Black and white: A Drunken Stampers Challenge

This final card is, I think, a neat project.

The idea of "grunged" embossing pleases me so much (thank you to Linda over at L3 for introducing me to this concept). Visually it's attractive, even vintage in appearance. And it's very tactile as sanded card stock results in a soft, fabric-like texture.

So, one has to wonder why I didn't begin here for this week's Drunken Stampers Challenge.

Well, start with the Cricut Summer in Paris cartridge. I really, really wanted to use the poodle and the Eiffel Tower. Then there's the "Bonjour" phrase from another cartridge, coupled with a fleur-de-lis Cuttlebug folder that's been needing a project application. On top of which I had some extra time today.

Hours, in fact, to alter and change and reset and redesign and ... before long ... we had arrived at complete crap. A lot of cool individual elements, but together ... crap.

I even hassled My Guy, who is himself feeling like crap with a bug sitting in his chest, for input to help me fix the first hot mess of black and white and black and white and black and white.

Poor guy. Imagine looking at a mass of black and white die cuts and embossing and glitter and flocking while you're sick. He probably wished he could call 911.

Luckily his face exhibited that wish and drove me to arrive here with this design that is simple and primarily black with highlights of white. The pressed embossing is derived from Sizzix folders with extra texture added by sanding the embossed images.

The sentiment is heat-embossed with "a la mode" sparkle embossing powder -- an especially cool product that only really works on black or denim blue.

It's also a cool effect that requires photography skills not possessed by anyone in this house.

Oh well, I'll get it all together at the same time one of these days.

Until then, prost!