A Special Birthday

 

 I know I've posted a card or two...maybe three this week. But, my one of my sweet daughters-in-law is having a birthday early next week and I just had to get a card made. I wanted to make her a hinged filigree card. If it appears some of the holes aren't punch from the die, they are. It just seems that way on a few because of the back section.

 

 This may be my last card this week as hubby is off work tomorrow and we are going to be very busy.I hate to tell you what we are going to be doing. We are putting up the Christmas tree. Please don't think I'm crazy. I put it up the week before Halloween last year because of all the house remodeling and knew that was the only time to get it done. Well, we are very busy this year between going to weekend college football games and visiting children and little munchkins...so up it goes. We don't want to get into a bind and kill ourselves getting it up.  It won't get turned on until after Thanksgiving because that is a very important holiday for us. We have so much to be thankful for so I try not to make those holiday clash. Well, the munchkins will be here next weekend so we'll probably have to turn it on for them But, no one else will see it. And, no other Christmas decorations will go up.

On to my card...about time, huh? :-) My ribbon was made using the tutorial by my blogging friend, Colleen Dietrich. She has a wonderful tutorial at Inspired by Stamping. It is for the WHW #122 challenge. It is to make a Colleen Bow. I tried but really didn't have the seam binding she recommended in the right color. I went with more of a twill which made it more difficult. I do love her bows.
I'm also uploading my card to the Inspired by Stamping Customer Gallery Contest for November.

I'll enter my card into the Twisted Tuesday challenges which are free this week....anything goes!

My stamp is Inspired by Stamping/Graceful Hydrangea and I colored it to look like my hydrangeas look now in the Fall season. I do love a bouquet from them for the season, though, after they turn. The sentiment is also Inspired by Stamping/Flowers Bloom. I stamped the hydrangea, colored, cut out, and popped on. I stamped off some of the hydrangea on the top layer.

Sorry about the long post. If I'm not back anymore this week, have a great weekend.

Recipe-
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/Graceful Hydrangea and Flowers Bloom sets
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink- Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories-Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle die, Stampin'Up! Certainly Celery ribbon bundle, Copics/E81 and G20 for hydrangea and E70  for going around edges of flower after cutting out

Christmas Swag

I am using a technique today by Lydia Fiedler on Splitcoaststampers. If you look down to step #5 on this tutorial, you will see how she did the faux wood technique I have used. Actually, she called this the faux barn board technique. I have to confess I made that piece quite a while ago and I had it on another card I never used so it is now being recycled and I like it so much better on this one, though I have cut it down considerably.

I made a swag for the Curtain Call challenge-Welcome Home.

I decided to go with a swag made from an Impression Obsession pine branch die. These were cut out with Kraft paper. The flower is from The Paper Studio and is a white paper flower. The berries inside the flower are punched with a Martha Stewart holly punch using scrap paper in a brownish-red color.

I heading to Twisted Tuesday with my card where they are having a Free for All..Anything Goes.

I'm also entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Keep it clean and simple

Recipe:
Stamps-Stampabilities/Swirly Happy Holiday
Paper-PTI white and Kraft cardstock, scrap red/brown cardstock
Ink-Memento London Fog, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip, VersaMagic Sea Breeze
Accessories-The Paper Studio white paper flower, Scor-Pal for scoring the faux wood, Impression Obsession pine branch die

Peppermint Tree



The Merry Monday Christmas Card Club Challenge #82 is to use Red, Aqua, and White with circles. I found a small wooden peppermint stamp that happens to be a circle. I don't know the name of the stamp and can't find it. I stamped and punched out the peppermint circles with a Recollections 5/8" punch. Then, I shaped the circles into a tree and hand cut a tree trunk. The trunk was distressed with an embossing folder, Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes.

 

I'll also enter the  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes

 

Dynamic Duos two color challenge is real red and Bermuda bay. I subbed with Cherry Cobbler.

 

 Twisted Tuesday has a FREE for ALL-Anything Goes challenge-who doesn't love those.

 

The rest of the recipe is below:

 

Stamps-Stampabilities/Swirly Happy Holidays, unknown peppermint stamp

Paper-PTI white cardstock, SU chocolate chip for tree trunk

Ink-Stampin'Up! Bermuda Bay and Cherry Cobbler

Accessories-aqua gemstone, dimensionals