Project 365/Day 14 - A Birthday Card for a Friend

Time was running out and I needed to dig into my scraps pile to create this project before day’s end. It is a birthday card I made for a friend of ours who is losing her battle with cancer. I delivered it with a little gift on Sunday to let her know that we were thinking of her. The speckled element is a coffee filter that was spritzed with Walnut ink, cut and folded. I kept all neutrals as part of the main design with one tiny accent of color...a small butterfly diecut and embossed from a beautiful paper stock from Karen Foster Designs. I stamped the make a wish verse to complete the card design. Challenge yourself to create a project using neutral colors with just a hint of color.

Love is in the Air, even if it is 40 degrees in Florida!

Oh, I know most of you northern girls have had your share of cold, snowy weather, but for us Floridians, we are just not used to waking up to temps in the 30s and 40s. Enough of this already! By now, I have usually purchased atleast a few new flowers for the garden to begin planting for spring. Instead, it is ground zero. Dan and Ash had to cut back most of our bushes and plants. They all looked dead, most dropped their leaves or showed severe signs of the cold temps. Even the palm trees are browned with only a little bit of green. Despite the chill in the temps, the warmth of Valentine's love is still in the air. Here are some cards I created for my Valentine's (aka my girlies and husband).

Hugs & Kisses Cupcake Card (for Kai)

detail shows bow and mini tag and that houndstooth digi paper I love from mygrafico.com

A Stylish Love (this one matches Ash's personality)

Check out the rub on flourishes used on this from

Basic Grey Wholy Cow rub ons

this shows inside the mini card on front panel with Valentine message

guess you can tell who this was for! Stamped the frame and mounted paper on inside, then used Versamarker to emboss name in Gold on the envelope. Cut and glued on hearts as accent.

You and Me, Valentine Card and env. set

Used scalloped border, scallop heart punch and brown pearls as fun accents. Yes, I used pink and brown again, sorry, but a personal fave color combo. This time I mixed it with gold Core' dinations paper, chocolate chip, ivory naturals CS and pp from Chatterbox found at JoAnns.

These two owls from Sassafras' Olivia and Pals set reminded me of me and my DH. See, he is 6'3" and I am 5'2 and a half inches! {LOL had to add the 1/2!} And this is what we look like side by side. We are pretty opposite in many ways. He likes to cycle; my butt has real issues with bicycle seats. He loves all foods; I am a picky eater. I love color; he prefers navy and green, but somehow we are a great match and have been married for

23 years and together for 25!

Note: on the frame, this time, I handcut the center and mounted contrasting CS behind the opening after stamping the verse You and Me.

Here is a fun technique to try with your punches...cut a strip of patterned paper or contrasting CS and place in your punch at the angle you want to mount on top of your solid punched image. Now you have matching edges to align and mount on top and your strip is an even width.

Not going to post my personal love letter to my DH, but this is what was inside the top portion of the card. He loved the distressed edges smudged with ink and the cut out hearts. The love you stamp was embossed in gold. Both it and the heart were from a Brenda Walton Inkadinkado stamp set.

Tomorrow I will post the cards my family made for me...what a treat!!!

Here's to Longevity...it runs in the family!

I tease Dan, my husband, all the time about not getting rid of me anytime soon. You see longevity runs in the family on both parents’ sides. My grandpa Fred is in his mid 90's and his sister, Cecilia, just turned 90! So in honor of her SPECIAL birthday, I made this card for her.

It can be adapted for any special birthday. 

Supplies: (Stampin’ Up!®) Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White & Pretty in Pink CS; Medium White Envelope; Pretty in Pink Classic Ink; Black Gingham Ribbon; Pretties Kit pearl; Square Scallop Punch; Circle Scallop Punch; VersaMark™ ink pad; Black Embossing Powder; Embossing Buddy; Heat Tool and verse on inside left from retired Birthday set - which can be typeset on computer! (Inkadinkado®) Flourishes/Arabesque clear stamp set; (Prima) Black flower; (Darice/Inque Boutique) Sharie Numbers; (Glue Arts) Glue Glider™ Pro with Perma Tac adhesive, Crop & Glue™ Ribbon Adhesive and Crop & Glue™ Permanent Micro Adhesive Squares