Compliments to the Chef

This weekend, we were invited to the most wonderful dinner. Our hostess was so gracious, and provided a delicous meal, each course presented beautifully. The company was interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I wanted to make her a special thank you card, and I had just the thing in mind.

Some time ago, I had seen this card and tutorial on Michelle Zindorf's blog so I thought it would be just perfect. I changed up the colour scheme and the plate (didn't want Christmas effect in July!) and I chose red since our hostess had some red in her decor - seemed like a colour she likes. (Of course the fact that I like it too also comes into it!)

I won't go into the construction of the card - Michelle Zindorf (said in hushed, reverential voice) explains the technique very well on her blog. However, basically, you do the cutlery with emboss resist and brayer on the background colour (Riding Hood Red). I stamped over with Toile background (SU) in Aged Mahogany, except where I used Versamark and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't show up. Now my Versamark is quite...well....mahogany. Will have to browse all those threads on splitcoast on how to clean off a versamark that someone got coloured ink on. Doh!

The other variation was in my china pattern. I really, really, really wanted to do a china pattern for this card. I dug out one of my very first SU sets, Noteworthy, because it has some tiny china-ish patterns on it. I did one plate and decided I didn't like it. Then I remembered Fancy Flexible Phrases has a bunch of small images that would make a great china pattern, and I was right! I stamped this one around the edge of the circle (4 1/2" in diameter, cut on my Cricut), and accented with some Prussian Blue Bruynzeel crayon and gold leaf pen. I added a bit of red Tombow marker, to bring in the red of the card. The sponge-mask in the centre is 2 1/4" (cut with Nestability). The plate is also edged with gold leaf pen. I almost feel like I should name my new china pattern!

I used my Position-it by Cathie Allan to stamp the sentiment (it's all one row on the block), with my signature errant smudge of ink. I briefly (as in nanosecond) considered redoing the plate, but by now I was far too committed to this plate to re-do it. (I figured that Sir Jasper Wedgwood-Doulton wouldn't fire me for messing up just one plate.) I mounted the whole thing on a Buckaroo Blue card base. A bit of navy ribbon (forced myself to leave it on!) completed the card.

This was a fun card to make. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the inspiration, Michelle, and for the great tutorial!

PS. I watched the World Cup today - it was a good game, wasn't cheering for a particular side (hunky footballers being evenly distributed across the teams), other than for a slight bias towards the Netherlands because I had a Dutch penpal when I was in school.