One of my cardmaking besties has a Spring birthday. I am determined to make her a card totally from scratch using nothing that is semi-prepared as a test to see how well my left hand will do post-surgery. I did stamping, die-cutting, dry embossing, fussy-cutting, Copic coloring, and a shaker card. A pretty great test, and I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the results. The hand is a little tired, a little achy, and a bit swollen, but fabulous compared to pre-surgery swelling and pain!
I was also determined to get back into the Splitcoaststamper (SCS) challenges, and I have accomplished that with a vengeance! I found eleven challenges that I can enter by tweaking my design idea here and there. That is a new RECORD! I can usually get in seven to nine, but have never even done ten before! It all started with a card by cdimick (aka Catherine). Catherine is an SCS Alpha sister, who is the current Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers. I browsed her gallery and chose a card to "case" as the challenge requires, which featured a stamp set that caught my eye. I browsed the inspiration challenge photos for some ideas, which led to the color challenge with the exact blues and greens I wanted to use, and on and on it went!
Meanwhile, I was keeping in mind that this card is for a very special friend, and I wanted it to be special for her with a huge focus on her birthday. The Stampin' Up Marquee Messages stamp set was perfect! I made it into a shaker to fit the Fan Club April Monthly challenge, and it really set off the marquee stamp perfectly. First, I dry embossed a confetti pattern onto my Coastal Cabana cardstock and added sparkles by "painting" on glitter glaze with a foam brush. Love that sheen! My finishing touches to dress up the shaker marque frame was to pop on some flowers, leaves, and oodles of pearls. I must say I was pretty please with the results, and I am pretty sure my friend will like it as well! Take a peek below.
Ingredients: Stampin Up products: Cardstock--Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Coastal Cabana, Balmy Blue. Stamps--Marquee Messages (shaker frame/ sentiments), Vibrant Vases (flowers), Happy Birthday Gorgeous (leaf). Embossing Folder--Confetti. Pearls. Metallic Sequins Asst. Other: Sargernt Art Acrylic Glitter Glaze. Copic markers. Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black. Buttons Galore--Aquamarine Party Mix. Wink of Stella/ Clear. Chatterbox verse. Size: 4-3/4" x 6".
