The Last Birthday Card of Year 2014!

It's time to celebrate the birthday of a wonderful lady that I worked with for over ten years and that I'm happy to say remains a good friend as well.  As I mentioned in my blog for her birthday last year, I have a difficult getting her birthday card to her on time because her birthday falls right after Christmas.  I blame it all on the busyness of the holiday preparations and the lack of mail delivery, because I really need to mail it by Christmas Eve in order for it to arrive on time!  I must say I did much better last year!  I am fortunate that she lives fairly close by, because this year I plan to hand-deliver it in order for it to be on time!

I was thinking of a telescoping snowman birthday card originally, because her birthday falls during the winter season, but instead I focused on spring!  Now that's was quite a switch!  To be truthful, the telescoping snowmen cards are very intricate with lots of small parts to be cut and shaped.  I made four of them for Christmas for my four children (see blog postings for December 21, 22, and 23).   Then, once again, with the Christmas holidays, I just ran out of enough time to make one more with birthday papers.  

This spring card is made using one of my favorite Authentique paper collections and one of my favorite set of dies and stamps from Papertrey Ink.  I re-created it from a card kit designed by my sister, Heidi Gonzales (My Lil' Scrap Corner blog), which has always been a favorite of mine and led me to purchase the Papertrey dies and stamps for my own cardmaking.   It focuses on those who have a green thumb when it comes to gardening, which fits my friend, Karen perfectly as her yard always so nice and full of flowers she plants each spring.   I hope she enjoys her springy birthday card!

Recipe: SU cardstock: Whisper White (base), Authentique-Renew: Flourish (floral)/ Blossom (stripe)/ Transform (dots).  SU Ink:  Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit.  Memento: Tuxedo Black.  Spellbinders: Bitty Blossom (small).  Papertrey dies/stamps:  Garden Variety.  Papertrey dies: Seed Packet Frame, Leaf Prints.  Hug Snug Seam Binding:  Gabardine Green.  Stash: Olive felt; bird seed.