While I had the backgrounds drying, I did all the die-cutting, and boy there was a lot of it.  I die cut sentiments using the new Create stamp and matching die, the Hello sentiment with coordinating die and the CityScape border, which I die cut 10 times.  Five with black card stock and five in silver.  I am truly loving Paper Rose products and especially their sentiments with coordinating dies that have the shadow.  One because it makes it easier to add to a card and two because their font is just so pretty.  

Later on, I ended up cutting out some frame dies, the banners for the sentiment and even some more cityscapes, because sadly I had many many blunders along the way when adhering everything together.

Now that I had everything die cut it was time to assemble and finish the sentiments.  I stamped out the sentiments from both coordinating sets onto the little banners I had die cut previously.  I created my own card bases from heavyweight white card stock which measured 5½ x 4¼ and trimmed down some black card stock to measure 5¼ x 4 1/8 (which in the two with the frames was a complete waste in the end lol).  Then I trimmed down the backgrounds to fit the black with just a think border.  I kept the rest of the card simple only popping up the cityscape, frame, and sentiment.

Well, that’s all for me for today.  I hear the children calling, haha!  I hope I have inspired you to try some or all of these products out and can have just as much fun playing with them as I did.  Till next time crafty friends.

~Nancy