Arigatou!

Last week our 14 year old son - after 2 years of extremely hard work - became a 2nd Dan black belt at karate. Not only that, he improved his points score by 6 over his 1st Dan grading score, so to say Mum & Dad are proud would be a huge understatement! He owes his success in no small measure to a teacher called Steve, who notices the little things that make a big difference, so this card is to say thanks ("Arigatou" in Japanese, apparently!) to him.

I downloaded the image as an SVG from the internet & cut it on my Sizzix Eclips. The stamp, by American Crafts, was inked up in 3 colours of Hero Arts ink then embossed with clear embossing powder. Although the ink is supposed to be quick drying I've found that if I've got everything ready beforehand, the ink stays wet just long enough to emboss it. The background was created using various masks & stamps in second/third generation inking.

 Stamps: American Crafts 59006 Thanks Lg,

Inspired by Stamping Guitars (background splats)

Inks: Hero Arts Soft Granite, Charcoal, Black

Stencil: Crafter's Workshop Mini Punchinella