I did a little stamping therapy session last night after receiving this stamp in the mail.  How cute is that Ostrich!

This is a self portait card.  When I seen this stamp, I had to have it.  It symbolizes me and the way I chose to live.  About 1 year ago I quit watching the news, all news!  My heart and head just can’t take it!!!!  So this is me the Ostrich.  Happy to have my head in the sand.

You can get this Ostrich stamp from My Paper Moon.  Here is the link:  http://www.mypapermoon.com/store/

Check it out!

Michelle, enough rambling already and get on with the tutorial you say.

Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Stamped Ostrich on Whisper White card stock with Black Stazon ink.

Colored his legs and neck, by outlining the insides of his legs with a Creamy Caramel marker and the outside of them with a Blush Blossom Marker.  His neck is colored by outlining both sides with Creamy Caramel and coloring in the middle with Blush Blossom.

Colored his back with Creamy Caramel marker.  I over colored with Creamy Carmel around his back area edges to make them darker.

Used a Going Gray maker around the edges of his back to get darker yet.  I’m trying to make a more gradual transition from his light back to his black feathers.

Used a Close to Cocoa marker to shadow his chest and to outline the insides of his legs and outsides of his neck for more definition.

Used a Versamark marker to go over the entire Ostrich. 

Note:  Color your lightest areas first being careful not to smear the black onto other areas or you will have a gray ostrich.  :) 

Heat emboss using Clear Embossing Powder and a Heat Gun. 

Note:  Your Ostrich will look much darker after it is embossed.

Brayer Cool Caribbean ink onto sky area.

Brayer River Rock ink onto ground area.

Brayer Creamy Caramel ink onto bottom of card stock, but not covering all of the River Rock ink.

Stamped Itty Bitty Background stamp with Creamy Caramel and then With Chocolate Chip ink to make specks in the sand.

Sponged a little Chocolate Chip at the bottom of the card stock and right under the Ostrich, where he is sticking his head in.

Wanted the upper Sky to be darker, so I brayered on Taken with Teal over the upper sky.

Used a Close to Cocoa marker to define the sand around his head.

Used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss two of my card layers.

Assembled card and stamp sentiment on it with Black.

 Finished card!

Thanks for joining me on my Self Portrait Therapy Session/Tutorial, lol. 

Have a blissful day that has no bad news!

Did you miss me yesterday?  I took the day off and did absolutely nothing but lay on the coach and watch a Godfather marathon on TV.  Sometimes you just have to have a complete down day.

But I did make it to the craft room this morning to work up a new tutorial for you all.  So let’s begin.

Supplies:

 Stamped Owl with Palette Noir Black ink on Whisper White Card stock.

This owl stamp was purchased from E-bay and I have no idea who the maker is. 

Colored the eyes with a Summer Sun Marker.

Heat set the black ink with a heat gun.

Went over the entire owl with a Versamark marker.  Be careful to clean your marker by wiping it on scrap paper before going over the white part of the image.  Some times the black ink will smear or make the white gray.  

Heat emboss the image with clear embossing powder and a heat gun.

Brayer Not Quite Navy ink over 2/3rds of the card stock.

Brayer Night of Navy ink over top 1/4 of card stock and a little at the bottom of the card stock.

Wipe the ink off of the embossed owl with a paper towel and stamp weeds with Black ink.

Sponged Night of Navy ink around the edges of the card stock.

Decided the piece looked a little bleak so I over stamped the weeds with Old Olive ink.  Now that’s better, lol.  You know I make this stuff up as I go along, so please bare with me.

Adhered the image to Old Olive card stock and stamped the weeds again with black ink.  Since I stamped over two layers of card stock there was a gap in the images, which I filled in with a black marker.

Assembled card.  Another one finished.

This creation is a bit masculine, but we need a few of those cards too.

I’m so glad you could join me today for this tutorial.  Give it a try!

Have a super day!

Until tomorrow. .. .. . . .