Kayak birthday card - Adventurous Journey

Sometimes I buy a stamp set that’s so unique that I need to get it. But then the need to use it doesn't happen for a while. LOL That is this set called Adventurous Journey! And then the need for a special birthday card came up and ... the perfect match!

The Adventurous Journey stamp set includes a kayak, row boat, paddle, lily pads & a fish, and rings of dispersion from a water drop (like when you paddle and water drops from your oar). 

So the birthday card was for a kayaker so this was the PERFECT occasion to use this set! And this is what the card looked like:

I used a blending brush to add some soft color to the water under the kayak and Azure Afternoon ink for the water rings. I actually stamped the kayak on scrap paper, used alcohol markers to color it, and then cut it out. I also (amazingly) had the perfect sentiment for the front of the card, which came from a set called Etched In Nature. 

As an additional dimensional element, I glued one edge of the kayak onto the card front then used Dimensionals (foam stickers) to lift the other side, as if the kayak was leaning over (as it would when paddling). Here’s a closer look at the angled dimensional effect:

And here you can see the shadow under the paddle at the top of the card:

Here’s a close up  of the waterlily pads and fish:

And last but not least, I use the Bark 3D Embossing Folder to create the look of ripples on the water’s surface:

The “ it’s your day enjoy it!” sentiment is from the Happiest of Birthdays stamp set. And the Happy Birthday (note the different fonts and font sizes) are both from the Adventurous Journey stamp set.

And that about sums up this card. I hemmed and hawed about starting it but once I started, it came together really quickly.

Halloween Wiper Card

 I have three young ones for whom I send special cards to: 2 great nieces and a great nephew. I try to make and send interactive cards, in other words,  cards that do something. This year I decided to make a wiper card and this is what it ended up looking like when closed:

And when opened, the oval with the "Boo" pops up from below and looks like this:

Hard to imagine the interactive aspect in still photos so here's a video: 

The mechanism is so simple and yet each time I make one, I have difficulty in putting the components together to make it work properly! Or my sentiment is the wrong size for the design! So simple and yet...mind boggling! LOL

This card folds up and fits into the standard A2 envelope. When you hold the top left side of the card in your left hand and the right side of the card with your right hand, you can pull the front panel sideways. And when you do, the "BOO" pops out from below! So much fun, or so I hope the kiddos will think!

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

Cocktails card for a 21st birthday

I had a special order of a card for a 21st birthday…the celebration was going to include *responsible* drinking with a chauffeured limousine. (I was quite relieved to hear that of course!) With black and pink as the fave colors, I knew that I wanted to use the “Nothing’s Better Than” stamp set and the corresponding “Love You More Than” dies. I love the silly but oh so much fun drink umbrellas,  so of course I had to use the stamp of the cocktail glass with them…And here’s the final product:

I double cut the word “Cocktails” in black then mounted the pink on top to create a shadowed effect. And for the background, I simply stamped the same cocktail glass randomly everywhere on the background.

And I LOVED how the sentiments in this set worked so well with the theme….being awesome and celebrating a birthday! Here’s the inside: 

And the last detail was to stamp the envelope:

Since this would be hand delivered, I didn’t have to worry about the stamped image on the front of the envelope being problematic with the post office, but I think it would have been fine anyhow.

Thanks for stopping by & (as the card said)…have an awesome day !