Krafty Chicks challenge #762 - Birthday

Good morning lovely friends. I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far. It's been another glorious week here in South Wales, with lots of sunshine but also a stiff breeze - perfect weather for drying clothes on the line lol! 

It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 1; and as always the theme is 'birthday' and Leanne is our hostess. It can't get any easier than this week's challenge so we hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

Today is my lovely mother's birthday so I'm sharing the card I made for her.  I always try to make her an extra special card and usually a larger than normal card (today's card is 6" x 7 3/4").  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the florals:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting my card base from a 12"x12" piece of white card.  I stamped all the florals in a light grey ink before colouring them using the coordinating stencils.  After all the stencilling was complete I then re-stamped the images using a black ink pad.  I used the matching dies to cut them out.  I created the stitched frame by die cutting 2 smaller frames (sized for an A2 card) from white card and used them horizontally instead of vertically. I laid them together and cut out the inside piece so that it would create one larger frame.  I cut a white panel to go behind the frame and using a stencil and light grey ink created a soft background.  I added thin foam strips behind the frame and adhered them together and then added a black mat layer behind with double sided tape.  For the panel behind the frame I used a pale purple piece of card and added a black mat layer with double sided tape.  This was added to the card base with double sided tape.  I fussed with the arrangement of my florals for quite some time but finally decided on adding them to the top right and bottom left corners going largest to smallest out from the corner.  I added them with a mixture of foam squares and liquid glue.  I also added a small leaf to the top left and bottom right corner with liquid glue.  I used a few different stamp sets to create my sentiments but I think the fonts really match.  I die cut all the sentiments except for the 'mother' which I had to fussy cut.  I added them all with teeny tiny slithers of foam squares.  I added a few black pearls for some bling and also added some white gelly roll highlights to the flowers.  For the inside I cut another purple card panel and added a black mat layer behind and also cut a white panel and adhered it with double sided tape.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre and as I had quite a few flowers left over replicated the arrangement from the front in the bottom right corner.  I also added a small leaf in the upper left corner.  The panel was then added to my card base with double sided tape.  I'm really happy with this card; I love the colour combo and the frame turned out exactly as I had hoped.

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

Allsorts challenge - spring flowers

As You Like It challenge - cute or floral (I like both but my mother loves florals so I always make a card with flowers for her)

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - Anything floral goes optional mood board

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist bunnies, blooms or butterflies

Craft Rocket challenge - layer it up

Die Cut Divas challenge - flowers

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday

Inkspirational challenge - use 2 or more sentiments

Little Red Wagon challenge - I guess that's why they call it the blues (include blue)

Moving Along With The Times challenge - spring flowers

Papercraft challenges - spring blooms

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - happy birthday

Stencil Fun challenge - Anything stencil goes optional theme patterns

Sweet Stampin' challenge - female cards

The Four Seasons challenge - ATG spring optional mood board

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist things that begin with B (birthday, blooms, blue)

Triple B challenge - use at least one bird, blooms or butterflies optional inspiration board

Unicorn challenge - use dies

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'birthday' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky. Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori.
Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments.

Love and hugs,

Forgot to take a photo - will add soon!

card ingredients

(all Gina K Designs)

Flower Medley stamp & die bundle

Flower Medley stencils

Master Layouts 18 (for the frame)

Elegant Thoughts stamp & die bundle (for happy birthday sentiment)

Lovely Ladies stamp set (for mother sentiment)

On the inside - birthday (for inside sentiment)

Decorative Double stencil

ink pads - blue sky, blue raspberry, wild lilac, jelly bean green, fresh asparagus, soft stone

ink cube - light spruce

Pearl mix - metallic black, gold and silver

other supplies:

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - they do have 300gsm bright white card available here

Crafts UK Limited - 12"x12" white card (for card base)

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

purple card from stash

AAA Birthday challenge #72 - mythical

Good morning friends and welcome to April.  The weather is lovely here in South Wales and it's promised to be like this for the remainder of the week *yay*.  I'm not a sun worshipper but I definitely feel happier when the weather outside is nice and bright.  

I'm sharing my card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge and this month our theme is 'mythical'. So think unicorns, monsters, dragons, fairies, the list is endless.  I hope you will take on our challenge this month and get creating. Our guest designer this month is the lovely Silke so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

I decided to make a fun fold card and went for a z-fold card.  I know there are quite a few variations of this fold but I went with the basic z-fold as it's simple to make but really packs a punch when displayed.  For my mythical element I went with a fairy image.  I hope you like it.  It was quite difficult to photograph so there are a few more photos than usual.  

Here is my card (from the front):

Here is the card (standing up):

View from above:

A close up of the adorable fairy:

A closer look at the inside:

I began by creating my card base which is 5 1/2" square.  On the front flap of the card I scored it in half at 2 3/4" and folded it towards the left to create the z fold shape.  I stamped the fairy onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured her with Promarkers and added some white gelly roll pen highlights.  Instead of fussy cutting her I used a decorative label die to cut her out.  I also have the matching scallop label die so cut that from pink card.  I decorated all the panels with a pretty pink gingham paper that I've had in my stash for years.  I adhered the labels together with double sided tape and then added foam squares to just the left side of the label and adhered it to the front half panel, making sure it was centred on the whole card.  I die cut a happy and birthday word from white card and the shadow layers from pink card and adhered them together with liquid glue.  Using a combination of liquid glue and foam squares I attached the die cut sentiments on the edge of the labels top left and bottom right.  I didn't add any further embellishments as I liked the clean look of the card.  For the inside I die cut another label and scalloped label as before and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I stamped two of the butterflies and coloured them with Promarkers and added white gelly roll highlights and stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre.  I added double sided tape to the back of the label and carefully added it the inside of the card, making sure it lined up with the label on the front.  I hope I've explained it properly but if not there are lots of tutorials online to help you.  A really pretty card and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion (3rd entry)

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - fairy tale... mine is fairy

Creative Creases challenge - ATG with a fun fold

Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap challenge - ATG but must use patterned paper

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - birthday

Shopping Our Stash challenge - fun folds

Sweet Stampin' challenge - female cards

Tic Tac Toe challenge - patterned paper/free/grass

Unicorn challenge - dies

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their personal blogs. 

I hope you will be able to join in with the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed. I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day.

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

Lili of the Valley - woodland fairies polymer stamp set - not currently available

Promarkers

Spellbinders - happy birthday wishes die set

Spellbinders - labels one small die set - retired but loads on eBay

Spellbinders - scalloped labels one die set - retired but loads on eBay   

Tonic Studios - I love you fairy much stamp set (for inside greeting) - retired

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - not currently available - they do have 300gsm bright white card available here

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

gingham and coordinating plain pink paper from stash