Sponge Dab Background

I made my own background using the same ink colors to stamp the main layer which are: 

Stampin' Up! hello honey, wild wasabi and distress crushed olive. I dabbed them on with an oval sponge from my stash.

Here is a photo to give you an idea of how I added color with the sponge.

For the front of the card I used Gina K's Sketched Flowers. In addition to the inks for the background, I also used distress brushed corduroy for the center of the flower and Versafine onyx black for the sentiment. I stamped off on the wild wasabi to get the softer green leaf vines.

Used my "Sponge Dab" technique for this new home, torn pocket card for our new neighbors. I include 2 inserts, tucked into the pockets: one with my information and one for our neighbor to complete and share if desired. More details on my other torn pocket cards here and here. They are very fun to make! 

Inks: distress mustard seed, spiced marmalade, twisted citron, mowed lawn; Marvy #1 black

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Good Neighbors, Hero Arts H2945 Happy, Happy, Happy and ledger stamp. The addresses and info have been blurred.

Thanks for visiting. Peace and all good!

Michael Strong Black & White Blog Hop

Hello friends and welcome to the Michael Strong Black & White Blog Hop.
I hope you came hear after visiting Jill's beautiful artwork on her blog, Jill P's Place.

Today's card features Michael Strong's sweet Penguin Pals stamp set.
I think these 2 penguins are perfect for a Black & White themed card.
You can see Mike's penguin set and all of his wonderful stamps in his online catalog HERE. 

Be sure to visit Michael Strong's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some Blog Candy!

Back to my torn paper pocket card...
I stamped Mike's penguins on white cardstock using Versafine black onyx ink,
 heat embossed with clear embossing powder and fussy cut.
I cut 2 pieces of white cardstock 5-1/4 inches wide. 
Then I cut them long enough to fit in the dry embossing folder 
that came with Tim Holtz's Bird Talk 2 stamp set,
dry embossed them and tore them into 3 pieces as shown.
With a tiny amount of white glue, I attached the torn pieces on the sides and bottom,
to keep them together. 
Then I placed this on the card base and punched 6 small holes 
and added black mini brads to secure the pockets to the card as shown. 

The penguin on the left is slipped into the pocket and can be removed.
The penguin on the right is attached with dimensional foam adhesive.
I wrote my own sentiment with a Jane Davenport "Inkredible" cartridge fountain pen
that has wonderful dark black ink and writes like a charm.
Added a few clear plastic sequins with white glue for some bling.

I have 2 other torn paper cards posted here and here 
which show variations of this torn paper card idea. 
My friend, Lynette, introduced me to this technique.
She saw Beth Cote demo it on the Carol Duvall Show some years ago! 

Now for more fun and creative ideas,
please hop on over to Shelly's Creative Rumblings blog.
Enjoy her beautiful artwork and be sure to leave some blog love/comments!

If you landed here in the middle of the blog hop and don't want to miss any of the fun,
you can visit Hetty's Craft Chaos blog to see the entire list of the participants. 

Remember, be sure to leave a comment on Michael Strong's blog
for the chance of winning some blog candy!

Thanks so much for visiting!