Birthday Celebrations for Cousin-in-Law & Friend!

One of my husband's MANY cousins has a delightful wife whom I find a very warm and caring  person.  I got to know her well several years ago when another of John's cousins in Kansas decided to host a huge extended family reunion on their farm around the 4th of July. . .food, visiting, a lake, swimming, boating, and massive fireworks. . .what's not to like!?  This lovely cousin-in-law did not hesitate to invite my husband, me, and our four teen-age to young adult children to share their home and hospitality.  In addition, they offered us an extra automobile to drive during our stay, which enabled us to pick up family members at the airport as they arrived and visit others of my husband's many, many relatives residing in the Kansas area.  I will never forgot the kindness extended to us; therefore, I love to send Barbara one of my homemade cards each birthday to celebrate her special day.  Take a look at the card I chose for this special cousin-in-law, along with a peek at my inside design that coordinates with the card front!

Ingredients:  SU products:  Cardstock--Whisper White, Crushed Curry.  Stamps--Remembering Your Birthday (sentiment).  Fluttering E-Folder.  Punches--Petite Petals, Itty Bitty Pack-flower, Curvy Corner punch (retired).  1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon.  Pearls (Copic colored).  Papertrey stamp--Inside & Out: Birthday I (verse).   

The Story & Other Tidbits!

The card that I chose to give Barbara is one that I began at a cardmaking event I attended while visiting my mother in California this past spring and finished on our Mt. Shasta Girls' Get-away.  The cardmaking event was hosted by Darla Watson, a Stampin' Up demonstrator, whom I met about eight years ago while attending one of her four-day special papercrafting retreats. . .what lovely memories that brings back.  I loved Darla's card design, which was a Mother's Day card, but I knew right off that I would not be able to use it for that occasion as my Mom was sitting right beside me making one too.  Mom needed to change her greeting sentiment because her Mom (and my grandmother) is no longer with us for going on 45 years.  We both decided not to finish the card, except for the texture embossing and take the parts home to finish it later.  

Darla's original design was monotone in all white, except for the little flower centers, which were yellow.  When I pulled out the parts later, my brain said, you need more color.  I added a Crush Curry mat layer and decided that's exactly what I wanted.  So, I cut a larger card base, added the Crushed Curry layer and then the textured embossed card front.  

I came away from the class without the colored enamel dots for the flower centers, so I used pearls instead and colored them with my Copic markers, choosing to make mine multi-colored instead of just yellow.  I really like how the colored pearls look with their soft sheen instead of the flat, mat finish of the enamel dots.  I also found the perfect birthday sentiment and verse from two of Mom's birthday stamp sets.  The sentiment was from a Stampin' Up set and a birthday verse was from a Papertrey stamp set.  I was pleased with the outcome of my finished card.