January Card Club - Card #3 - quick and easy card featuring an embossed background, embossed layers and a framed postage stamp

Postage stamps are wonderful little pieces of art and I really like using them in my cards.  These ones are from a series which featured one for each province and territory of Canada.  I have my collection sorted so I was able to just take the envelope and sort through the stamps.  I chose the ones with the least obtrusive cancellation marks and soaked them in warm water to get them to release.  It only took a few minutes and I laid them flat with the image down for them to dry.  Once they were dry I cut little black cardstock rectangles to provide them a firm base and frame them nicely.  The backgrounds were embossed and highlighted gently with light coloured ink pads (top - Linen Distress ink, bottom - Memories dye ink - Gauze).  I provided a variety of cardstock scraps to provide some elements to create a design along with a variety of embossing folders to give them interesting texture.  I added paper piercing and distressing along with a torn edge on one of them.  Lots of options!!   With our elements created it was just a matter of creating an interesting layout - so many possibilities!!  The lobster is for Nova Scotia and the buffalo is for Manitoba.  I do not have a full set but there were about eight to choose from.  Nice to have versatile cards appropriate to more than one occasion in your card stash and I like to provide a variety of options in the design elements as well.  Therese