AAA Birthday challenge - DT card

Hello friends and happy 1st of November.  I hope you had a great October (although not too sure where it went) and are ready for a brand new AAA Birthday challenge.  We have two hostesses this month and they will each pick a winner - Helen and Kati - and their theme this month is 'large sentiment'; but remember it has to be birthday themed.  Our guest designer this month is Deborah Wheeler so please pop over and show her some love.  

I made two cards this month but was really struggling with lack of mojo so they ended up being very clean and simple.   Here are my cards:

a close up of card one:

I also decorated the inside:

a close up of card two:

I also decorated the inside:

For card one, I began by ink blending a panel using 3 warm colours of ink, added some water droplets and stamped the sentiment over top in black ink.  I used the matching die to cut it out.  I used a dashed rhombus panel die for my background and I did try partial ink blending but didn't like it so in the end I stuck with white.  I cut a black mat layer and adhered them together with double sided tape.  The large sentiment was added with foam squares.  I decided to add a sub sentiment from the same stamp set and stamped it onto black card with white embossing powder.  I then die cut it with a strip sentiment die and added it below the large sentiment with liquid glue.  The panel was added to an A2 card base with foam tape.  I finished off with some black sequins.

For card two, as I had a spare die cut left over I thought I would try and stamp directly onto the die cut and if I messed up it wouldn't matter.  I wanted something different to my first card so I stamped it in versa mark and heat embossed it in gold.  I surprised myself by stamping it perfectly (although I did a test stamp first onto acetate to double check my placement - a tip I learned from Gina K).  I used an embossing folder for this background and matted it onto gold mirror card with double sided tape.  I added the large sentiment with foam squares and finished off with some gold sequins.  The panel was adhered onto the card base with double sided tape.  

Please pop over to the challenge blog and check out the wonderful creations from the rest of the DT; you will not be disappointed.  

I would like to enter my cards into the following challenges:

Allsorts challenge - embossing heat or dry (I've used both on my gold/white card)

Can You Handle the Pressure challenge - embossing option vines/greenery

Cut it Up challenge - add a sentiment (must include a die cut)

Just Us Girls challenge - CAS week - just use the centre of your card

Seize the Birthday challenge - ATG birthday - no topping this time

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - emboss it (heat and dry embossing on my gold card)

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - get inky (I ink blended on my red/pink/purple card)

I hope you will be able to find the time to enter our challenge this month and I cannot wait to see your birthday creations in our linky.  

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Waffle Flower - happy birthday duo sentiments stamp & die set

Waffle Flower - dashed rhombus panel die

Spellbinders - candles for every birthday embossing folder (EOM May 23)

Spellbinders - essentials sequins in black smooth and gold smooth discs

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Gina K Designs - birthday cheer (for inside sentiments)

Gina K Designs - inks for blending red velvet, passionate pink and wild lilac

Gina K Designs - blending brushes

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm white smooth card

Hobbycraft - A4 luxury black card

gold mirror card from stash

Wow - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Cosmic Shimmer - detail bright gold embossing powder