Double Dutch -

Over at the Double Dutch site this time round (they are every fortnight) the challenge is "Clear & Simple"....i.e. make a clear card.

This is not something I have done before............either a clear card or entered the challenge!.....Nearly entered the other week when you had to make a teabag holder...........managed to get round to making the teabag but never decorated it and missed the closing date!!! Typical.

Here is my card.........there are a few photo's cos' I couldn't decide which one looked the best!!! Not that easy to convey the transparency.

I made a 4 x 8 size card because the stamped image I had been sent by a special blogger friend seemed to need it............Stamped my Paperartsy (CS freebie again) swirly tree as a border all around the front with Staz-on blazing red.............it looks more like blazing pink to me though!!!

I used my little circular sentiment thingy again which says "from me" on the outside one and "to you" on the inside one......................It is a bit fiddly trying to get the right balance as to what goes where on a clear card.............I suppose the more you do the better you get though!..........The flower at the top is on the inside of the card and the flower at the bottom is on the outside with the sentiment circles strategically covering the brad legs.

The inside was decorated with a piece of my own design tartan paper and a mat and layer for a written sentiment in the future. The red mat layer for the tartan is fixed to the very back of the card to finish it off. Here is a close up of Tilda and the colouring...........I used the Cumberland pencils again but I also had a practise with an unusual colouring medium for Tilda's skin this time round as I am not totally happy with either DI tattered rose or my pink pencil............I bet you will never guess!!!............So I'll tell you..................black coffee...............yep the sort you drink..............not an ink colour................the skin areas have 1 wash all over........then another layer where you want some darker shadows........it will look a bit hard edged at this point but don't panic Mr Mannering!!!...........add a bit of pinkness at the edges and to the cheeks with a Tombow pen number 800 (or whatever water based pink you use) before a final overall wash with the coffee again which will soften any hard edges.................I think this is what I will use for now..........until I come up with some other hair brained idea!!!

Thanks for looking..................I didn't win the euro millions on Friday so it's work for me tomorrow :(

xoxo

p.s. I know my coffee idea may not be a eurika moment in crafting history........but I can honestly say I have never seen it mentioned anywhere...........apologies if you have already discovered this.