Most of my friends don't live near me, precisely because my work is online, so I've met and traveled with people from all over the world, and bringing them home in my suitcase is frowned upon in certain circles.
So I see them at work events, my retreats, etc.
But it gives me a good excuse to send I Miss You cards, which means I have a good excuse to stamp, which almost makes up for not living near them. Almost.
Today I'm guesting with my friends at MFT and I had a serious giggle making today's card.
The stamp set with the giraffes is freaking adorable. So are the matching dies. And because I know that a lot of people look at solid images and think all you can do is ink them up and stamp them, but that's not true! You can add tons of details and make them your own, and one of my favorite ways is with pencils and pens.
I tried out my new Arteza pencils for this today, and I love them. They are buttery soft, sharpen perfectly, and no broken leads. I'll show them to you in the video, and I am pretty sure you will love the price. I also grabbed their fine point black pens - they come in a multi pack and I use teeny black pens on almost every card, so I can't have too many. You can get 10% off your Arteza purchase with the coupon code understandblue1 here.
So after I stamped the giraffe in Orange Zest up in the corner of my card front, I colored the whole thing with the Lemon pencil. Then I shaded him and his spots with Burnt Ochre, and finally did the darkest shading with Dark Chocolate. Then I used the awesome, triangular Fineliner Pens for his eyes nose, and a dash of darkness on his neck. The pencils are triangular too - which gave me a flashback. I forgot how comfortable triangular pens and pencils are to grip (important for me because I'm such a slow worker) - but when I pulled the pencils out when I got them, I had a Proust-style flashback to some teacher-mandated triangular pencil grips (like these) that had a strong, slightly sweet smell to them, that one of my teachers in elementary school had us use. THEN, remembering that smell, I remembered these monster finger puppets that had the exact same smell. At that point, I'd forgotten everything that I was thinking about and was just transported to Sul Ross elementary school. :)
So back to the card. After finishing the giraffe, I covered him with masking paper, and brushed on some Summer Splash Ink with my blender brushes. Then I stamped the HILARIOUS sentiment, which clearly describes all my friends in Nocturne.
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So do you have faraway friends you miss? Tell me about them in the comments for your chance to win a stash giveaway - I'm that person that accidentally buys multiples, so I'll surprise you :).
While you're thinking of your list, enjoy my video and a giveaway! To be eligible to win, all you have to do is be subscribed to both my channel and the My Favorite Things channel, and to leave a comment on my video - you will be entered to win a shopping spree at My Favorite Things!
If you want a ton more inspiration - stop by the MFT blog for cute projects with all their newest stuff.
Loveyameanitbye.
so adorable...I giggled at the sentiment!
ReplyDeletexx Karen
This is sooo adorable! Someone is going to have a fun giggle when they open this! I DO have faraway friends I miss. All my stamping friends are faraway. Thank goodness for tech like Facetime, every once in awhile we stamp together that way. My sis is my best friend and she lives faraway. Sniff, Sniff!
ReplyDeleteMy faraway friend and I are headed to our annual trip to NYC next month. It's the only time we have face time all year ... and I cherish every moment.
ReplyDeleteSeriously cute - LOVE that sentiment!!! LOL And yes, I have many online friends that live far away from me (like YOU) and I wish I lived next door to them so we could stamp and color and laugh like hyenas. :-) You and Kellie building that retirement community for us yet???
ReplyDeleteHaving moved from Massachusetts to Florida I have quite a few friends that I like to keep in touch with. A fun surprise card every so often does the job nicely!!
ReplyDeleteTotally fun and oh so cute!
ReplyDeleteThis little giraffe is adorable!
ReplyDeleteI SO love this! I have a friend who lives in Austin - I don't get to see her enough. This would be perfect for me to send to her. <3
ReplyDeleteAdorable! I love how you used and colored the giraffe, and love those MFT Sassy Pants sentiments!
ReplyDeleteI love this card! I’m a MFT JUNKIE! I recently moved to Austin area and would love to connect!!! I moved here 3 months ago. Left all my friends behind! I miss them all!
ReplyDeleteI have many faraway friends...friends from my childhood, and crafty friends that I have met at events, and some that I have yet to meet irl. (Kat!)
ReplyDeleteI have so many faraway friends that I miss! But the one I miss most of all is the one I was separated from in the womb... the one I knew in a past life... the one who knows me better than anyone else... the one I’d swim across shark-infested water’s for. She knows who she is. She’s the one I’d send this card to.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun card. My niece is moving to Mississippi today, and I'm going to miss her terribly. This would be a great card to send her!
ReplyDeleteMy family/friends all live in Wisconsin. I don't get to see them nearly enough.
ReplyDeleteDarn you Lydia! I had to buy the Arteza colored pencils! Thanks for the discount.
HHHHHA! This is BEYOND adorable!!!!! You MIGHT know my friend I miss SQUEEZING!!!!!! There is a song about her! 💜
ReplyDeleteI miss my crafty friends Barbara and Patti. We're traveling full-time now, so I'm not in the same state anymore. But, good news, I'm flying to meet up with them for a crafty weekend next week! Let the card-making, scrapbooking, and gabbing begin!
ReplyDeleteI miss YOU!! By the way, Arteza has sold 99 of the fine line pens recently...probably thanks to you!! I adore this card. Most of my far away friends are because of you!! (Thank you for that!!)
ReplyDeleteCompletely wonderful! Jo x
ReplyDeleteI agree - the giraffe is adorable! What a fun card you've made. I moved back to MN after many, many years in CA. I miss my BFF Beth in San Diego terribly, although she has come to visit. YAY!
ReplyDeleteMy childhood friends are who I miss the most. We are all in different states now but try to stay in touch mostly thru Facebook lol. I love sending surprise cards, they never know what to expect from me (then or now hehe). Your posts always make me laugh and usually bring back some crazy memories, thanks I love that!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend from college that I miss! She is crafty and kind and I know we would have a blast if we could get together again.
ReplyDeleteLove this giraffe card. So cute!!
That giraffe is hilariously adorable, oh yes!! As for far away friends that I miss, I have a friend who moved to another state who I always intended to visit but haven't yet. I would love to catch up and spend some quality time with her.
ReplyDeleteWell this little giraffe makes me squeal with delight and I love how you added the soft blue with a blending brush and masking. I have several far away friends who I miss every day...but so grateful for texting and FB!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your sweet and colorful giraffe! One day I tried to count how many times in my life that I have moved, including extended trips too like those years in China, those months in Hong Kong, or the summer we road tripped around the country in a van following Pearl Jam! I have met and said goodbye to so many people, and the really special ones have stayed in touch.
ReplyDeleteThis is just too stinking cute and that sentiment is totally awesome!!
ReplyDeleteThe giraffe is so adorable and sweet! I had a really good friend when I was a nurse in the Navy. Sadly though over the years we have lost track of each other. I consider people I talk to online to be my friends.
ReplyDeleteYour card made me laugh out loud. I love it. I haven't seen my best friend since 4th grade. We lived in Europe at the time. She moved back to Japan and I moved to the U.S. Despite the distance we have remained close. I still have a lot of friends in Europe so visiting or even calling them is too expensive. Sometimes I think I'm the only one keeping the postal service in business with all the cards and letters I send. Thanks for bringing back so many fun memories of my friends.
ReplyDeleteThe giraffe is so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have lots of faraway friends! Just last week I finally spent beautiful time with a couple of friends of mine from San Francisco that went on holiday in Italy. Thanks to IG and to this amazing crafty community I have been so lucky to know lot of people from all over the world. In Italy we don't celebrate Thanksgiving but every time I celebrate my personal Friendsgiving Day because I'm so grateful to share traditions, memories and experiences.
Oh what an adorable and hilarious card - LOVE it!
ReplyDelete