A Stenciled Birthday In the Woods

 Today I'm thrilled to begin my time as Surprise Party Guest over at Seize the Birthday.  How excited I was when I received an e-mail from Nancy asking me if I'd be interested??  Ummm, YES! And what a thrill to be working with this wonderfully creative team for June and July!

This is today's challenge.

So Double Stenciling is a special technique where you take a card panel and  lay one stencil over another stencil and ink through both stencils.  Then you lift up the top stencil and ink through the bottom stencil with another color.  Usually a lighter color first and a darker color second - and you have to think about how the colors will mix so not to make mud.

SO -  here's my card followed by a few creation step photos -  

if you are a visual learner like me, and so I remember how I made this!  

I have to say, I tried a number of stencils and ink color combinations before coming up with something I really liked.

and here's the inside to prove it is a birthday card - a nice masculine design for the guys in our lives - or for anyone who loves the outdoors!

How I made it:  

Taped a white panel onto my work surface.  Placed the Birch tree stencil over the card panel, taping the stencil along the top.   Placed the Moc Croc Stencil over the Birch Tree Stencil, taping it along the top.  Sponged over all these layers with Evergreen Bough Distress Ink. 

It looks pretty crazy like this - hard to tell what it's going to look like, right?

Lifted up the Moc Croc Stencil and sponged through Birch Tree Stencil with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink.  

This stencil is a Slim Line so it's longer than my card panel.

Lift off that stencil and your design is done!   Pretty magical right?!

The Birch Tree stencil came with a 2nd stencil to mark the brown bits on the birch and I wanted those on there - so I just matched up that stencil over the trees and sponged with a brown ink.  

(But that's extra, not part of Double Stenciling!)

I stamped the sentiment and adhered it over the panel with foam dots.

So, we invite you to join in and add another card to your birthday stash!  You can use the topping of Double Stenciling or just make it birthday!  You'll find the challenge here.

Also linking my card to:

NBUS

First time using the birch tree stencil

Stencil Fun  ends 6/29

Birthdays

Just Us Girls ends 6/19

Stamps: Peek a Boo Pals - Camp Wanna Stamp - Ellen Hutson, inside Birthday Basics - PTI.
Ink: Mermaid Lagoon, Evergreen Bough - Ranger Distress, Espresso - Altenew
Paper: white - Papertrey Ink.
Accessories: Moc Croc Stencil - AALL and Create, Slim Line Birch Tree Stencil - Rubbernecker, foam dots, blender brushes.