Smile, You're 65!

 Omygosh, it's cold! I know I sound like such a wimp. Happy weekend! I have a birthday card to share for Honey's brother who is my age and that means it's his 65th birthday. He's a big fisherman, so I was happy to go with that and create an easel card featuring a little scene at the lake using a mash up of six stamp sets from different makers: Hero Arts' Lake Time Fun and Pier at the Lake; Sweet n Sassy Landscape Silhouettes; Happy Little Stampers Smile!; My Favorite Things Anything But Basic Birthday and Leave Memories Diva-fied Fonts. I also used Lawn Fawn and Spellbinder dies.

Okay, while I'm on a roll listing supplies, the designer paper I used was a few sheets from WRMK's 6x6 High Five pad, which is nature and guy oriented. The white card stock easel card base was made by Ginger Adams in a pack of 6. I bought it so long ago I cannot remember where. 

A couple shots of the back, where I stamped his age and to show the easel fold when in display. 

And then here it is folded flat for the envelope. The card measures 6x5" when closed. I matted the front with the black diagonal striped dp and then cut some white card stock using a Spellbinders A-2 Distressed Edges die, for the focal stamped scene.

My coloring agent for all of it were my Promarkers. I committed to a bright blue sky, which was easy enough. For the water, I covered it entirely with a blue-green shade and then went over that with an aqua shade, all very quickly, then stopped because I liked it. I used a dark C-5 gray to make a few rough shadows after stamping the fisherman, dock and foreground vegetation. I basically stamped/colored top to bottom and done. Lots more I could have done, but lately I've really been trying not to feed my perfectionist tendencies and stop if a card looks good enough.

Here's a close up that shows the tree line on the far side of the lake and captures a teensy bit of the Wink of Stella shimmer on the sun and the water, albeit as tiny dots. I played around with the Sweet n Sassy landscape stamps, first stamping the fir trees in Versafine Clair gray, then a different tree line in front of that in green. There are 2 deer in the center. I think using Clair on Clair made the green fade out and the gray kind of looks like a morning mist to me, and I like the effect. I cut the sun and the clouds from the sheet of yellow dp I used on the front stop (that I stamped the Smile sentiments on) and adhered with glue dots to give it a bit of dimension. The yellow paper looks distressed and has sections of white in it where I die cut the clouds.

Here are even more sentiments on the inside, where we later signed the card underneath. 

This is the bottom of the card when in easel display and the back when closed. That's the WRMK yellow dp with my Technique Tuesday siggie, again, lol. Just letting the paper talk, it has a lot to say! :-)

And a final view. I'm very pleased at how this scene card turned out. I think I might be slowly improving, although still very much a novice. I'm so behind on visiting blogs, but I hope to definitely get completely caught up after I finish Honey's Valentine card. Thanks for visiting. Stay well and safe! xoxo

MY CHALLENGE PLAYLIST:

1.   Die Cut Divas: Fun Fold Time with Hero Arts -- #1/4  I made an easel card for my fun fold, and I used Hero Arts' Lake Time Fun and Pier at the Lake stamp sets.

2.   Sparkles Monthly #136: Big Birthday with a 0 or 5 -- #3/3 Recipient's 65th birthday, as noted on backside of card.

3.   Stamping Sensations February Colour My World -- #1/3 I have hand-stamped the card front scene in bright colors.

4.   Country View Feb. Challenge: 1st Signs of Spring

5.  The Sisterhood of Crafters: Smile like the Sun: Use the word Smile or use a Sun -- #1/3 I've done both :-)

6.   Aud Sentiments #268: Sentiment + AG -- #2/5

7.   AAA Birthday Game #22: A Large Sentiment  

8.   Allsorts Challenge Week 611: Masculine

9.   Passion for Markers Week 578: Celebrations -- 65th Birthday

10. NBUS Challenge #23: AG with Never Before Used Schtuff -- This my first time to use the Happy Little Stampers Smile stamps, these 2 SNS Landscape stamps, and the WRMK designer paper.