Monkey Business

Monday's challenge over at Split Coast Stampers was to make a suspension card. I have never done one of these, so I decided to give it a try. I borrowed my sister's Just So Hippy set (Gina K Designs) again.

I started by stamping the image twice on Whisper White paper. To get the mirrored image, I took on of the images, turned the paper over and placed it on an acrylic block. Then I held it up to a light and traced the lines, with a pencil. Then I traced over them again with a black pigment marker.

Before coloring, I heat set the marker lines. I colored both monkeys with Koh-i-noor pencils and blended with OMS (odorless mineral spirits), then cut them out.


I flipped one of the monkeys over and secured a length of hemp twine, extending from one hand to the other.

Using pop dots between the layers, I adhered the other monkey to the first.

For the banana tree, I drew the leaves on Whisper White, first with a pencil, then with a black marker. You don't have to be good at drawing to do this. Just make to intersecting arcs and add some angled notches.

Make about half of the leaves with notches going one direction and half going the other direction. Otherwise you will have a one sided tree.

I colored the leaves with Koh-i-noor pencils & OMS and then cut them out.

Using a small scrap, I punched out a circle to adhere the leaves to. After getting several on, I did some sponging to make the back leaves darker.

Next, added the remaining leaves. I made one leaf quite a bit longer so it would extend over the opening in the card.

Next, I drew the tree trunk on Close to Cocoa paper. Just draw an arc and then draw another parallel to the first. Then add squiggly lines to show growth rings. I cut that out and then did a bit of sponging with Chocolate Chip ink.

I made openings in my card base and background papers. The background is Soft Sky.

I sponged the top of the background with Ballet Blue ink and the bottom with Certainly Celery.

Then I taped the monkey in place using scotch tape.

Adhered the background in place.

Added the tree trunk.

Added the top of the tree.

I cut out some smaller leaves, similar to the tree leaves, only smaller and without notches. Then I adhered those to the base of the tree to make a little bush.

Last, I added a few more leaves on the other side of the opening and a bunch of bananas to the tree. The banana stamp is from You Know You're Old When (Gina K Designs). It was stamped on Whisper White paper and colored with markers.

Have a terrific day!