Darkroom Door "African Trees" Birthday Card

Once again, I am back after a few days away and decided I needed to get a wiggle on and get a card made for next Monday. As you can see from the photo below, the first attempt didn't go to plan as I forgot to use acetate to stamp the reflections, so had to start again! 

It just goes to show that it doesn't matter how experienced you are, mistakes are still made.  I did try to rescue the top half of the card, by cutting it in half.  It didn't look right so it got binned.

So to make this card, I used the Sweet Poppy "Aperture Circle Stencil" over a piece of square white card, held into place with a piece of low tack tape.

Within the circle I used the following Element Inks in the order typed (so lighter first, finishing in the darker shade):  Sundance, Russet Orange, Confetti, Emperor Red and Mulberry.

Keeping the stencil in position, I lay a piece of low tack tape slightly about the central line.

Using the tree and giraffe from the Backroom Door "African Trees" stamp set, I stamped the tree image in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink on to a piece of acetate.  I then pressed the inked image on the acetate below the line of tape.  I repeated the process for the other tree and for the giraffe.

Removing the tape along the middle of the card, I then stamped the trees and the giraffe slightly higher than where the central line of tape had been, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" ink.

Using a torn piece of copy paper and a finger dabber with Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink, I created the landscape, making the area at the bottom lighter (where the land would be reflected).

I added a touch of extra pink and yellow to the sky using Van Goch Pastel Pencils.

Using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink and a sentiment from the Lawn Fawn "Simply Sentiments" stamp set, I stamped the Happy Birthday, then mounted the card on to red card and then a white card blank.