Dotted Rhino

It's a return to kid birthday card land! No, not really, though this certainly is a kid birthday card. But never fear, I'm not about to start posting 12 new kid birthday designs. This is it, and the only reason I used the Zoofari set is because it was fresh on my mind and I needed an image that wasn't too complicated. That plus the rhinoceros fit the main cool thing about the card -- the textured mellow moss strip.

I think the photo captured the dry embossed dots on the mellow moss strip pretty well. You want to know how I did it? It was so easy you'll laugh, and perhaps, like me, wonder why you haven't thought of it before. I simply used my embossing stylus and the Stampin' up! mat pack!

Yup, I used the medium size holes on the paper piercing template as an embossing template. I started on one edge and embossed all the medium holes on the template, then lined up two already embossed rows into two rows on the template and continued to dry emboss the remaining holes. I repeated this process until the entire strip was covered with dry embossed dots. They kind of remind me of a leathery rhino skin.

So what do you think? Pretty neat, huh. I knew there had to be another use for that template beyond paper piercing and eyelet setting. But I never would have found it on my own. It was actually my downline Giuli who planted the idea in my head when she mentioned how much she liked the dry embossed look created with a crop-a-dial, but hated the fact that lining up the dots was so tricky. That's when it struck me that the paper piercing template would be a great dry embossing template as well with all the spacing figured out for you!

I won't bother describing what I did on the rest of the card because I think it's pretty self-explanatory. Here's the recipe:

Card stock: Blush Blossom, mellow moss, perfect plum, whisper white

Ink: Basic black, perfect plum, blush blossom

Stamps: Zoofari, Amazing to Zany

Accessories: paper piercing mat pack, stylus, soft subtles button assortment, mellow moss gingham ribbon, large and small tag punches, glue dots, dimensionals.