A fishy card for Willow!

Hello friends and happy Saturday.  I hope you've had a great start to your weekend.  My husband had a partial knee replacement (and also some metalwork removed from his other leg) earlier in the week so this week has been busy and long lol!  He came home on Thursday and I have to say for a man he is doing remarkably well.  He's walking very well and not in too much pain, although I think he does have a high pain threshold normally.  He has to wait 10 days to have his clips out and then he can begin his physio, although honestly I don't think they will have to do too much with him.  

Anyway enough waffling let's get on with the card.  Last week was our Willow's 2nd birthday and I had to make her a card, even though hubby thought I was completely mad, especially when I wrote a heartfelt message inside it too lol!  I was a little stumped what to make so decided to make a fish shaped card for her.  Here is my card:

a little closer view:

I began by roughly drawing the fish shape by hand and cutting out a template from paper.  I then laid this onto a 5x7 card base and cut around it to make my shaped card base.  It's a little wonky in places but I think it looks ok.  I also cut a smaller piece out of yellow card for my panel.  I used a stencil to create the fish scales and punched a small black circle for the eye (I added some white gel pen to make it look more realistic).  The sentiments were stamped in black ink and cut out with a label die and I die cut the letters and number 2 from white card.  For a little contrast I ink blended them with the same ink but with a bit of a heavier hand so that they would stand out.  I went for an ombre look on letters, which I stacked 4 times and added them to the card panel with liquid glue.  The sentiments were added with foam squares.  The yellow fish panel was also added to the card base with foam tape.  I know I'm biased but isn't it adorable?  I'm really happy with the finished result, even if it isn't perfect.  Willow loved it and that is all that matters haha!  

Here is Willow admiring her card:

and I love this one cos it looks like the fish is eating her:

I would like to enter my fishy card into the following challenges:

Seize the Birthday challenge - shaped card

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - happy birthday (happy 13th birthday SSS)

Time Out challenge - monochromatic

Aud Sentiments challenge - washi and/or shaped card + sentiment

Inspired By challenge - alphabet (inspired by the letters and big bold sentiment)

I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm smooth white card (for card base)

yellow card from stash

Taylored Expressions - sweet scallop stencil 

Lawn Fawn - Henry's ABC dies

MFT - smitten kitten (for main stamped sentiment)

MFT - you wow me (for the 'you're')

MFT - by the numbers dies (retired)

Versafine onyx black ink

Sakura - gelly roll 10 white pen

Gina K Designs - sentiment strip dies

Gina K Designs - honey mustard ink pad