Monday, January 28, 2013

Mr Cardmaker is Having More Fun Than...

It's so funny, once you reach a certain age, what you remember about your childhood, and what can come flooding back to you with just the smallest of hints. Toys, foods, TV ads, and smells, especially...Nothing is ever QUITE the same if you revisit it (IE, the BEEFARONI that I simply could NOT get enough of, much to the chagrin of my Italian food expert grandmother--gag me nowadays!!), but the memories sure can be nice!

I bought this stamp set from Too Much Fun Stamps a while ago, and I finally inked it up.  It really takes me back to a very specific period of my boyhood, and I smile when I go back to those memories.
I made this--

So, this is a two stamp set, the barrel and the monkeys.  Stand by for the monkeys. 
I stamped the barrel onto a 4"x 10" brown card stock that was folded in half, and put the fold at the BOTTOM of the stamp.  I used some black ink and a dauber to fill in any missed spots at the fold line, and cut out the image through both layers.  I then used some 1/8" scor-tape to seal up the sides, but left the top open.  I added some detail with a white gel pen, and made a tag to tie on with some baker's twine.

Cue the monkeys!!


I stamped the monkeys onto some white card stock, and then added the sentiment at the bottom.  I used some ink pads and an aqua painter, and colored up these guys.  I did a few coats to get the depth I was looking for in some areas.  Aren't these monkeys a hoot?
I was concerned about not having a place to write a message on this card, and even if I hadn't put a sentiment on the bottom of the monkeys piece, there's barely room to sign your name. 
So, I went to the back!

I think I went a bit overboard trying to make this look a bit aged .  Looks more like there's been WAY too much time alone with the monkeys going on! 
I think if I were to do this again, I would carry the red card stock all the way up to cover the monkey's heads, and then trim away what I didn't want to see from the front.  The images are also small enough that you could make the whole thing fit onto an A2 card front, if you were so inclined.

Just a bit of fun, and some happy memories today! 
Thanks for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard

14 comments:

  1. I know what you mean about those memories! I had my very own Barrel of Monkeys :) Thanks for the memories, Richard! Your card is quite fun - the barrel is perfect, and look at all of those mischevious colorful monkeys! Great job!

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  2. Umm...so this is kind of amazing. I love it! It's happy. :)

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  3. Oh how fun and nostalgic! I remember Toomuchfun, too! What a trip down memory lane.
    Thanks for visiting my blog, Richard! Have a great week!

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  4. Ha, thanks for the memories!
    Before we could play this game, we had to wrestle the monkeys away from my little brother who was using them for his zoo or circus!
    I think I need therapy!

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  5. LOL..leave it to you take us down memory lane. I love your barrel o' monkeys! The aged speckles on the woodgrain looks terrific too! Brings back wonderful memories. I'm still holding on to my Fisher Price Farm House. You know the one, you open the barn door and it goes, "MOOOOOOO." OMG, I could play with that for hours and I mean now, not then....
    Awesome card Richard and great use of space to flip sentiment to the back of the tag.
    hugs,
    Lisa

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  6. I used to have several "barrels full of monkeys"...they were so much fun and oh the trouble they would get into...LOL

    Fun card reminiscent of those day. Great job Richard.

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  7. Oh my goodness! This stamp set and your fab card take me back too! Just love your barrel of monkeys! So very fun!

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  8. Love your card,Super cute,I have some very good memories from my Italian grandmothers,lol,Have a good day...

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  9. This is great, Richard! I love when an image forces you to repeat a phrase that isn't even written on the card. This birthday wish is, indeed, more fun than a barrel of ... what's it? ... oh, yeah ... monkeys. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Loving your idea of a barrel load of monkeys and it looks great as well.

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  11. This card is more fun than...
    The white dots you added to the barrel are a nice touch

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  12. Hi Richard, I stalk Patti J and got here through her blog....but I've been here before...in a subtle way. I love this cute monkey card and I like it as it is. The little heads above the red panel make them stand out perfeclty.

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  13. What a great barrel of moneys you produced. I love the way you made it so the monkeys get hauled out of the barrel for the greeting. So creative.

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