Special Birthday for a Special Lady

My mother-in-law celebrated her 80th birthday last week. My husband, being her eldest child, and his father got together and planned a lovely dinner for immediate family and close friends. It turned out to be a lovely evening and we had cocktails, snacks and shared great conversation with relatives and friends. A house had been converted to an intimate little restaurant with front patio and large principal rooms on both floors. We had the entire upstairs to ourselves. Entreees ranged from osso bucco and sea bass to risotto and a lovely home made pasta. Everyone had a great time. It was a lovely event for a fabulous person. I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law.

The card I made was inspired by the chocolate and pink polka dot gross grain ribbon. The "80" sparkle stickers were added to organza ribbon. I cut the black and white label from nestabilities dies. The Happy Birthday stamp is from PaperTrey Ink. Everyone loved the card and I had great fun making it.

Masculine Birthday Card

Making cards for guys whether they are men or just small boys can be challenging. One way to get your ideas moving in the right direction is to give yourself a challenge...just like the one that Cricut Cardz Challenge is posting this week as their Challenge #75.

We were asked to make a card using something with wheels. I looked through all my cartridges and to my surprise there were several that would work. However, I chose my Just Because cartridge. The main image is a pick up truck but one of the options is the ability to cut a sticker which can be made up of a circle with some of the pick up truck displayed. You can cut a circle backing for the sticker but I chose instead to display the blue truck on an embossed background. The sentiment of Happy Wishes was added to replace the tire.

I think this card successfully answered the Cricut Cardz Challenge. Why not drive over to their website and see what other crafters have come up with. It might give you some ideas for future cards. Happy crafting!

To the Beach We Go

I know what you're thinking...that's it's a little early for beach talk but the themed challenge this week at Cricut Cardz Challenge is to make a card relating the beach.

I knew immediately that I wanted to make a card that showed water. I chose a light blue cardstock that I embossed using a swirl folder which I passed it through my Cuttlebug. I took a blue Momento petal ink cartridge and rubbed it over the swirls to add dimension. I also applied some Martha Stewart ice blue glitter to some of the "waves". The whale was cut using my Create a Critter cartridge out of a darker blue card stock. White gel pen was added to create a bit of dimension. Of course I added a bit of glitter to his water spout. The word "splash" was also cut from the Create a Critter cartridge. Blue organza ribbon completes the card.

I think the card really turned out to be a cute one. We can go to the beach and see our own water creatures but I would recommend that we wait until the weather is a bit warmer. Keep on crafting 'til then!