The St. Patrick’s Day card I made for yesterday’s post was bright, bold, clean and simple. Bright, bold, clean and simple are totally in my wheelhouse – they come easy to me. While I was making that card, though, I couldn’t help but want to make a St. Patrick’s Day card that is dark, distressed and dirty – the complete opposite of the card I made yesterday. What a challenge that would be for me!
Here’s my card: 
With this card, I was going for “found in the puddle outside an old Irish saloon the morning after St. Patrick’s Day” look. I’m not one to apologize for a project, but this card looks more aged and distressed in person than what shows up in the pictures. If you’d like to stop by my house tomorrow, I’ll be happy to share the original with you – I think you’ll agree that this photo doesn’t do it justice.
Here’s how this clean-and-simple guy attempted to make a distressed and dirty project:
- The colors. I kept the colors neutral,using only Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade and Very Vanilla. The end result was a bit “mossier” than I had anticipated, but I like it.
- The edges. I used my Stampin’ Distress Tool (available in the Spring Catalog) to cut up the edges of the layers, digging in and really cutting into the paper, at times. It was tough for me to cut up my beautiful card stock, but I did it. Yay, me!
- The shadows. I used a sponge dauber and Crumb Cake to sponge a border around almost all the edges of all the shapes in the card. I also swiped the sponge along the surfaces of almost all shapes to soften them up and make them a bit dirtier. I added a little Lucky Limeade to the mix to make add another hue. I used the water spots from French Foliage (thank you, Ann Schach!) to create a more distressed, aged look.
Stamp sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, French Foliage Papers: Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla Inks: Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade Accessories: Stampin’ Distress Tool, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Modern Label punch, Small Heart punch, Bird Builder punch, Sponge Daubers, Stampin’ Dimensionals
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Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
I simply canNOT believe you made this card. Wait, yes I can, because your talent is boundless. LOVE this! It’s perfectly dirty and perfectly cool! –Terri O
It’s wonderful that you have strayed again into the vintage world. It’s it nice to try new things?Although vintage is my true love, I do have to admit that I like your CAS card better this time.
Isn’t it fun to play with techniques that take you outside your Box! Looks like you enjoyed your “dirty moment”!
Your down and dirty experiment is a HIT! Love it. My kind of card. Grunge-Goodness. This Irish Lass would be honored to receive such a dirty mess. Happy St. Patrick’s Day a wee bit early Brian!
Oh Brian, I truly believe this is better than yesterday’s card, even though that one was awesome!! But this one looks so lovely with all those sponged distressed edges, all the sponging of the surfaces, the colors…..it looks like a very old card found on a trunk in someones attic. I love it, you really went to town with this one. I’m glad you decided to play “dirty” today. Thank you!!
You nailed it, Brian. I completely agree with the “found in the puddle outside an old Irish saloon the morning after St. Patrick’s Day” look. I can see John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in that break-through scene in The Quiet Man! 😀
This would bring a smile to Tim Holtz ! Please tell people (in case someone was thinking about buying the SU Distress Tool ) that you added additional pressure and foot stomping to this card and that you promise that their card will not look this way if they use it ….and poor poor French Foliage ….I noticed not one peep from Ann …. but then again maybe it really did come from a puddle outside of a saloon ?? Where were you last night Master Brian ??
Great job Brian. Although I am a CAS type of gal I have to give you credit for pulling off the grunge look. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to do it but I have to admit your card is pretty unique. I also have to admit that poor Tim Holtz would be broke if he had to depend on my stamping habits. LOL
love it Brian !!! is that before drinking and spill his green Beer !!! lol !
LOL, that’s what I was thinking. Yesterday’s card was pre-Bostonian St. Paddy’s Day parade and pub-jumping, while today’s card is after all the revelling. Kiss me, my ancestors were Irish rogues. 🙂
Congrats for stepping outside of the box. Love your description of the look you were going for! LOL! I will, like you, always be a CAS person in my heart and design.
You certainly had a great image for your card and you nailed it! The only thing missing is the dirty foot print from the guy who dragged the card into that gutter under his boot! I agree that it could have been The Duke and Maureen…The Quiet Man is an all time fav of mine! TFS your hidden grunge side!
oh… I love this. So much like Tim Holtz and I love him. Yu are so talented
Ab-fab, Brian! I love the distressing 🙂 I am VERY proud of you and the waterspots!
Brian, I was “busy” yesterday reading a mystery set in a small village in Ireland.
Part of the story took place in a grungy old pub. I had to giggle when I saw your card – it fit in perfectly with my vision of the pub.
You did a great job using the technique! 😉