CAS Happy Mail card for Create a Smile

Hi there! We’ve got a fun new challenge at Create a Smile. The theme is Happy Mail and therefore I chose the cute snail from a stamp set with the same name, to create a CAS (clean and simple) card.

Masculine CAS card by Laura Dovalo -Bagatelas de Papel- for Create a Smile.

I had a lot of fun coloring the snail, first with Copic markers and then with my Prismacolor pencils. To better convey my idea, I slightly modified the stamp and added a “foot” (according to Wikipedia). In my mind, the snail has left a slime trail sentiment… LOL.

CAS happy mail card by Laura Dovalo for Create a Smile.

In order to create the sentiment, I actually used three layers of clear embossing. Luckily it was easy to do with my Mini Misti stamping tool. I tried it with several panels in different colors and this dark wood pattern really makes it stand out. It also gives this CAS card a masculine feel… although I think that most of my cards are quite unisex.

Close-up of a CAS masculine card featuring a snail by Laura Dovalo,

Furthermore, I also made its antennae -actually in a real snail, those are its eyes- more realistic and easy to fussy cut. For my stamping, I used Desert Sand Memento ink. It’s a very light ink that is perfect for the no-line coloring method. In the above picture, you can see the nice texture that I achieved with the color pencils…

Finally, I didn’t want to spoil the CAS effect with too many embellishments, so I just added some drops of Glossy Accents to finish the card.

Create a Smile November Happy Mail challenge picture.

Now I invite you to head on over to the Create a Smile blog to check out the cards of the rest of the DT. If you came from there to get a better look at my card, thank you very much! I hope you’ll join us for this challenge.