"The Gangs All Meer" Birthday Card - Tina Zinck, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Hi Friends! Yesterday we had quite the snowfall – up to 60cm of it! That is a LOT of snow. We have already used our snow plow more this year that we have the last couple of years, and winter is far from over! While my honey plowed our drive, as well as all our neighbour’s driveways (what a great guy!), I’ve been shovelling out our cat shelter for the feral kitties and making paths in the yard for our dogs. We’re supposed to get few more centimetres of snow today, but nothing like yesterday. The forecasted temperature for today is -15, with a wind chill tonight of -25. In a word, YUCK. This Leo is NOT a fan of the cold, my friends. I am soooo blessed and grateful that I work from home, with our cozy wood stove and my furkids snuggled at my feet under the desk! This Saturday we’re expecting rain and a balmy 9′, before the temps drop and more snow returns. Bonkers weather!

So what does one do when it’s cold and snowy outside? Stamp a card with cute little meers, surrounded by cacti and little lizards!

Did you know that “meerkats” are members of the mongoose family and live in South Africa? They live in tunnels and chambers underground and are generally in packs of at least five; hence the perfect name of our stamp set, “The Gangs All Meer”. Quite clever, of Stampin’ Up! lol. Anywho, you have GOT to do a google image search for “Meerkats” – they are really, really ADORABLE!

The expressions and postures of the little critters in this stamp set are precious, and the images are super fun to colour. Here are the details for my card:

Measurements:

Crumb Cake Card Base: 11″ x 4 1/4″
Whisper White: 2 1/2″ x 3″
Bermuda Bay: 2 3/4″ x 3 1/4″
Grapefruit Grove: 3 3/4″ x 2 1/2″
Designer Series Paper: 2″ x 5 1/4″

How to:

I stamped the meerkats onto Whisper White with Black Stazon. I stamped again onto a post it note and cut it out to create a mask.
Once I put the mask on the meerkats, I stamped the cactus image. I created another mask, this time of the cactus, and stamped the little lizards.
I used my aqua painter with Crumb Cake and Petal Pink ink pads to colour the meerkats. Everything else was coloured with my Watercolour Pencils.
I stamped and cut a birthday hat onto a scrap piece of Whisper White and glued it onto the card. I added some fine-tip glue over top to add a bit of gloss and dimension, and then a rhinestone.
Once all the layers were glued onto the card, I added a teeny, tiny drop of fine-tip glue to the eyes and noses, and set aside to dry.
I thought the space before and after the sentiments on the Grapefruit Grove layer needed a little something, so instead of adding a free-hand doodle, I used an image from the “Daisy Delight” stamp set.