IO Encouragement Challenge

When we received our list of upcoming challenges at the end of February, I checked out what encouragement means.  It is anyway you would let someone know you are there for them.  It would be a person needing comfort, someone who is graduating, a friend who is looking for a job, etc. It just so happens I have a friend who just had a disappointment and another young man, graduating from middle school, who is going on his first plane trip for his birthday.  So I thought I would try to do 2 cards using the same layout with different words of "encouragement".

I stamped Leigh Hannan's Watermelon Bugs on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock 2 times using Stazon Jet Black ink.  I painted them with Twinkling H2O's Garnet and Mallard Green.  I accentuated the heads and bodies with a Spica At You Black pen and then went over the red watermelon and the heads with a Sakura Clear Glaze pen.  Trimmed around the edges as shown.   I embellished it with 2mm pearls mounted with Glossy Accents.

Ran some Neenah Classic Linen Epic Black through my Cuttlebug using Spellbinders Lacey Squares largest die.   Measured the inside of the square and cut Neenah Solar White that I folded for the card.

For the envelopes I used Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Text weight paper, cut 7.25"X7.25", and The Enveloper.  I found it very easy to use.

Next I used an ink dauber and Stazon Jet Black ink on the Watermelon Bug stamp as shown below, for the inside top of the card and the lower left hand corner of the envelope.  I painted the same as the front of the card.  I used a Viva Ice White Pearl Pen to accent around the bugs!

I mounted the ribbons to the card fronts and did the bows with a Bow-Easy.  The red plaid is a left over and the red and black organza is May Arts.  The white acrylic tags are eons old.  I stamped the From the Heart words from Mini Messages with Stazon Blazing Red.   I mounted 3 2mm pearls in the middle of the heart and used Glossy Accents around them and the heart.  I stamped Fly from All Occasion I with Stazon Jet Black and then used Glossy Accents on the words and the 2mm pearls.  They were tied on with gold cord.

So that's my encouragement for this challenge and you can get even more by visiting the IO DT blogs below.  You can now join in the IO challenges for the $25 gift certificate drawing by using Inlinkz.  Also customers will have from the start of the challenge until the Wednesday before DT Thursday (1 week) to enter their card.  More details on the IO blog.

• Daniela Dobson
• Deborah March
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Kathy Menzies
• Laura Fulcher

Supplies:

Images: Impression Obsession Leigh Hannan Watermelon Bugs; Clear Stamp Sets All Occasion I and Mini Messages

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock and text; Neenah Classic Linen Epic Black
Ink: Stazon Jet Black and Blazing Red; Twinkling H2O's Garnet and Mallard Green
Accessories: Niji Waterbrush, The Enveloper, Cuttlebug, Spellbinders Lacey Squares; 2MM pearls, May Arts ribbon, Bow-Easy, Glossy Accents, Viva Ice White Pearl Pen.

I hope you enjoyed your visit and I should be back soon with more!  Thanks for stopping by to look and share.

 

 Shirley