Happy Monday Morning.

Hellooo... and Happy Monday morning.

It really feels like Spring this morning; the tiny Tete a Tete daffs are in bloom in the garden along with the snowdrops, the sun is shinning and it's warm enough (just!) to have the windows open to let in the fresh air.  So all is well in my little part of the world this morning.

This is a birthday card I made early this morning, before work,  just to kick start my mojo again! (See previous post) and you know, I'm rather happy with it (phew!!!)

I love working with 250gm cream or white pearlescent cardstock for the base-card for my cards because of the quality.  For this card I chose the cream to match the background of the K&C Company paper I was using.

You can just see the ribbon peaking out
 behind the second matted layer.

I  matted a layer of pastel pink cardstock on the base card, after first sending it through my Swiss Dots embossing folder and then wrapping a piece of pastel pink seam binding across the front before gluing it to the base card.  

My next layer was again the pearlescent cardstock but matted with the cream & fawn C&K paper. This layer was popped on dimensionals. Across the top right-hand corner I glued a small piece of cream pearlescent cardstock, again matted with the embossed pastel pink card.

The third layer is again the cream pearlescent card but die cut with the Spellbinders Fleur De Lis die (I absolutely adore this die set) and chalked around the edge with a blend of Colour Box thistle and lilac pigment chalk. Again popped onto dimensionals

Finally I stamped the medallion sentiment a couple of times; cutting the outside of one of the stamped sentiments with a scalloped circle punch and using a small, plain circle punch to cut out the inner circle of the other. Both were popped onto dimensionals and layered one on top of the other.

I tied a double bow using some lovely lace from my stash and more of the pastel pink seam binding, fixed both with an antique brad that I dabbed first with  Stazon Opaque cotton white ink and then wiped off quickly. This way the ink stays in the groves and indents of the brad and enhances the antiqued look.  

Then I glued it all in place on the card using my glue gun. I like the dimensional effect you get with a glue gun when you want to stick something across numerous layers, as here on this card. Plus I know that what I stick will stay put !

One final touch was my pearls; a very tiny one in the centre of the brad, another couple on the inner Birthday sentiment, one on each of the three visible corners of the Fleur De Lis layer and however many you need across the corner band. Six felt the right number for my card, so six it was.

I always like to stamp an inside flyer in my cards and I have a stash of matching cream and white pearlescent paper depending on the cardstock I use for the base card. So for this card the inside flyer was the matching cream pearlescent paper stamped with the Happy Birthday sentiment from the same SU stamp set and with the corners nipped with my trusty Friskars corner punch.

If you'd like the card menu here it is.

Cardstock: Cream Pearlescent 250gm. Pastel Pink from stash. Paper: C&K Ink: Sahara Sand(SU),StazOn Opaque Cotton White, Thistle & Lilac Color Box pigment brush ink Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (SU). Accessories: Swiss dots embossing folder. Pink seam binding (Ribbon Girl), lace from stash        (probably Ribbon Girl), Antique Brad (SU). Cream pearls(SU) Dies: Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Squares. Punches: Large scalloped circle, small circle and Friskars corner punch (not sure what it;s called but it's the one that looks like a bird in flight and has the orange handle)

 Hugs

Carol