Happy Belated Birthday Card, Dear Da-ad, and Happy BLOG CANDY to YOU!

(New BLOG CANDY below, so stick with me!)  I did remember my Dad's birthday ON the correct day. I just didn't remember it ahead of time, like make-a-card-and-mail-it ahead of time! Our family has been scattered for a long time, so we always call each other and sing Happy Birthday on the phone. I know I never feel like it's really my birthday until I get that phone call. I do (finally) have his card ready and here it is!

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I am using my favorite new Let's Communicate set again that I designed with Amber of Amber INK! My idea and her fabulous drawing skills created this set, which was my prize for winning the Amber INK challenge a couple months ago! This time I colored the figure to look like me. She is wearing my ultimate favorite lime green and turquoise.  She has my red hair and hazel eyes. I cannot even tell you how fun this set is to color!  I went a little crazy on the purse with a mod polka dot pattern, and of course I love to color jeans.  There is no paper piecing, this was all done with Copic markers. I had printed the figure out with a black and white laser printer onto color laser printer paper, which works great for blending Copics.  After coloring, I adhered the figure to white card for stiffness and trimmed her out with scissors and a Fiskars fingertip craft knife for the interior cuts, very easy to do.  Then I added one lime green crystal for a fun earring!  I computer generated the sentiment and bubble, adding some musical symbols so you know she is singing.

I sponged around the edges of this 5 x 6.5 inch kraft card (Recollections) with Broken China Distress Ink. I adhered two strips of ribbon to the card front with Fast Grab Tacky Glue, then added my bow, tied with the Bow-Easy, with the same glue. This glue is thick enough that it does not saturate through the ribbon and is so much less expensive than ScorTape and glue dots; it really holds the slippery ribbon securely in place.

The Spellbinders Mega Ovals with their elongated shape are the perfect backdrop for figures like this. The scalloped oval was not the right color of green, so I colored it lime green all around the edges where it showed to match the figure, and edged it with a turquoise marker to make it stand out better from the kraft background. The turquoise layer (SU Cool Caribbean) was sponged with Broken China Distress Ink while it was still in the die to highlight the embossed edge. Each layer is adhered to the front with dimensional foam mounting tape, so by the time I got to the figure it was three layers of foam tape high. Since one foot was hanging out in space, I layered three pieces of foam tape to stick behind the leg to secure it at the right level. It looks great from the front but a bit odd from the side, as you can see below.  If I had considered it earlier, I would have used a tan Copic marker to color the sides of the foam tape to match the card base, so it would have blended in better.

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Whenever I complain about my birthdays (how old I am getting) my Dad always says that the alternative to birthdays is grim!  I sure would rather continue to have birthdays than not, LOL!  So when I found this sentiment in a Hero Arts clear set, I had to buy it. It had a turtle on the same stamp but I carefully trimmed it so I could use the sentiment on it's own!  It says "Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live."  Isn't that perfect?  I stamped it with Peeled Paint Distress Ink onto the turquiose card stock and sponged around the edges of the punched shape (SU - Curly Label Punch) with Broken China Distress Ink. I used foam tape to mount it over a piece of loosely folded, notched ribbon, then added a twine-threaded button just for fun.

Happy belated birthday card to you, Da-ad, Happy birthday to you!

Blog Candy!

In honor of my Dad's birthday, I am going to give away a Let's Communicate digital stamp set to one lucky commenter. Just tell me what kinds of cards YOU would like to make with this set, and if you will enter the Amber INK challenges!   You do not need a blog to enter, but if you use anonymous be sure to list your name in the comment!  I'll draw the evening of Nov. 12th.  Check back on Saturday, Nov. 13th to see if you've won!

Leave a comment here to enter for the Let's Communicate digi stamp set before you go!