Birthday Blues ....

... Morning all!  I don't know about you, but I do try to create post titles that catch the eye, and today I think it really works.  But I think I might have heard it somewhere before!!  Anyway, I have a clean, simple, masculine birthday card to share with you this morning:

Stamps: WPlus9 - Basic Banners
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Die-namics - Fishtail Flags Layers Stax #2, #4 and #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Off the Wall; Stampin' Up! Card - Basic Black; SU Punches - Decorative Label, Modern Label; Basic Grey - Metal Studs

I've used a few challenges to make this card.  Our current challenge at The Male Room - TMR#2-15 is Shades of Blue and I've used blues and neutrals on this card.  The layout is from this week's challenge at CAS - Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#108.  The cue word at CASology - CAS#131 is birthday.  This card came together really quickly.  I simply cut three fishtail banners in different design papers and different sizes and adhered them flat to the card.  Then I punched a black background frame, stamped a birthday greeting on white card and punched that out too.  I then adhered the white panel onto the black, added some metal studs and used dimensional tape to adhere it to the front of the card.  On the inside I cut a mat layer in black card and used the rest of the graph paper on top.  I added one of the sentiment embellishments from the paper pack to complete the inside.

I showed this card to Kathryn yesterday evening and she was very impressed with it.  I told her it was a guy card, and she replied it doesn't have to be - and then I showed her the inside :)))  She just sighed.  Well, I might make another similar one without the inside sentiment.

I've got a stack of ironing to do this morning - so time to watch more of the TV series Weeds - it's such fun and does make the ironing go quicker!!  That's all for now - see you soon.

Happy Birthday ....

.... Good morning everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Today I've a bold, bright birthday card to share with you. I used a few challenges in the making of this one:

• CAS(E) this Sketch! - CTS#83
• Inkspirational Challenge - INK#60
• Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#42

Stamps: Dare 2B Artzy - Lift Your Spirits; WPlus9 - Basic Banners; Stampin' Up! - Endless Birthday Wishes
Inks: SU - Only Orange (discontinued); Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog
Dies: Dare 2B Artzy - Hot Air Balloons; WPlus9 - Basic Banner
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Tangerine Tango; SU/Sizzix EF - Cloudy Day; Copic Markers

I used the layout from CAS(E) this Sketch! adapting it a bit to fit the fact that I've a big hot air balloon on the card. I stamped the image onto white card and coloured with Copic markers. I made the background by embossing white card with my SU Cloudy Day EF; which is actually in landscape format, so I had to add a bit to make it fit this card. I layered the embossed panel onto orange card and finished the front with a simple banner birthday sentiment. Both the sentiment and hot air balloon were attached with dimensional tape. On the inside I cut another mat of orange card and on the white panel stamped a trio of smaller hot air balloons, coloured them and added a birthday greeting.

I am safe to share this card with you today, as we were at Rachel's party yesterday. I picked orange because Rachel's family originally come from Holland and and orange is the country's national colour. Yesterday was not only Rachel's birthday, but Holland were playing in the World Cup quarter finals against Costa Rica.  It was a fantastic match, being 0-0 at full time and after 30 minutes extra time too.  So it went to penalties, which is always tough, but Holland pulled it off and beat Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties!  Yea!!!  It was a very happy party :)