#1119 – Favorite Colors

Hello and welcome! There’s a new challenge starting today at Seize the Birthday and this time the leading lady is JoAnn who wants us to ‘Use Your Favorite Color‘. Of course, this topping is optional and it is always an ‘Anything Goes‘ birthday.

And here’s what I made –

Now, I don’t really have a favorite color. I love a lot of them – the bright colors, the pastels, the subtle shades, even the neutrals. As such, I wasn’t really sure what to go for for this challenge, so I cheated and chose a color combo that I liked, but haven’t used. So, this is one of my beloved color combos, instead of just one color. And the palette I chose is from Pinterest here –

I started with the flowers and leaves. I die cut them using Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms and Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border from watercolor paper and watercolored them Daniel Smith watercolors. Setting them aside to dry, I started working on the background.

I first watercolored a panel of watercolor paper and after it dried, embossed it using We R Memory Keepers Woven embossing folder. I then brushed some more of the color, ensuring it went down the debossed areas and let it dry. Once this dried, I brushed clean water on top to take off color from the embossed area. Once this dried, I embossed the panel using Tim Holtz-Sizzix Lumber embossing folder. I then trimmed it using Spellbinders A2 Curved Matting Basics B and using the edge of a pair of scissors, I frayed the edges of the paper. I also did the same with a panel of blank watercolor paper. I then adhered these two layers on kraft cardstock and began adhering the flowers and leaves on top.

Finally, for the sentiment, I used Concord and 9th Tiny Tagalongs stamp set. Before adhering it on the card, I added a piece of string tied into a bow below it. And that finished my card!

I’m joining the following challenges as well-

All Sorts challenge #828: Pretty Flowers or Anything Goes

Inkspirational Challenge #346: Word Prompt: Birthday

Do step over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog to checkout the favorite colors of our DT and our guest. And join us with a birthday project showcasing your favorite color as well!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1113 – Floral Birthday Wishes

Hi all! Welcome to another challenge at Seize the Birthday! This time, our leading lady Vicki has chosen the topping ‘Flowers‘. If you are not a toppings kind of crafter, just make sure that your entry has a birthday theme.

Incidentally, this card went to a dear friend, Hilary, who had celebrated her birthday a some time ago. I hope you enjoyed the card, Hilary! 🙂

Of course, I was spoilt for choice with this topping! But, after seeing this card by Yana Smakula I thought I was going to CASE (more like completely copy it!!) it and use my favorite die in the process.

I started with the background, by swiping distress inks across a white card panel. I ran one shade of ink over another so the different shades could blend well. Once that dried, I added a few splatters of water and picked it up with a dry paper towel to add some texture. Once that too dried, I used Simon Says Stamp Margot Tile embossing folder and embossed the panel. I also applied some gold wax on the embossed surfaces (not so visible in the images), so it match the sentiment later.

The flowers are from Spellbinders Fresh Picked Anemones and the leaves are from Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border, which I die cut from colored cardstock. I used gold foil cardstock to die cut the sentiment from Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips before layering it over a strip of white cardstock. I assembled the card and added a few gold sequins for embellishing.

And that finished my card! I’m joining these challenges too –

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Beautiful Blooms

Checkout what lovely inspiration the rest our DT and our guests have created over at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1111 – A Tunnel Birthday card

PE: Honorable Addict at Addicted to Stamps and More!

Hello and welcome! It’s time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday. The leading lady this time is our leader, Nancy, and she has chosen the Topping of ‘Layer It‘. The topping is, as always, optional and you are always welcome to join as long as your project is birthday themed.

Incidentally, my sister’s birthday also fell recently and this is the card I had made for her –

Yeah, the outside looks nothing special. Because the fun is inside!

The card opens with a double door layout which opens to a tunnel card, with a wild garden theme. I was inspired by one of my own cards I had made in the beginning of the year.

For the card front, I used a pattern paper from and the sentiment die cut using Simon Says Stamp Birthday Wishes. I added a few small butterflies from My Favorite Things Hip Clips.

I started with making the different panels for each of the layers. I used Canson Montval watercolor paper and before adding anything, I added a base layer of color on the panels using distress inks ink smooshing technique. And I used quite a few different products on this one.

Coming to each of the panels – for the botton most, I used Hero Arts Blooming Meadows and Technique Tuesday Wildflowers and used distress pencils to color them. In places where the print wasn’t good enough or smaller places where I didn’t want to stamp, I took my brush and painted them myself using the color from the distress pencils. middle layer, used Mudra Leaves and Altenew Floral Shadow stamps, coloring the stamps with the water dipped distress pencils, them stamping them and then coloring them some more using a brush wherever I needed it. Once this dried, I cut out the window in the center. I also added a few more die cut leaves from WPlus9 Folk Art Floral and also some flowers using Paper Smooches Flowers 2 dies and then some butterflies using a small die from My Favorite Things Hip Clips.

For the top layer, I used Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border, Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms, Paper Smooches Flowers 2, Simon Says Stamp Delicate Hummingbird Duo and butterflies from My Favorite Things Hip Clips. I had intended to leave the layer as is, but it was too flimsy, so make the layer more stable, I die cut a frame from the same cardstock to stick it on.

For making the sides (the doors) to the card which extends to the tunnel, I took two pieces of cardstock, scoring the sides to 0.5″ each, then folding them to get the zig-zags where I would attach each panel. (If my explanation is confusing, a simple search in youtube might give you a video with a much better one!!). I used one door for the card front, and the other to add my greetings.

For some embellishing, I used Sakura Glaze pen in black on the butterflies and the eyes of the hummingbirds and some Nuvo drops on the flower centers.

Of course, because of the zig-zag sides, the card ended up being too thick and couldn’t fit in a normal envelope. I had to make one out of thicker paper and adhere the pattern paper on it (it had a width of half an inch!) – thank goodness I didn’t have to mail it – there would be no quarentee that it would arrive intact! 😉

And that’s my ‘took so many days to make’ card! I’ve already declared to my sister that never again will any card I make be this elaborate. This is my apex! 😀

And I’m also joining these challenges with my card –

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #490: Die cuts &/or Stencils

Neglected Stuff challenge #425 – It’s been years since I used WPlu9 Folk Art Floral dies, Hero Arts Blooming Meadows and Technique Tuesday Wildflowers and I have never used Mudra Leaves stamp since I bought it years ago! I am so glad I used them here!! 🙂

Checkout the Seize the Birthday blog to see what the rest of our DT and our guests have created for your inspiration! And don’t forget to join the party yourself!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1106 – Ink Smooshed Garden

Hello and welcome! Today is a special day since I get the chance to be the Guest Designer over at the AAA Birthday card challenge!

For the latest challenge, they want us to use ink smooshing in our cards.

I had posted another card a few days ago which used the same technique. Actually, I made these two cards together. I made plenty of panels of ink smooshed watercolor papers so I had enough to make two cards!

I used distress inks to make these 2 ink smooshed panels and once they were dry, I cut out two panels using Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border die. I also cut out the flowers from Simon Says Stamp Cosmos Duo and a small bud using Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms from a pink-purple ink smooshed panel. I did, however, make an exception and actually watercolored the flower centers instead of ink smooshing. 🙂

Next, I chose a white card base and ink blended shades of green and pink on the corners getting a soft background and then added some splatters in dark green and purple. Once everything was dry, I then started adhering the pieces together on the card.

Finally, for the sentiment I used JustRite Lace Vintage Labels 3 and stamped it in dark green ink.

And that finished my card! Thank you to the AAA Birthday card challenge for having me over today! This card was a lot of fun to make and I hope you are inspired to join the the challenge yourself!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#1104 – Garden for a Humming Bird

Hello and welcome! It’s time for the first Seize the Birthday challenge of the year!! Our leading lady Cathy and she has chosen the topping of ‘Use Something New‘. Of course, the topping is optional, and you can just make any birthday themed project and join us.

And here’s what I made –

I purchased the Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border die during their Die-cember sale last year, and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. I had seen so many pretty cards online that I just couldn’t wait to start playing!

So anyway, I started with creating ink smooshed panels. I used different shades and tones of greens and blues to make a few panels to die cut from. I also made a couple of panels with pink, purple and blue so I could cut out the flowers and the humming bird from them.

I then used the Simon Says Stamp Arching Leaf Border dies, Simon Says Stamp Delicate Hummingbird Duo dies, Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms dies on different panels to get a variegation of colors.

Before mounting this on Paper Trey Ink Rustic Cream cardstock, I embossed the card base using Simon Says Stamp Vine Canopy embossing folder. I then assembled and adhered all the die cuts on the card base. For the sentiment, I used JustRite Lace Vintage Labels 3 and cut off one of the edges at a diagonal before adhering that too on the card.

I have to confess I am really happy with the dies – they are perfect for quickly creating a garden/forest like impression on the card. And this card, in particular, looks even prettier in real life! Can you believe that!?

Ok, enough of patting my own back. I’m going to join these challenges with this card –

Addicted to Stamps and More #483 – Birthdays

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge – Something New

I hope you hop over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog to checkout all the impressive cards the rest of the design team and also our guest designers have created. You won’t be disappointed! And I think you’ll be inspired enough to join the party! 🙂

Thank you so much for stopping by!