Smiling Eyes

 Sharing this card I did for the My Sweet Petunia and Joy Clair collaboration, which continues for the month of March. You can find all the details and the prizes in this post. 

 For my card today I used the stamp set called Mardi Gras, but I used it in a different way than what it was intended for. My good friend Lesley works part-time for The Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, B.C. and this stamp set has me thinking of her. When Les smiles or laughs, her eyes light up, and the masks represent her eyes. 

To start this card, on Neenah cardstock and in my Mini Misti, I arranged the stamps as I wanted them to appear. I first stamped the mask on the left using melon ink, then made a mask of that image to cover the right side, and stamped the image on the right using the same melon ink. I did however make several passes to get a darker colour. Once the colouring was complete, I stamped the images with embossing ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. As the left stamp is an open image, I used a small make-up brush and sponged on the ducking yellow colour. Again, adding several layers to get the deep colour. For the little circles in the feathers I used my Zig brushes. 

I wanted my sentiment to be in line with my thought process for this card, so I used the stamp sentiments from the Hugs and Smiles stamp set, using Ranger Archival Jet Black ink, then embossing ink and heat embossing with clear embossing powder. To bring more yellow into the card, I sponged the edges of the panel using the ducking yellow ink, attached the panel to fun foam then to my coral card base. I finished with a few sequins.

I have to send her Easter card first, so I will send this later in April. 

Thanks for having a look today.

Products Used: Misti, Joy Clair Mardi Gras and Hugs and Smiles Stamp Set,  Frantic Stamper Deckled Rectangles Die Set, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock, Aura Coral Cardstock, Simon Says Stamp Duckling and Melon Inks, Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink, VersaMark Embossing Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Fun Foam, Sequins.