80th Birthday Celebration

.... Hello, good morning!!! It's been almost two months since I posted on my blog - we've had a busy summer and, while I've not made many cards, I have been busy in my craft room doing a bit of reorganisation and working in my dyalogs. However, today, I'm sharing a couple of birthday cards that I made for my uncle Ian, who celebrated his 80th birthday last weekend. Here's the first card I made:

Stamps: Simon Hurley - Candles; Cas-ual Friday Stamps - Shenanigans

Inks: Gina K - Wild Dandelion, Sweet Mango, Applemint, Key Lime, Jelly Bean Green, Grass Green, Christmas Pine; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Green Oasis

Dies: Stampin' Up! - Large Numbers

Accessories: White & Black Card; Glossy Black Card; Sakura Stardust Pens; Clear Embossing Powder; Simon Hurley - Layering Candles; Copic Markers

I'm submitting this card to Happy Little Stampers Stencil Challenge - HLSSC#09 where is Anything Goes.

I used my MISTI to stamp the candles in Versafine black ink and heat embossed with clear powder. I added colour by ink blending through the matching layering stencils. I checked with my uncle to find out his favourite colour - green!! Yea, mine too!! I started at the top of the panel with light, bright greens and shaded down to darker greens at the bottom of the stencil. I used the next stencil to colour the flames. Next, I added sparkle to the candles and flames with Sakura Stardust pens in co-ordinating colour giving a subtle shimmer. I trimmed the panel to size, layered it onto a black mat layer and added the panel to the front of a 5¾" square white card. I cut the numbers from black glossy card and white card; I layered them together for dimension and stability and adhered them to the card. I finished the front with a bold sentiment stamped on white card. I used dimensional tape to add this to the card. Inside, I cut a mat layer of black card. On the white panel, I added a fun birthday greeting, stamped the candles at the bottom and coloured them with Copic markers. This is the card Jonathan and I gave to Ian.

Next up is the card that I made for my mum to give to Ian, her baby brother:

Stamps: Visible Image - Brother Definition; C&9 - Beautiful Words; Winnie & Walter - The Big, The Bold, and The Happy; Stampin' Up! - Made with Love; Uniko - Classic Numbers

Inks: Gina K - Powder Blue; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versafine - Onyx Black

Dies: SU - Word Bubbles; Gina K - Today & Shadow

Accessories: White Card; SU Card - Blueberry Bushel; Copic Markers; Clear Embossing Powder; Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Happy Birthday

I'm submitting this card to Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - HLSAGD#09.

There's a story behind the design of this card. Ian's, mum's brother, always teases her by calling her "his older sister". So, when I asked what she'd like on Ian's card - mum smiled and said "the words 'baby brother'". I went one step further by adding a cute blue babygro with the number 80 on the front 😁. I made the note card from dark blue cardstock. I used a very old, but perfect for the theme, embossing folder from Cuttlebug, I lightly inked the edge and glued it to the front of the note card. I stamped the babygro and number on white card, embossed with clear powder, coloured it with Copic markers and then fussy cut it out and glued it to the card. I die cut the word bubble from white card and made the sentiment by mixing words from several stamp sets. I finished the front by adding the die cut word 'today'. Inside, I cut a piece of white card onto which I stamp the brother definition - absolutely perfect. I kept the 'baby brother' theme going by adding a cute duck and teddy, along with a row of alphabet letters in pale blue ink.

I am happy to report that Ian thought that both cards were just brilliant. Mind, he wasn't too keen on the thought of 80 candles on his cake!!! This is the birthday cake that my aunt had made for him:

It was a good birthday party with all the family there to celebrate - including some very distant cousins that I hadn't seen in years!! 

That's all for now. I'm going to publish this post and then go down for a cool glass of water. The weather this week has been nuts!! July and August were not the best summer, and then the first week of September is blazing hot!! See you soon.

SHC - Painted Roses ....

.... Morning! I'm here with my regular weekly post for Seven Hills Crafts. I've been watching Jennifer McGuire's video on her Gel Lift Technique. It was fab and I immediately had a go. My first attempt wasn't great. In fact I completely forgot to blend one of the ink layers all the way down the gel and ended up with a line across the images. I've put the photos at the end of this post. My first card was made using the waste card from cleaning off the brayer.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Painted Rose; Lawn Fawn - Celebration Scripty Sayings; Hero Arts - Mod Pattern Background

Inks: Gina K - Lemon Drop, Wild Dandelion, Powder Blue, Blue Raspberry; Memento - Summer Skies, Danube Blue; Versafine - Onyx Black

Accessories: White Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush

I'm submitting this card to Color Hues - CH#13 where the colours are Yellow and Blue.

I stamped the large rose onto the yellow card, embossed it with clear powder and fussy cut it out. I did the same for the leaves. Next, I took a US A6 card and masked off the edges with ½" tape and stamped the background in soft blue ink. I removed the tape and adhered the complete rose. I finished the front by adding a scripty sentiment in dark blue and lots of shimmer to the rose with a clear aqua shimmer brush. On the inside, I cut a piece of white card slightly smaller than the base. I stamped the rose in pale yellow in the centre and finished by adding a sentiment in blue. I edged the panel with a blue marker and glued it in the card.

I was having such fun with this stamp set that I decide to decorate the envelope too.

This card is for my mother-in-law, and I'm perfectly safe sharing it here, as she doesn't do the Internet!!

My next card uses the soft negative image that I messed up, but I think I saved it okay.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Painted Rose, Beautiful Words;  Hero Arts - Mod Pattern Background

Inks: Gina K - Lemon Drop, Wild Dandelion, Powder Blue, Jelly Bean Green

Dies: MFT - Zig-Zag Stitched Ovals Stax #5 

Accessories: White Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush; Gel Press

I'm submitting this card to the new Fusion challenge - FUSION#0521 - I've used the sketched and mostly the greens.

I used an fancy-edged oval die to cut out the rose. I positioned the just above the line the made in the image - it worked. I stamped a pale yellow background over the A2 card and added the oval towards the top of the card. I had a strip of the green card left and used that for the sentiment. I stamped the words in green ink and finished the sentiment inside the card. I stamped a pale yellow rose inside too.

Before I go, here are the two pages that I did first trying out Jennifer's technique. I would have been thrilled with them - but that line! So pleased that I was able to save the soft image. Still thinking about what I can do with the bold positive image.

That's it from me today - see you again soon.