Hugs and Kitty Kisses

The Houston (TX) Humane Society personnel have been working to help rescue animals from the flooding there as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Even though we did send a financial donation to help support their mission, I thought I would send an encouragement card to their employees and/or volunteers as well.

For the design, I used the current challenge sketch for Stella Says Sketch. I went through my critter (digital) images from Bugaboo, and came across the "Kitties" image. I felt this would be perfect for my card.

I sized the image in Photoshop, and printed it onto a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper. I die cut that with a Simon Says Stamp "Stitched Circles" die. I colored the kitties with my Inktense pencils, using my preferred method of picking up the color from the pencil with a damp paintbrush, and applying it to the paper. I also added just a bit of shading under the image to ground it.

I cut a piece of patterned paper from The Paper Studio's "Best Day Ever" mat stack to go in the center of my card. I also cut 2 strips from a peachy-beige cardstock to go on either side. I adhered the strips to a 4.25x5.5" panel of white cardstock, and adhered my patterned paper in the center. I then machine-stitched a zigzag stitch along each long edge of the patterned paper.

To mat the focal image, I die cut a scalloped circle using a We R Memory Keepers "Nesting Scallops" die. I adhered my image circle to that, and glued it to my card front.

For the greeting, I cut a strip of pool colored cardstock. I created the greeting in Photoshop, using a "canvas" the same size as my strip. Then I printed it onto my cardstock. I die cut each end with the smallest of the "Tag Toppers Crescent" dies from Sunny Studio to make a label shape. I adhered that to my card front, punched a hole in either end with my Crop-a-Dile II, then used the same tool to set a white eyelet in each hole. Finally, I threaded 3 pieces of crochet twine through the eyelets, spread out the ends on either side of my panel, and taped them to the back.

As a finishing touch, I created a faux bow at the bottom of my greeting label, following the instructions in this YouTube tutorial. I adhered my card front to a white A2 card base, and this card is ready to write & send!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts #210: "Something to Say"
Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"