TMR - Theme ....

..... Good afternoon, I really am running late! I hope that everyone has recovered from their New Year celebrations. A change in my holiday plans meant that I didn't get back to the States until 2nd January and I was so jet-lagged that I couldn't stay awake, never mind make a project for our new challenge at The Male Room - TMR#51 where the theme is ANYTHING GOES. I did manage to pull myself together late yesterday afternoon and make a card but am only now posting it! This is not the way I meant to start the year!!! Here's the card:

Stamps: My Favourite Things - Stars Above, Essential Sentiments
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Cherry Cobbler; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Dies: Die-namics - Stars Above
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Grey, Smoky Slate; Copics; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#269 but I turned it to make a horizontal card. The challenge over at House of Cards - HOC01 is to add a house and/or be inspired by the colours; well I decided to play with the colours as I think they are great for a masculine style card. I'm also submitting this card to Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - SSWC04/01 where they want us to see New Something - mine is new stamps!

I started by cutting two strips of card, light and dark and adhering them to the card. I used a dark burgundy Copic marker to add an extra line on the thick dark grey strip of card. I stamped the simple sentiment in burgundy ink and then stamped the stars falling towards the sentiment. I used Copic markers to colour areas of the stars and added some sparkle with a clear Spectrum Noir brush. The two largest stars were stamped again on scrap card, coloured in and cut out with the matching die. I adhered them both with dimensional tape. On the inside I cut a mat layer of pale grey card. On the white panel I added a message and some more stars.

I took a close-up photo of the sparkle on the big star - the shimmer in the Spectrum Noir brushes is much more frosty/silver than the Wink of Stella brushes. So it's the perfect excuse to have both sets :)

I'm sending this card to my son Ben - he had a rough time at the end of last year, which is why I went to visit him. He's moved house and it's tough to get going again, particularly as it's been so grey and dull. I know that he loves getting cards from us, so this one is on its way today.

Do visit The Male Room to see more inspirational projects for the men in our lives. That's all for now - but I'm feeling much more awake today so you never know, I might be back later!!