party at my house! 7

mardi gras is not typically observed or celebrated in my house… however, the opportunity to have a party with friends and good food should never be turned down. check out the invitation i made for FAT TUESDAY!

i’ll try to walk you through how i put it together…

1. grab cardstock (or pattern papers) in mardi gras colors! the brighter the better.

2. (yes, i free-handed this…) draw half of a mask on one of the pieces of cardstock.

3. score the paper where the center of the mask would be, and then  fold it over.

4. cut out the half mask that was drawn, and open it up to reveal a full mask. use it as a template to trace onto two other colors. play with layers, leaving one mask intact and layering pieces of the other colors on top of it. use MONO Aqua to adhere it all together. (SIDENOTE : i love using MONO Aqua for paper piecing. small dots do not warp the paper, it dries clear, i can do an assembly line without worrying that the glue is going to dry before i get my pieces where i want them.

5. i traced the mask so i could follow the lines with the MONO Aqua, but I am glad that it dries pretty clear so when I get it in the wrong spot and have to slide it a little, it hasn’t ruined my project.

6. using the MONO Aqua again, add details with glitter. this glitter was super fine. i have to put in a disclaimer that i love using the Glue Pen to add glitter and crushed velvet flock, but i needed to do this all at the same time, so i didn’t want it to dry too fast. using the MONO Aqua allows me to take the time i need and not rush. it takes longer to dry than the Glue Pen, but serves it’s purpose well.

7. using scissors cut up the middle of the mask so it will have two flaps that open.

8. i added panels of a light purple to the inside of the mask/inside of the card, because i didn’t want to see the invitation through the eyes, however, it could be a very dramatic flair to have portions of the insides visible.

using microsoft word i printed an invitation to glue to the inside, which i used the new Stamp Runner Permanent Adhesive for.

then using three Dual Brush Pens i drew in circles, to resemble beaded necklaces.

9. i added gems to the front of the card. if i were to make several invitations or cards using different gems and placement of them would make each card personal and unique. if the gems are flat on the back using MONO Multi or the MONO Metal Glue will work best.

10. the last thing i did was to add Tombow’s new Fastener Tabs to the inside of the card to keep it closed, the white fastener tab on white paper is barely noticeable and kept it together nicely!

so? did you enjoy? was a it a good one? let me say…there is a reason we call it Fat Tuesday!