Birthdays and Challenges

Once you reach a certain age, aren't all birthdays a challenge? Even though they may not be quite so much fun, as my mom would say: birthdays sure beat the alternative! The challenges in this case are the fun kind, stamping challenges. Here's a birthday set based on three different challenges:


Stamps: Magnolia 'Tilda with Tag' and Strawberry Sweet sentiment. Carstock: Textured Real Red, Bashful Blue Pattern Prints, Chocolate Chip, Paper Bouquet Felted Flowers DP, Papertrey White. Ink: Memento Black, Copics. Accessories: Oval and Circle Nestabilities, SU scallop border punch, raffia, chocolate brads, Basic Grey rub-ons.

The current Roses on Paper blog challenge is to create a gatefold card with stitching. My stitching is the faux variety because I've been wanting to try out a new technique I learned from a friend. The cardstock is first pierced by using a rolling piercing tool run down one of the lines (gutters?) on a Scor-Pal. This is SO much easier than my old way of lining up the template and piercing each hole by hand! And much more likely to result in a straight line, too. Then I went back and drew in the stitches, trying NOT to be perfect and leaving a tiny gap in the initial portion and slightly arching the stitch. It may just be an inappropriate tension setting on my machine, but this faux stitching looks very close to what I get when I haul the machine up from the basement!

The second challenge is the KLSNS July color challenge using the colors light blue, red and chocolate. As you can tell by my previous card 'Egg-cellent Edwin', I'm a fan of this color combo. Be sure to upload your creations to the PaperCraft Planet challenge for your chance to win a stamp and other goodies from the KLSNS store!

Last but certainly not least is the Copic Creations' challenge to color brunette hair. Be sure to stop by this blog because every other week they post a new challenge with links to wonderful tutorials!

Since this gatefold card was created to supplement the Edwin card, I added a pocket inside to hold images of the just received Magnolia Summer Stamp Club:

I also created a Ghiradelli box (thanks for the demo, Tracy!):

Since the temperatures are back up in the 90s, I thought it might be safer to send hard caramels as opposed to the always appropriate chocolate. You can view the Splitcoast Stamper tutorial for the Ghiradelli box HERE.

Now let's just hope my friend doesn't see her gift here before it arrives in person!