Saturday, February 5, 2011

N.E.A.T.

Happy Saturday everyone! Our son has a BDay party today with a friend he's had almost since birth.  There is a group of 4 of them that we've either been in Small Group with their families, or at church together for a lot of years.  The four boys call themselves N.E.A.T. which is an acronym of all their names together.  They really are great young guys that we love and I treasure the friendship they have with each other.

So I thought I'd get a little creative with the BDay card today....this Birthday Boy of the 4 N.E.A.T. guys has dogs.  So, I pulled out the adorable TSG set Puppy Love and used the TSG92 Challenge this week for inspiration.



I knew I wanted to also create a dog house (which I've seen Holly do before, bless her creative heart...).  So I drew it out in pencil and then outlined it as closely to the style of the puppy in Copic Multi-liner before I colored it up.  Trying to keep as closely to the feeling of whimsy as Torico had drawn.

Then I also put in the N.E.A.T. letters on the sign.  WAY adorable hey?


I've added some pointillism to link the grasses together.  I love how those pretty dots just soften an effect.



I stacked the images in different layers so you get the feeling of depth and height.  (so double Dimensionals under the pup and sign and single Dimensionals under the dog house.  And I tucked the grey of the inside of the dog house on dimensionals too so you feel like it's something you could go into, it has some depth.


Now I know he won't care about all the intricate work I put into it, but it got 2 thumbs up from my son :) And I had SO much fun making it!  I love that about this craft - that you can customize something specifically for someone!  

Stamps:  TSG - Puppy Love;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie;  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White, Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie, SU! DSP;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Deckled Rectangles, Copic Markers, Dimensionals, Black Twine, Sewing Machine.  

19 comments:

LeAnne said...

Well, look how clever you are...drawing that doghouse yourself! You need to start your own stamp company!!! This is SO cute---he'll
love it!

Sherry Kushibab said...

The time and thought you put into this cards shows....I have no doubt that one of those 'NEAT' fellas will really appreciate it when he receives it. Friends are a blessing and your son is lucky to still be close to them, pray those relationships continue as they all grow older.

Beate said...

That is neat, indeed! Sorry, couldn't help myself. Love your coloring and card.
Hugs and smiles

Marisa said...

How perfect is this!! Love the acronym and it is SO good to see guys being such good buddies. Fabulously done!

Mary said...

You did a great job and I really like the colors together.

Beth said...

This is super and I'm sure your son's friend will love it!

Jessie/knightrone said...

This is FABULOUS!!

KarinsArtScrap said...

what a great card christine and with that fun dog.

greetings karin

Holly aka Toy said...

Absolutely adorable, Christine! I, too, love how specific you can get with a handmade card. That's the thing that keeps us lightyears ahead of Hallmark! :)~ Hope your son's friend loves his card. I know many of my boys' friends have kept their birthday cards :).

Hugs!

petra,s cards said...

whowww cristine what a sweet card!!!!
xx petra

Denise Marzec said...

Hey, I give it two thumbs up, too. FUN card!!

Conniecrafter said...

Great dimension, colors, like the paw print background, like how you personalized it for him, this will be one that he can look back on when he is older and remember all his great relationships!

debbie said...

You are soooo creative! Love the card and love your work. TFS.

Jerri Jimenez said...

This is so much fun Christine! What a fabulous birthday card, you should make one for each of the boys . . . something to treasure as a keepsake in the years to come (and they'll come fast . . . LOL)! I just love it . . . so adorable! Perfect acronym for the boys!

Anonymous said...

He looooved it and wants to keep it on his dresser. Of course he didn't notice all the details until his mom pointed them out one by one and then said "wow" all for my birthday. It is a fantastic card and I love all the details. NEAT loved that they were on the card. :-) good job my friend.
-Leanna

Unknown said...

Happy Superbowl Sunday,
I just wanted to say hello and to also say that I just love this card. The colors that you picked for it are perfect.
I am giving away a set of free clear stamps on my blog, please come on over and take a look. http://jessicalynnoriginal.blogspot.com/

Have a great day!
Jessica Lynn

Emily Keaton said...

This IS adorable, Christine! I just love how you were able to personalize it. :)

Linda Carson said...

Oh this is seriously too cute! Glad you got the "thumbs up" seal of approval!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous card!! Just love it when you can add a uniquely personal touch to a card! Soo cute.
Beth Greco