Lifetime of Love Birthday Card

Hello friends!  Seems like I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the cards I need to send out.  Since I have a bunch of birthdays coming up soon, this is a good time to add another one to my dwindling stash.  I was waiting for my order to come in to make this card, then decided to use papers I already have to get started on my birthday card marathon.  So, today's card uses an Online Exclusive DSP called Naturally Gilded.  I almost forgot I had this.  If you want to recreate this card, check your stash to see what you have that would work for this design.  If you're like me, you've got an abundance of designer paper.  Does that mean I quit buying more beautiful papers?  Ummm, that would be a resounding no!  Sometimes new DSP is just too pretty to pass up, so I don't.  But I do need to break out some of my stash and create with it on a regular basis.  Otherwise, I might end up buried under all the pretty prints and colors that I seem to need to be happy.  So on with today's card.  Hope you'll be inspired to create with what you have.  And if you don't have something comparable, there are always new prints and designs available for purchase!  😄

I couldn't resist the Lifetime of Love Bundle (pg 15 Mini Catalog) when I saw it.  I didn't think I'd need the DSP or the Cards & Envelopes that coordinate with the set.  I think I was definitely wrong about that decision, and I've since ordered those items.  But without them for this card, I went with what I had.

Let's stamp!

Start with a Cherry Cobbler cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored and folded in half.  Next a piece of Naturally Gilded gold-patterned DSP was die-cut with the largest die in the Scalloped Contours Die set.  This gives it a pretty edge to work with right away.  This gorgeous DSP is one the Online Exclusives you'll want to get your hands on.  So pretty!

Using a Blending Brush and Cherry Cobbler ink, color was added to the background.  The bottom right corner has the darkest color concentration and fades up.  After adding the color, it's important to rub over the paper with a tissue or soft cloth to remove any ink residue from the gold foil areas.  It's then attached to the center of the Cherry Cobbler card base with adhesive.

My idea was to use the flowers in the Lifetime of Love to frame a sentiment for a birthday card.  The larger and smaller flowers were stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  A Blending Brush was used with Cherry Cobbler ink to loosely color in the flowers.  The leaves were lightly colored using Shaded Spruce ink and a Blender Pen.  After coloring the flowers, I thought they looked a little 'flat', so the Blending Pen was used to darken around the edges of the flower centers just a tiny bit.  The pieces were all die-cut using the Lifetime of Love dies.

The sentiment layers were cut using the new Thoughtful Expressions Bundle (pg 61-62 in the Mini Catalog).  Oh my, these are really lovely! There are two different label shapes and multiple sizes of each shape to give you lots of options for labels.  The largest 'rectangle' shape was used to die-cut a Cherry Cobbler layer.  The 2nd smallest size cut a Very Vanilla layer.  The sentiment used is from the Heartfelt Hexagon set (pg 12 Mini Catalog).  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the center.  The two labels are attached with adhesive, then centered on the card front using Dimensionals.  The flowers were tucked around the sentiment and attached with adhesive just in the centers so that the edges were not flat to the label.

I wanted the inside to coordinate with the outside, so I used another of the Scalloped Contours dies to cut the Very Vanilla layer for the inside of the card.  After cutting, I stamped words from one of my favorite sentiment sets - Charming Sentiments.  It was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The little flower from the front of the card is stamped in the bottom corner using Cherry Cobbler ink.  

Upon looking at this card a lot while typing out this post, I think I'll go back and touch up the flower using the Blender Pen to give it just a little more color and definition.

I debated about which style of bling to add to the card.  I thought about the new gold-toned Birds and Dragonflies that are an Online Exclusive, but they kind of got lost.  Next, I tried the Petal Pink & Pretty Peacock Foiled Gems thinking they might blend nicely with my colors.  Nope, neither of those colors were quite what I was looking for.  Next, I tried the Iridescent Foil Gems.  Even though they look more purple-y in the catalog picture and the package, they were the perfect accent when I tried them on the card.  You never know what will work until you give it a try. 

So there you have another birthday card creation that could easily be used for a Valentine or even a wedding card.    If you've got lots of lovely DSP stored, this card would be a good time to get it out and use it!!

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.  I love your feedback and I'm always here to help in any way I can.  Thank you for all the lovely cards that have been coming my way.  I'm so impressed with how creative you are.  Especially when you're thinking outside the box on some of these cards.  You bless me so much with your cards and your kindness.  Love you my friends and miss you so much!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon