Blinded by the Birthday Candlelight

Weekend Greetings, Friends! It's been raining here, a slow ground soaking and bringing cool weather to us for the next week. My neck and back and finger pain issues remain, but the one good thing is, I continue to adjust to it and Life goes on. I hope you are all staying well and safe and warm and dry.

I have a birthday card to share today. I had stamped and water-colored the focal image a few months ago,  sat it on a little easel to decide how to use it, and then I plumb forgot about it. Luckily, I saw it just as I was wondering what to use on this card to a girlfriend.

PAPERS: Recollections card stock, Basic Grey Color Me Silly, watercolor paper

STAMPS: Art Impressions, CAS-ual Fridays, Lawn Fawn

INKS: Versafine Clair, Memento

DIES: Spellbinders Postage Stamp Nesties

OTHER/STASH: Watercolor paints, BG alpha stickers, embossing powder, Sakura gold metallic gel pen, corner rounder

     

I used Split Coast Stampers sketch SC729, but didn't follow it exactly as I needed a little accommodation for my alpha stickers. Placing them above the focal square was the only decent look, really, but caused my focal square to be lower. I first tried putting them below along with the white sentiment strip to no avail. Then that frame on sketch just looked too complicated to me, so I opted for a decorative border. I would call this sketch loosely followed with a little artistic license. ;-)

These adorable gals were stamped and heat-embossed on some 140# hot-pressed watercolor paper. Then I colored them using my paints and cut them out with the postage die. I stamped the Art Impressions sentiment on a scrap strip of white card stock.

To make their sunglasses shine, I used a Sakura gold metallic gel pen to color the lenses. I also used a red gel pen for their lips, earrings and the red heels. 

Inside the card, I used CAS-ual Friday and Art Impressions stamps. I looked at it uncolored and went with it. I made this card in record time in order to get it in the mail, and not coloring the inside helped!

For the back of the card, I used the striped paper piece leftover from the front, along with a die cut scrap piece of orange from the same BG collection with my stamped Lawn Fawn siggie. As with the front, my corner rounder was used on the stripes.

I knew my girlfriend would like this card. She is one of my dear lunch ladies and the last time we were able to get together was for my Sweet Sixteen (in leap years) birthday back in February. They had a tiara for me and silly sunglasses for everyone, so it's kinda like saying I wish we could have done that for her. And I very much do. Anyway, she "gets" it. I feel so badly for those people who have missed celebrating important BFD milestones in their lives with family and friends because of this virus...people like my Honey whose 50th high school reunion went by uncelebrated back in May. That still makes me sad. Oh well, such is life. We are blessed to be alive and healthy. So many not so lucky...

A final view. Thanks so much for dropping by to share my art with you! I hope we all have a fantastic week. I can't wait for sunshine and cool temperatures, myself. Stay well and safe and warm! XOX

MY CHALLENGE PLAYLIST:

1.   Split Coast Stampers sketch SC729

2.   Time Out Challenge # 175: Quick - I made this card quickly to get it in the mail. It helped using an already-colored stamped, embossed and watercolored focal image. ;-)  (no limits)

3.   Outlawz Twisted Thursday 11/26-12/2: Festive Color Combos   (#1/2)

4.   Arty Divas #31: ATG    (#2/5)

5.   Creative Fingers #198: AAG  (#1/3)

6.   Penny's Paper Crafty #485: AAG w/Paper  (#1/3)

7.   Aud Sentiments #265: Sentiment + AG -- (#1/5)

8.   TTCRD 11/24 Penultimate Challenge Last of 2020: AAG -- (#1/2)

9.   CHNPPC Nov.: AAG w/PP  (no limits)

10. NBUS #20: AAG w/NBUS -- My NBUS are all the Art Impression stamps from sets I used for the first time: the gals image and the sunglasses sentiment on front from the set called Sunny Shades, and inside I used the lady image and sentiment from Fire Out and the cake from Birthday Cakes.  (10 Challenge max)