WooHoo it is time to tickle a Teapotter and our sweet Greenie aka Irishgreensue, has taken us on a journey to the Emerald Isle in celebration of St. Patrick's Day and the month of March. Greenie shared Finn O'Flanigans story and The Irish Blessing with us.
Here we have Greenie McSpud welcoming visitors to his wee log house at Muckanaghederdauhaulia (and you thought Whykickamoocow was weird). His little owl mate, Warty O'Blaze agreed to dye his feathers green in honour of the month long celebrations. Sprinkles McFearsome the fairy, is happily fluttering in the background...I had to cut her legs off to fit (it was that or her head... it was a pretty easy choice).
There are all sorts of stamps used here. Greenie started out life as free digi by Mary Ellen Smith at Free Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps, Warty and Sprinkles are rubber Unity Stamps and the tree trunk and little hollow tree house are clear stamps from Lavinia Stamps in the UK.
Greenie the leipreachán was coloured with Copics, while Warty and Sprinkles were coloured with distress inks and inktense pencils using an aqua pen. For the background I cut a couple of panels to fit the card front and I did the regular smack and squirt technique (smack distress ink pad onto al foil, squirt on water and using a foam blending tool, scrub the inky water onto the cardstock, add a bit more colour without adding water) .
I then stamped the tree....well that did not work!!! The orange and blue were too intense to cover and no matter how much brown ink I added, the tree had too much colour. I cut the tree off and used the remains for the background where Sprinkles is hovering. I then stamped the tree trunk on smooth white cardstock and using a dauber I scrubbed on walnut stain and rusty hinge distress inks.
I was too impatient to make a mask for the tree trunk so I applied the green, orange and blue direct to the card (no diluting) with foam blending tools straight from the ink pad. It took 10 times longer to do this panel than it did for the rest of the card. Applying the ink directly from the pad not only takes ages, it takes soooooo much more ink and to top it off, it went a bit muddy!! Thankfully the muddy bit suits the card, but it really has convinced me that Smack & Squirt is the way to go.
The little tree house is stamped on the background so the outer roots look nice and dark, I also stamped it on cardstock and fussy cut the main circle and rocks, then stuck it directly over the background stamped image. I cut around the door so that it opens.
Before sticking Greenie, Warty and Sprinkles in place I gave them some glitter (hard to see in photo) and I stamped on some trees and foliage.
Thank you for looking. As always, I had lots of fun making this knowing it is going to a Teapotter.
P.S. I found a fun St.Patrick's Day Leprechaun Name Generator on line (and the Irish way to spell leipreachán). Our hostess, Sue Worthington translates to Greenie McSpud, my name becomes Warty O'Blaze and in honour of our true Irish Teapotter, Sabrina's name is Sprinkles McFearsome. Muckanaghederdauhaulia is a real place in Ireland that means "pig-marsh between two saltwaters", but you probably knew that.
Date: Monday, March 30, 2015 GMT Views: 2305
Favorited:7
Registered: February 26, 2013 Location: Switzerland, Three Lakes Region Posts: 544
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 12:26 AM
Wow wow wow Susie! Such a fun scene!!! I love all your stair step cards but this one is very special! The colors are so fantastic! Wonderful creation! <3
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Splitcoast Challenge Hostess Teapot Tuesday TEAm
Registered: January 19, 2014 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 89871
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 3:55 AM
Oh my Susie I love this and let it be known no fairies were harmed in the making of this incredible card. She is on bended knee. What a fantastic field you have created and the sky line is fantastic. Warty O'Blaze you sure brought great fun to us here with this darling card.
Registered: February 21, 2007 Location: Bay City, MICHIGAN Posts: 17556
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 7:11 AM
Top o' the mornin' to ye, Warty O'Blaze, from old Greenie McSpud, and thank the good Lord, the both of us are being overseen by the ever present lovely, Sprinkles McFearsome on your wonderful card - who knows what kind of trouble the two of us could get into, if not for Sprinkles??
As always, your lovely palette of the sky just bejumbles the imagination how gorgeous it always looks with your smack and squirt magic. Even the tree trunk, despite your troubles with it, having to re purpose it elsewhere, looks great. I sure can't say enough for the wonderful little tree house you built, and thankful that you put a working door on it so I can get in and out.
As far as glitter goes, we leprechauns always leave a trace of the sparkly stuff behind to show where we have been, so a good call on that one! This surely is a MAGICAL card, and one that will delight the lucky teapotter who wins your card in the draw! Thanks for bringing your special magic to this week's challenge gallery, Susie! You always make it so much fun!!
Now......there seems to already be a long line of hopefuls to get this card, so I better hurry to get my spot!!
------------------------------ SUE aka GREENIE - Twisted Sistah Handmade cards because..No one displays an email on their mantle, or saves a FB post in a box of treasures! Nothing is impossible with God!
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni SCS Gallery Moderator Splitcoast Challenge Hostess Teapot Tuesday TEAm
Registered: July 27, 2007 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 131397
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 7:45 AM
I don't know where to start in my comment! First off, I don't see any muddiness in your sponging. And, ha - you certainly haven't seen Irish mud. Greenie's little house is AMAZING - and goodness, he and his house remind me so much of books my sister and I had when we were small, about a little leprechaun called Brogeen. I'm so impressed at all the research you did.
I've got to dash out to get to the Post Office and back, but I'll be back to re-read and admire this again. And I love that you used the owl - I finally got him onto a card today. Thanks again!!
Registered: April 1, 2012 Location: Rogers, AR Posts: 28818
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 11:25 AM
This is a story! I love it!!
------------------------------ Jan 'Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ'. Philippians 1:6
Registered: August 15, 2007 Location: Twin Cities MN Posts: 50417
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 3:27 PM
I love your cast of characters here...glad you didn't have to cut off the fairy's head.....Greenie is the perfect host and I love the entrance to his log house...so cute! Warty along with his toadstool umbrella is all set for the misty Irish weather. This is over the top AMAZING! Love it!!
Registered: March 12, 2008 Location: stamping or writing Posts: 9835
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 4:57 PM
Oh my Susie, what a wealth of Irish goodness and lore in this card. Your fairy is gorgeous, your leprechaun all sprightly and charming, and that house is amazing -- it's a good thing Greenie is standing there guarding it, or Bilbo Baggins and crew would be trying to move in.
Registered: August 13, 2006 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 5508
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 6:46 PM
Oh Susie, you have created another masterpiece. This is fantastic! Love Greenies house and all the wonderful colour is amazing. The luck of the Irish to you! TFS
------------------------------ QFTD171 Stampin Gramma (Faith W.) Proud Fan Club Member! Member of RAK and BRAK
Registered: May 23, 2009 Location: sunny california Posts: 9825
Tue, Mar 31, 2015 @ 9:36 PM
Wow, Susie, this sure pops out of the gallery. It has a wondergul magical glow to it, especially the orange bg. I love your coloring and card dedign. To make the card would have wiped me outl but then to write such a great description would have taken me all night.