Birthday Wishes

A guy co-worker was absolutely amused by my card crafting, when I mentioned how much engineering goes into designing and implementing a card - in fact it goes through the same stages of our beloved software engineering cycle. One has to think about the requirements for the card, then create a design that support the aforementioned requirements, and then execute the implementation, as well as test the card for robustness and quality.

Since his mother's birthday was around the corner, he then gave me an order to make a card. With nothing to go by (e.g., her favorite color, her preference for serious or whimsical), I had to use something to base my design on.

So I went with my trusty Stamping Bellas. Who doesn't like them?! And went to go find a sketch to get me-self some extra practice. Since I was ahead of the game and got my weekly Waltzingmouse Sketch done, I was skimming the vast world of sketches out there. It was suddenly when I remembered the sweet, sweet memory of my first stamp sets I ever owned. I bought them at my first introduction to paper crafting at a Stamping Around workshop, where I also met the talented, spunky and wonderful Korin Sutherland. I was immediately smitten by her. So I hopped over there and discovered the Sweet Stop Sketch blog. Why didn't I check this out earlier?! Silly me. And look what a fun sketch I found...

So without further ado, here is the birthday card for a co-worker's mom. I hope she likes it and that I didn't choose colors that she did not like.

Stamps: cakebella (Stamping Bella), Asian Gardens (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft (Papertrey Ink), Basic Card Stock - Cream  (Recollections), Urban Prairie (Basic Grey), Oasis (sei)
Ink: Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Hawaiian Shore (Papertrey Ink), Brilliance - Pearlescent Coral (Tsukineko), Pigment Ink - Black (Colorbox)
Embellishments: Corner Punch (EK Success), Border Punch - Apron Lace (Fiskars), Vintage Button Collection - Spring Mix (Papertrey Ink), Frosting Flowers Floraux de Fleur (Prima Flowers), Hemp Cord (Darice), Ribbon - Turquoise/Magenta Plaid (Michael's), Softcore Colored Pencils - PC929 Rose, PC946 Dark Brown, PC1002 Yellowed Orange, PC939 Peach, PC1052 Warm Grey 30%, PC905 Aquamarine (Prismacolor), Odorless Mineral Spirits (Gamsol)

I colored my cakebella to match the rest of the card's color theme. This card was also created with the recent PTI package that had arrived. Working with amazingly thick card stock makes such a big difference. My card stands -- all on its own -- just thoroughly amused by this little fact :)

So on a more amused note, this card will be traveling internationally. I hope the recipient is delighted by it.