Birthday boy ....

.... For my CR84FN70 Post - click here!

.... Seventeen years ago today my son Ben was born.  Ben has grown into a tall, handsome and charming young man (I might be a bit biased here).  Sadly, I won't actually be with Ben today - he lives in the UK with his father, but we'll talk on Skype (wonderful invention).  Ben's big birthday wish is to start driving lessons - so for Christmas and for his birthday, Ben has been given money towards his lessons and towards a car (eventually).

It was so lovely to see Ben at Christmas and before we headed back to the US, we gave Ben his birthday present and card.  I'm so lucky that Ben likes cards with layers and details - gives me lots of scope to play!  I had to make this card last year - just before Christmas in fact - so it's based on a couple of challenges from last year.  I used:

• Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge - WMSC125 (November 2012) designed by Jean Martin
• Play Date Cafe Challenge - PDCC162 (December 2012)

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Free Spirit Boy, North Shore, Off Beat Backgrounds; PTI - Boy Basics Rock On

Inks: Stampin' Up! - Island Indigo, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder

Dies: Spellbinders - Hexagons (S4-368) #4, Star Circles (S4-335) #2; Die-namics - Fishtail Flags STAX, Fishtail Flags Layers Stax

Accessories: SU Card - Island Indigo, Pool Party; Gold Satin Paper from stash; White lustre card from stash

I actually CASEd my card for the original WMSC - see here.  I really like these colours and so does Ben.  And I had to use my all-time favourite Waltzingmouse stamps - Free Spirit Boy.  I made the card base from SU Island Indigo.  I used Die-namic fishtail dies to make the banners, using Off Beat Backgrounds to stamp the square pattern.  I used several of the stamps from Free Spirit to stamp the background - love the tribal style patterns.  The horizontal panel was stamped with chevrons.  The birthday sentiment is from a Papertrey set called Rock On - love the font.  I cut a hexagon in gold satin paper as the background for the focal image which I built up from North Shore - stamped once in Island Indigo and once in Wisteria Wonder.  I fussy cut  the image and the banner.  I cut a star circle onto which I adhered the number "17" - Ben's age!!

I kept the inside quite simple, with the square pattern repeated along the side in Pool Party and a simple sentiment.  Here are few photos of my lad Ben:

Ben - aged almost 2 years old - he was so cute!!










And here's Ben as our Pageboy in April 2001 - he looks so angelic!!  He wasn't :)  Age 5½ years.
















This was taken when we went to the Lake District on holiday in April 2007 - Ben was 11 years old.

Here's Ben practising with his diablo - a skill he learnt at the Acoutic Festival of Britain - a very kid friendly music festival - May 2009 - Ben's now 13 years old.

And this is a photo of Ben taken at college by one of his mates.  Ben dyed his hair at the end of last year - it's purple!!  I rather like it!  Ben - aged 16 years 10 months.

That's all for today.  Bye for now.