Birthday Hugs & Wishes

I'm finding myself very short of birthday cards. Who would think that I could possibly run out of birthday cards when I spend most of my free time stamping? So, my goal for the next week is to work on some new birthday card designs. Since it is cold & snowy here in Erie, PA, and the weekend forecast shows much of the same, I should have plenty of time to relax and stamp!

This is a cute card that would be perfect for one of your best girlfriends. The ribbons are a fun and easy added embellishment to make your hand-crafted greeting that much more special.

It is also a fun project to make, but then again, what stamping project isn't fun? To make this card, I used the Year After Year stamp set. This versatile set of eight stamps provides you with an image for every holiday or celebration throughout the year. The hand-sketched style of artwork also makes for an easy stamped image. You can simply ink and stamp, as I did, or you can choose to color with markers, water color crayons, or ink & water color brush. The greeting is from the Hugs & Wishes set. These two sets would be a perfect combination for the beginner stamper's first purchase too.

I actually chose the ribbons from my stash before I chose the cardstock colors. I decided on Close to Cocoa, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie and Very Vanilla Cardstock to compliment the Pumpkin Pie & Close to Cocoa grosgrain ribbons and Mellow Moss gingham ribbon. It sounds funky but I think it works.

I stamped the Taken with Teal mat with the Canvas BG and Taken with Teal classic ink to give the layer added texture. I used Pumpkin Pie and Taken with Teal Stampin' Write markers to apply ink direct to the flower stamp and then used a blender pen with Wild Wasabi ink refill to add the green for the flower stem. You actually have a marker in every color when you use liquid or refill ink and a blender pen. Very handy. Two gold brads in the corner completes my birthday card.

I hope you like it. Thanks for visiting and happy stampin'! EdieB