Penny Black: Fetching Slippers - a masculine card

Hi blogging friends    Long time no post!  I received a phone call from one of my closest friends late last week to let me know that their father had passed away.  I worked with my friend and their father for many years in their family business and although it wasn't unexpected, it is still a shock when it actually happens.   The funeral was last Wednesday (2 days ago) and the weather was really terrible:  wet, freezing cold and miserable - most of us still got wet under our umbrellas because the wind was blowing it under.   It was like the angels in heaven were crying along with the rest of us.

I started this card last week but only got as far as colouring the image before the phone call so I put it aside and only finished the remainder of the card in a bit of a rush last night as I had to pop it in the mail today.  Hopefully my BIL should get it in time for his birthday this coming Monday.

The adorable image is by Penny Black - a stamp which I bought very recently from PB Stamps in the USA.  When I saw this image on someone's card a few months ago, I just HAD to get it - I LOVE it and it makes me happy to look at it   Check out those cat slippers!!  Cute as a button!! 

I stamped the image onto watercolour paper and coloured it with a mix of Faber-Castell and Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils and a small #2 round paintbrush.  You can't see in the photo, but I added some clear Sakura glaze pen to the dog's collar.  Here is a wee close-up:-

I wish I knew who made the designer paper.  It is a fairly recent purchase but there is no name on the back which is rather unusual for designer papers these days.  If you know, please leave me a comment or drop me an email, and I will update this post.  Plus I would LOVE to know so I can get some more of it:  I do really like it as it is so perfect for masculine cards IMHO.

The sentiment is by Lili of the Valley (UK) and is from their circular sentiments set:  For you.  I stamped it with Indigo pigment ink, poured on some clear embossing powder and heat-set it  The sentiment originally had flowers where the sparkly red star brads are, but I couldn't have flowers on a man's card, so searched through my stash to find something I could pop over the top to hide them.  Here is a close-up so you can see:

Both the main panel and sentiment panel are up on dimensionals.

Challenges:

I am entering this card into the Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge #14 of Spots and Dots.  I tried to use as many dots and spots as I could:  my dp, embossed dot red cardstock panel across the centre and the dots on the border punched panels.

I am also popping this card into the Stampalot August Challenge of "Anything Goes".

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you have a fab weekend!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Fetching Slippers 2085F, Lili of the Valley (UK) Circular sentiments - For you (set of 7 stamps)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx black, Artnic Indigo pigment

Designer paper:  I haven't a clue!

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Crafts Too dots square 5" x 5" embossing folder, Spellbinder - rectangle, circle and scalloped circle nestabilities, 140lb Watercolour paper, #2 round paintbrush, Faber-Castell and Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils, red sparkly star brads by Making Memories - Stars in Bloom - shimmer, navy blue ribbon, Sakura clear glaze pen, heat-gun, clear embossing powder, cardstock: navy blue, red

Punches:  Fiskars threading water