To stamp or not to stamp?

I totally love the sentiments in one of Stampin Up's quirky stamp sets - and turned to it recently when making a Birthday card for a lovely blogging buddy. I know that the card has now been opened, so it's safe to post this:

I used:

- 4.25" x 5.5" white card blank, tent style

- using the Misti stamped the image and split sentiment (from SU's 'Just Kidding' set) onto a snippet of white card stock - using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink

- then selected the spotted backing paper (it's from Dovecrafts Back to Basics 'Bright Spark' paper pack) and also the plain mustard card (from the snippets folder) for 'frames' - before going any further

- next coloured the image using Faber Castell Polychromos pencils - picking out colours from the spotted backing paper

- die cut the image/sentiments panel using a Creative Dies 'Wonky Stitches - Nesting Rectangles' die

- trimmed all the additional layers to suit and just glued them all together before adding them to the card front

- finally added a strip of spotted paper along the bottom of the inside of the card - just for fun

Ha, my in-house critic liked the image but thought the spotted paper was 'too busy'. He really IS very much Less is More :)

There's one thing I would probably do differently in future - it took me several stampings, although the stamps are poly/clear ones plus using the Misti with graph acetate, to get the split sentiment as level as possible. When I'm unsure I always stamp onto spare paper first - too mean to risk wasting decent card stock! Got there in the end, albeit a tad to the right!

Another time, I'll try using an elongated speech bubble die for the first part of the sentiment and then adding it later - which means it's only the lower wording and the image that need to be in line/level. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 vision!