Hummingbird Happy Birthday

My counselor's birthday is coming up this weekend, & I made this card for her. The design is based on Sketch Challenge #580 at Try Stampin' on Tuesday. For the main elements, I rotated the sketch 180 degrees. I added the sequins at the bottom right, in place of the banner in the sketch.

I embossed my background panel with the "Vines" embossing folder from Park Lane, then adhered it to my A2-size card base. I stamped the "Hummingbird" image from Divinity Designs onto a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper, using Ink on 3's Fade-Out ink. I painted that with my watercolors. I used a black glaze pen to go over the eye, & added in the catchlights with a white gel pen.

I printed the flower from Fred She Said's "Hummingbird & Columbine" digital set onto another piece of watercolor paper. I watercolored that as well. I stamped the "happy birthday," from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" set, with Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink. I felt that went well with the purple I'd used in the bird.

I adhered my flower panel to my card. I die cut the hummingbird with the coordinating die, & also die cut it 3 more times from white cardstock. I layered all the die cuts, & then glued it onto my card. I added 3 5mm Crystal sequins from Darice onto the bottom right, & that finished this card. I really love how this came together, & I'm sure my counselor will love it, too.

Merry Christmas

I have a plastic shoebox with various bits & bobs that I've made in the past. Stamped/die cut images or shapes, backgrounds, greetings, etc. Mostly things I've had left over from other projects or that I changed my mind about using & saved for a future project. This card came from elements in that box. The background panel was actually 1 of 4 that I had made. I had used a letter-size sheet of Strathmore Mixed Media paper, & ink smooshed with various Distress inks. Finally, I splattered with gold watercolor, then cut it into 4 A2-size panels. I've been keeping it for the "perfect" occasion. I decided Christmas Card Throwdown's September Sketch Challenge was that occasion, as the sketch has a lot of open background area.

September sketch

I pulled the Divinity Designs "Chickadee Single" image, that I'd previously stamped & die cut, from the same leftovers box. Because the background is so colorful & rather busy, I decided to leave the image uncolored. I cut 2 strips of patterned papers from my scrap stash to ground the image. Because the bird is looking to the right, I flipped the sketch horizontally. I adhered the paper strips & bird to the background. I used the "Merry Christmas" stamp from Hero Arts' "Vintage Christmas Post" (a favorite of mine, sadly discontinued) for the greeting. I stamped it in Lawn Fawn Blue Jay ink onto a light purple strip. I cut the right end at an angle, & glued it to my card so the left end tucks neatly under the bird & branch. Finally, I adhered my card front to a white card base.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Stamp It."

Birthday Blessings

I needed a special birthday card for a special friend. I decided to make a fancy-fold card of sorts, & found a tutorial on Lattice Fold Cards by Sam Calcott. I used her "bonus" technique of putting the pop-up lattice feature on the inside of the card. For a pattern, I used the "Susan's Lattice Folds" template from Hot Off the Press (discontinued).

Sam had suggested in her tutorial that using a white-core cardstock would give a cool two-tone effect to the lattice portion. I have a pad of 12x12" cardstock from Die Cuts with a View called Flip/Side. It has 2 different shades of a color per sheet. I chose a mint/teal cardstock from that pad.

Inside of card showing lattice fold

I began with the inside panel. I cut it to 7x12", and scored it in half at 6". I knew I would cut it down eventually, but wanted to make sure it was wide enough, so started with a larger piece. I lined up my template pattern along the fold, & traced the cut lines with a pencil. I cut them with scissors, & then folded down every other section. I cut off the folded piece at the very bottom & glued it to the top to complete the pattern. I did end up trimming down the panel at the top & bottom, as well as the sides. Then I set that aside to work on the rest of the card.

For the front, I die cut a tag from a faux-dip-dye watercolor panel that I'd made previously. I die cut a butterfly with Divinity Designs' "Fancy Fritillary" from silver mirror cardstock backed with Stick It adhesive. I cut the tag reinforcer from the same silver cardstock & glued it in place. I adhered the butterfly to the tag at an angle, & adhered the tag to a panel I'd cut from the leftover piece of the inside panel. I used the teal side of the remaining cardstock piece to mat my panel, & then mounted it onto a white card base.

For the greeting, I heat embossed the "birthday blessings" from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" stamp set onto a scrap of a different teal cardstock. I cut it into a banner, & adhered it to the front of my card. I adhered the inside panel in place, & adhered 2 white panels on either side for a personal message.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge: "Use a Card Fold Tutorial +/Animals"

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Add a Sentiment"

Creative Knockouts Challenge #415: "Birthday Wishes"

Die Cut Divas August Challenge: "Watercolor - Real or Faux" (used watercolor on the tag)

The House that Stamps Built Challenge #A421: "Use a Tag on Your Card"

Merry Christmas

Repeat Impressions' October Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge O919 inspired me to create this card. I chose the left column - wildlife, texture, & stencil. I used Sketch #SC759 from Splitcoaststampers.com, flipped vertically, as the basis of my design. I liked the way the arch at the top complemented the stamped image.

I stamped my image (Divinity Designs' "Snowy Deer") with Lawn Fawn's Doe ink towards the bottom of a panel of Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper. I colored it with my Tombow markers, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors. I added detail to the deer's eyes with a black glaze pen, and used a white gel pen for the catchlight in her left eye & the spots on her back.

I created a mask for the curve on the panel, using a large circle die. I ink blended Tumbled Glass Distress ink over the top area with a makeup blending brush. I used a smaller brush to ink through the "Pointed Star" stencil from Jenni Bowlin with Broken China Distress ink.

I removed the mask, & used the circle die I'd cut the mask with to trace another curve above the first one. I pierced holes along both curve lines. Then I stitched along the curves, using 3 plies of a light dull teal floss & 3 plies of a light tan floss. (This is the texture part in the challenge.) I like the way the 2 colors blended by having them combined in my needle.

For the greeting, I used the "Merry Christmas" from Hero Arts "Color Layering Partridge" stamp set (discontinued). I placed the card panel in my MISTI, and curved the stamp to match the curve on the top of the panel. Then I stamped that in Doe ink as well.

I added foam tape to the back of my panel, avoiding the areas with stitching so there wouldn't be any bumps. Finally, I adhered that to a light brown panel that I'd mounted to a white A2-size card base.