Busy with Birthdays!

It's been a busy time Birthday-wise (not forgetting it's also Father's Day) this weekend. The next day or so will also be busy as I have a number of Sympathy cards to finish after a family bereavement as well as floral tributes to create.

As well as it being my friend Gena's Birthday it is also the 40th Birthday for  Niece, Donna, so that's three Birthday cards and two Father's Day Cards. I'm only posting the Birthday cards on my Blog today.

:: :: Good Friends:: ::

For Gena I've made two cards, one for my son, Liam, (Gena's Godson) to give her and one from Hubby & Me.

I've had these Tim Holtz stamps for a few weeks now and have been practicing my "colouring in" in preparation for finally getting around to using them properly.

I had a few false starts stamping the images as I hadn't quite got some of the positioning right. I impressed myself with my first attempt masking off and stamping a second image to look as though one was behind - only to put the word "alone" in the wrong place!  With a bit of jiggery-pockery in the guise of a die cut label stamped with a sentiment I think I may have got away with it!

As I was using the same Bird Crazy stamp on the inside as well as the outside
I coloured them both at the same time to ensure that they matched as well as I could get them to.

Outside of Card

Inside of Card

Cardstock:

Image - Supersmooth White

American Craft - "Summer" Collection Blues

Stamps:

Stampers Anonymous - Tim Holtz "Bird Crazy" & "Way With Words"
Lawn Fawn - Balloon from "Hippo Birdie" Year Four die set

Lindsay Mason Designs - "Everyday Words Happy Birthday"

Ink:
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Ranger's Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Faded Jeans

Letraset ProMarkers - Assorted Colours

 :: :: "Hippo Birdie To Ewe" :: ::

The one I made for Liam to give was a fun one based on the Karen Burniston's Katie Label Pivot Die from Elizabeth Craft and Lawn Fawn's "Hippo Birdie" stamp/die set. I thought if you have a Hippo and a Birdie you really need to have two Ewes as well so I also used Rachelle Anne Millar's "Love Ewe" stamp set from Crafter's Companion. To complete the card I used Couture Creations "Pure Pleasure" small embossing folder - oh and some Marianne Design Butterflies & Flowers coloured with Promarkers then heat embossed with glitter embossing powder!

Front

Card When Opened

I used a fine liner pen to try and create a similar grassy area under the Hippo & Birdie dies as on the "Love Ewe" Stamp

Close Up of Ewes

Cardstock:

 PayPer Box - Turquoise

Image - Supersmooth White

Dies: 

Elizabeth Craft - Karen Burniston's Katie Label Pivot Die Lawn Fawn - "Hippo Birdie" Year Four die set

Joy! Crafts - Cut & Emboss Butterflies Set, Cut & Emboss Flower Set

Stamps:
Lawn Fawn - "Hippo Birdie" Year Four stamp set

Crafter's Companion - "Love Ewe" stamp set by Rachelle Anne Millar

Ink:
Memento - Tuxedo Black

Letraset - Promarkers Assorted Colours

Embossing Folder:

Couture Creations - "Pure Pleasure"


 :: :: Donna's 40th :: ::

For Donna's Birthday I spent rather a long time working on this card only doing a little at a time and each time not being entirely happy as it wasn't quite coming out as I imagined it would!

Apart from the Karen Burniston's "Lots of Pops" Pop Up die from Elizabeth Craft the embossing folder and dies are from Spellbinders. I used a pearlised card stock but some sheets appeared to be a slightly different colour to others which I didn't really spot when working late at night under artificial light. I also put my new heat gun to use heat embossing butterflies with a glitter powder - in the photo below they appear to be quite dark but there certainly wasn't such an obvious difference in "real life".  

Inside is the Karen Burniston "Lots of Pops" Pop Up mechanism which was teamed up with the labels from the "Lucy Labels" Pop Up set, acetate strips (recycled from some packaging) and various Spellbinders' butterflies which were heat embossed with embossing powder. When Donna got married she used the same colours with a butterfly theme so made this card with that in mind. The interior card was embossed with Couture Creations "Ambrosia" Folder.

Cardstock:

PayPer Box Pearlised

Dies:

Spellbinders "Outrgeous Butterfly", Small Butterflies from "Postively Me" Jewel Flowers and Flourishes Set, D-Lites "Corners & Accents Two" 

Elizabeth Craft's Karen Burniston "Lots of Pops", "Lucy Labels"

Embossing Folders:

Spellbinders "Labels Thirty Four Medallion"

Couture Creations "Ambrosia"