What I Love Birthday Card

Hello, Crafters.

I think I started a new tradition for myself yesterday and it doesn't have anything to do with card making, scrapbooking or paper crafting!!

It's all about Christmas. Now that Internet shopping has become a way of life for a lot of us, at this time of year we have deliveries arriving everyday. I decided I'd offer a chocolate to everyone who knocked at my front door.

So I filled one of my newly made Berry Baskets with chocolates and put it on the unit by the front door. When someone knocked at the door and handed me my parcel, I was ready!

I waited until I was handing back the machine I'd just signed and asked if the courier/postman would like a chocolate. It was such a treat to see the smiles on their faces - it was such a small gesture but it made them all smile and it made me smile, too! Can't get much easier than that, can it?

Unfortunately, I didn't have as much success in my studio today!

I want to make a video showing how to make a magic card and I knew I had saved one of Dawn Griffiths's videos in my YouTube playlists. I found it, watched it, made notes and was raring to go! But it was not meant to be!

The problem was that I wanted to make a Christmas one but I couldn't find a suitable image. It had to be a certain size and needed some painting. I tried one, the poinsettia from Reason For The Season, but it was just a bit too big.

I thought about the snowman in Sparkly Season but he's too small and also the soldier/drummer in Sparkly Season but that needs too much painting for a video.

I then decided to find out how Robbe Beatrice made the swap I received from her when I was at the OnStage Convention last month. I made three attempts and have now sussed it - hopefully! Today - the video!

To make today's card I used four of the products that are in the new Sale-a-bration (SAB) 2016 catalogue. I hadn't planned it like that but my original idea just carried on growing!

It started with me wanting to use the Perfect Pairings Stamp Set - see photograph six. I love the font that's been used for Kindly, Hooray and Happy Birthday.

My original idea was to use Gold Embossing Powder for the Happy Birthday at the top of a piece of Vellum Card Stock with TO YOU at the bottom, and then mount it over some Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper which is also in the SAB catalogue. Nice and simple!

It was not meant to be - my creative juices were going nineteen to the dozen. I have to say that I'm very pleased with my finished card even though it's nothing like I had envisaged it when I started.

The other two SAB products I used are the stamp set called What I Love. The flower is a three-step set but I only used two steps and added the solid ring stamp in the centre of each.

I used Old Olive for the leaves and fussy cut them and the flowers out. The strip they have been adhered to is some of the Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack adhered to a piece of Hello Honey Card Stock.

Today I'm hoping to get my Magic Card video made as well as one other. Tomorrow I'll let you know whether I've been successful or not!

Until tomorrow, happy crafting,

JanB.