A Mother-in-Law's Birthday Camping Celebrations!

As mentioned in the previous post, all of my children, their spouses, a mother-in-law, a girl friend, and the only grandbaby went on our annual family camping trip this last week.  We celebrated three birthdays while enjoy our time together in the great Northwest.  Birthdays celebrated were:  a daughter-in-law, a mother-in-law, and my own.  Mine was celebrated just a few days early, and theirs a bit late.  The celebration was filled with family time, games, a veritable birthday feast, including dessert, and campfire time.  This is the first year that daughter #2 brought her recently widowed mother-in-law, so I needed to get busy and make her a birthday card before we left.

Since I knew we'd be enjoying the great outdoors with many creatures, birds, and bugs, who live in the forest, I thought it only fair to honored at least one critter on at least one of the birthday cards needed, thus the mother-in-law card received a little birdie and his nest.  Normally, while camping with family and friends, many cameras are present; therefore, her card also has the "Shutter Technique" used to hide and expose the verse inside the card as it is opened and shut.  

Of course, challenges were checked on Splitcoasterstampers, and I used their inspiration to help me decide my card colors, including the blue bird as something that flies, plus a card I have never made before.  In this case, it means it is the first time I've made a birthday card for my daughter's mother-in-law!  Check out the card below, inside and out, that I just finished in the nick of time before leaving.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Tranquil Tide, Daffodil Yellow.  Pattern--Delightful Daisy.  Stamps:  Petal Palette (bird), Designer Tin of Cards (verse-retired)  Ink: Tranquil Tide (verse), Marine Mist (Bird outline). Dies:  Layering Circles, Flourish Thinlits, Swirly Scribbles, Petals & More Thinlits.  Punch: Banner Triple (shutter piece).  Journaling Pen: Black (bird eye).  Other: Copic coloring; Colorbox Chestnut Road distressed edges.   Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".

Birthday Wishes for a DIL Who Brings Sunshine!

My daughter-in-law celebrates her birthday in mid-August, but we will be celebrating her a little bit late this year during our family camping trip coming next week.  Actually, we will be celebrating three birthdays in one celebration while camping:  my daughter-in-law, my youngest daughter's mother-in-law, and my own.  The menu includes barbecued baby back ribs, barbecued chicken, honey baked beans, corn on the cob, and strawberries and cheesecake.  Boy does that sound like a gourmet meal or what?

Well back to the card.  I decided to do a bit of coloring and fussy-cutting on this card, and since it's summertime, a little Magnolia Tilda stamp in a summer sundress and bare feet seemed the perfect image to choose.  Of course, I had to color her hair milk chocolate brown because that is my daughter-in-law's hair color, and that, plus adding some other "M" colors, makes the card a perfect fit for the Splitcoaststampers Alphabet Challenge, Letter M!  Tilda's sundress dress will be pink tones, and I will also add a double layered background frame and a bit of lace, all things that will fit other challenges in keeping with my challenge keep-up and catch-up goals!

After compiling all my thoughts from five different challenges and my mojo going full steam ahead, I finished the birthday card, and also created the perfect inside design and verse to fit the fact that we'll be celebrating her day just a little bit late.  Composing the birthday verse brought to mind the perfect sentiment for the card front as well!  Take a peek below at my finished card for my daughter-in-law who brings sunshine to our lives!

INSIDE VIEW
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Ingredients:  Paper products:  SU Cardstock--Whisper White, Pool Party.  Papertrey Ink: Bitty Dots/ Brown.  Pattern:  Unknown/ stash.  Stamps: Magnolia/ Sundress Tilda.  Copic coloring.  Dies: Spellbinders Labels 9 Nestabilities.  Punch: EK-Victorian Photo Corners Medium (inside).  Colorbox Chestnut Roan: Edge distressing.  Stash: 3/8" Cotton Lace; Rose Pink button; Embroidery string.  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  Size: 4-3/4' x 6".  

Pssst. . .Missed It!

Sister-in-law #4, one of my husband's sisters, had a birthday toward the end of July.  It totally snuck up on me and slipped on by before it even came to mind.  It took me almost an entire month to remember and that was only because her sister's came in August.  That's when I rememeber I had forgotten to make a card for the sister in July!  Of course, had I looked at my Cardmaking Date calendar this would not have happened, but I think our extremely hot summer has fried my brain!  So, I really needed to get to work fast!

I thought I would do a sweet little belated card with a bit of humor and use a gumdrop stamp that I borrowed from a friend.  My gumdrops would come in a myriad of colors in all shades of the rainbow with a little gold glitter to give them a bit of sparkle.  I used several mat layers all in different colors to coordinate with my colored gumdrops.  I popped a little hexagon tag with a sentiment "pssst. . .missed it" and tweaked the tag with a little red glittery heart just because I thought it needed a little embellishment to perk it up.

I finished my gumdrop card front and also the inside design with a little belated birthday apology verse, and it's ready for the mail.  Take a peel below. . .it's pretty "sweet!"

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock-Crushed Curry, Lemon-Lime Twist, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White; 2011-2012 DSP Paper Stack (Bashful Blue Dots).  Stamps:  Goody Goody Gumdrops.  Spellbinders Dies: Venise Lace Rectangles; Octagon Classic Nestabilities; Octagon Scallop Nestabilities.  Copic Markers.  Stash: Gold Iridescent Glitter; Gold Rhinestones; 3/8" Offray Plaid Stitched ribbon; Horizon Friendship Thread (Harlequin).  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  Size: 6" x 4-3/4".  

A Wedding Story Weaves a Fabulous Quilt!

My husband's youngest sister's son is getting married in a few weeks, and a wedding card is needed.  I bought the Stampin' Up Quilt Builder stamps and dies last fall, but have not had a chance to use them.  I've had several ideas from Christmas to baby cards, but after thinking about it, I decided it might make up into a pretty wedding card.  This would also fit right in to help finish one of my last two stragglers in the Splitcoaststamper Alphabet Challenge, Round 8.  One of the stragglers is for letter Q, and using the quilt die would be perfect!  My mind was already working on thoughts for the card's wedding verse inside. . .something involving marriage, the fabric of two lives woven together to make a fabulous quilt!

The newest Splitcoaststamper Inspiration Challenge is to visit the OPI nail polish website, and I saw some pretty nail art while browsing using cream and gold metallic nail art, which reminded me I could probably meet the Letter Q bonus challenge of Joss paper, which is a gold foil paper used in Chinese ancestral worship ceremonies.

After checking out several other Splitcoaststamper challenges, I had some great ideas and inspiration, and I was more than ready to begin.  I thought a white or cream card using gold metallic papers in the quilt would make a really pretty wedding card and my possible verse running around in my head would pull it all together.  Check out my finished card below, showing the outside and inside creations.  I'm pretty happy with the results!

Recipe:  SU Papers: Shimmery White cs; Bundle of Love Specialty dsp (2018 Occ).  Recollections Shimmer Gold cs.  SU Dies: Quilt Builder Framelits; Layering Squares Framelits; Layering Ovals Framelits.  SU Stamps: Rose Wonder (sentiment).  SU Embossing Folder: Quilt Top.  SU Embossing Powder: Gold.  Recollections Embossing Powder: Gold Tinsel.  SU Ribbon: 3/8" Metallic Gold (2017 Holiday).  Stash: Champagne Rhinestones.  EK Punch: Scallop Photo Corners Medium (inside).  Chatterbox verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".  

Getting Ready for October Birthdays!

My good friend Carla is hosting her first Dare to Get Dirty challenge this month, and though I am sorry to say, I do not have any time to really get into the nitty gritty of trying to get all these challenges completed, I thought I'd at least try Carla's challenge.

These Dare to Get Dirty Challenges are created for fan club members to participate in, and we are not allowed to divulge the nuts and bolts of the challenge requirements, but I also checked out some of the other SCS challenges currently running to see if they would tweak my creative mojo.  

An Inspiration Challenge orange t-shirt with leaves reminded me that I have a whole slew of October family birthdays that include sons, nephews, sister-in-laws, children and SCS friends.  I thought I'd make a card with a fall theme that would help my huge October card needs.  A fall theme will also work for the Alphabet Challenge, Letter P = Persimmon Orange and Pumpkin Orange.

My card idea will work for one of my sister-in-law cards or one of my female friends, but I think I might just earmark it for one of my good friends.  I thought I would take a walk down nostalgia lane and color the little girl image I chose with woodless-colored pencils.  The image is a CC Designs fall digital image of a little girl pulling a wagon filled with a delightful fall pumpkin.  I've had this digital image in my stash for a number of years.

My finished little girl with her rosy cheeks is ready to deliver her little red wagon loaded with her happy birthday pumpkin to my dear friend.  Now, I can put a check mark by my friend's name to show that her card is finished.  Take a peek at her finished birthday card inside and out.

Recipe:  SU cardstock:  Whisper White, Tangelo Twist, Chocolate Chip.  DSP: Joann's Open Stock.  CC Designs digital image: Pumpkin Emma.  Die:  Papertrey Ink-Large ZigZag.  Coloring: Progresso Koh-I-Noor Woodless-Colored Wax Pencils (Michaels).  Mineral Spirits (WalMart).  Stash:  Orange Felt, button, cream crochet thread.  Punch:  EK Scallop Photo Corners LG.  Chatterbox sentiment/verse (computer).  Size:  5-1/4" square.