Retro Look Card

I don't normally buy Crafter's Companion cds, but when I saw Nigel May's first craft cd "A-May-Zing" I fell in love with a couple of bits from it.  I was particularly inspired to buy it after seeing a retro card made by Linda Hill (http://lindasrainbowcraftingcabin.blogspot.co.uk/).  (Hers used the red option).

So having fallen in love with this backing paper, which as I mentioned was the reason I bought the cd, this is my interpretation of her idea for a card for my son. 

Linda did tell me that she had done the letters in Bubble font and then used Craft Artist to create a stencil for the letters.   Well I couldn't work out how to do it or how to create a black outline around the letters.  I managed using MCS to create the stencilled letters without a black outline, printed them, and then edged them by hand with a micron pen, before cutting them out  and glazing them with Creative Expressions 3D Crystal Clear Lacquer.  ( I know Linda said she cut her letters out by hand, after she created them, but I don't know whether she glazed them, or whether the shiny effect was created along with the black outlines in Craft Artist).

When I put the elements together I didn't like the clear space in the top right-hand corner, and was originally going to put some matching buttons to the ribbon on there, but I only had two and not three (that's typical isn't it when you get a freebie in a magazine).  Anyway I found a little hedgehog in my stash which had the same colours on it as the paper.   I still felt it needed something else - Linda had some pretty beads dangling on hers, so I decided that rather than put "feminine" beads on, I would make some paper beads, which I also varnished with the 3D glaze.  I thought I was going to be able to cheat and use the cd for the paper beads, but they didn't have them in the design I was using; so I created my own from another sheet of the backing paper!  I threaded them on to some eye pins and then hung them on a black jump ring from my stash. 

Hope my son likes it - it's a bit different from my normal sort of card, but then men's cards nearly always defeat me!  (and  note there isn't any Zentangle in sight! - he won't be expecting that!)

Thanks for popping by

Mags