Relaxing in the Garden

I am always on the hunt for nice dog stamps and dies.

I recently found this dog stamp while browsing around...

and placing an order... 

at Our daily Bread Designs.

As soon as it arrived here the other day...

 I took it out of the box....

and

I set it aside as a reminder to myself...

to use it ASAP.

While I love to water color and can hold my own with water, ink and a paintbrush...

I am very opened

and not ashamed to say)

 that I am.......alcohol marker challenged..

In a BIG..and very serious way !

I can blend .... and color with alcohol markers...

but ....

I am in serious need of....

H E L P.

The only thing worse than me needing HELP with al aspects of alcohol ink coloring..

is....

the level of HELP that I am in desperate need of when it comes to coloring faces and limbs.

My efforts at coloring flesh tones

is a scarrrrry experience.

Imagine THE worst flesh tone collier g that you have ever seen...

now times that by 8 million 

and thats my level of expertise.

Trust me...

it's NOT good.

So anyway..

 whenever I find stamps that I like that can easily be brought to life 

with a little bit of coloring of some sort...

I am almost always interested in that stamp.

This sweet little dog lying in the flower garden was one of those stamps.

Isn't he adorable?

...and

his close-up.

I embossed the dark brown mat layer with a wood grain embossing folder

then colored the flowers and grass.

I used an assortment of different greens for coloring the grass to give it some depth and shading.

When it was time to assemble the card...

the image layer definitely needed the thin black mat behind it.

Without it...the card looked unfinished.

I just love this stamped image...

I'm sure that this little guy won't be my last big stamp...

but for now...

he is my favorite dog stamp.

Card loving friends...this sweet puppy relaxing in the flower bed is now available for sale at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends....the brief  list of key supplies is posted below

Thanks for visiting ...

Have a great Friday!

Michelle

Supply List

Card Stock: PTI & Stampin Up

Markers: Stampin Up

Stamp Set:  Dog Sympathy (Our Daily Bread Designs)