Birthday Cards

          Happy Saturday Ya'll! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far! So far mine is consisting of keeping an eye on what is currently Tropical Storm Erika. Thank goodness for the ability to get crafty because should we be affected by this storm I more than likely will be without power since that is how past storms have been. The last tropical storm we were without power for 3 days, then shortly after that a hurricane had us without power for 5 days, and the next hurricane for 7 days. I was not crafting at that time so those days really seemed to linger. I hope none of you are affected by this storm or any other storms for that matter and that you all will be safe.
          Well, on to a happier subject and show you what today's blog is all about ;) I made a card for my mom's birthday but never shared it with you all so I will be doing that today, plus it was my aunt's birthday this week so I made a card for her too. I love both cards, but I really-really love how my aunt's card turned out and I hope you all will like it just as much also. I am going to start off with showing you her card first since I am so head over heals about it :)
          This shaker card measures 5 ½” x 5 ½”. Using a stamp set from My Favorite Things I made my own plaid background and with a stamp set from The Stamps Of Life I made the the polka dot background used for the shaker part. I am having a blast making my own backgrounds and pattern papers. By making my own I am really able to stretch my ink and cardstock compatibility. If your just starting out with stamping I highly recommend you purchase a couple stamp sets that will allow you to build/design your own background and pattern papers. A perfect example of why, is that when making this card I didn't have any papers to match the cardstock I was wanting to use. I didn't want to deal with driving over 30 minutes to the store nor did I want to spend money on more papers. Fortunately because I had some stamp sets that would enabled me to create my own paper I didn't have to. In the event you don't have any stamp sets you could always create your patterns with markers, rulers, inking or outlining dies and embossing folders. There is no limit to what you can do. For the shaker elements I didn't have any crafting sequins but I did however have nail art sequins since I am a Nail Technician. So I just used those instead. I also didn't have any acetate sheets for the shaker window so I found a old die package and just cut a piece of the clear packaging. Don't hesitate to take chances and think outside the box because most of the time you can find ways or non-crafty items to use on your creations.

Card Front

Card Front after being shaken.

Inside of Card. (Unfortunately the camera didn't pick up the Wink of Stella sparkle I added to the candles)

Back of card (Again you can't see the sparkle I added but in person it looks so awesome)

          I will list all the supplies I used after I show you the card I made for my mom's birthday. I apologize for the zebra blanket I used for the photo's background but at that time I didn't have my Foldio 2 yet. Now for my mom's card I used the largest jumbo balloon die from a Simon Says die set to make a 4 ½” x 5 ½” sized card. I went just slightly bigger than the standard A2 card because I wanted to be able to showcase as much of those fantastic big balloons. Since the balloons hung over the edge of the cardstock base, I simply just cut off the parts hanging over. I used Multi Matte Medium to adhere the embroidery thread down to the card as well as shape it. That stuff is amazing! Then I did some stamping and added some die cutting peices like the candle. Viola!

Card Front

Inside of Card

Well that's wraps up the cards I have for you today but before I go I just wanted to remind you again about the STAMPtember event coming soon from Simon Says Stamp. I will be sharing sneaky peeks of some products being released so keep checking back. You won't want to miss getting a glimpse of these adorable and fabulous goodies! Also in October it will be my 2 year Blog-A-Versary so I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my subscribers. I would love to increase my follower numbers so I will definitely be giving away 1 prize but if I can be graciously blessed to reach 200 followers by then I will give away 2 prizes, 300 would mean 3 prizes, and so on. So please be sure to follow my blog and tell your friends to do the same. Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! I hope you will stop by again soon! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Supply List - Card 1
*My Favorite Things Cardstock -  Spearmint
*My Favorite Things Cardstock - Banana Split
*Recollections Cardstock - Pink Buttons
*Georgia Pacific White Cardstock
*My Favorite Things - Spearmint Ink Pad
*My Favorite Things - Banana Split Ink Pad
*My Favorite Things - Cotton Candy Ink Pad
*My Favorite Things - Plaid Background Builder Stamp Set
*My Favorite Things - Celebrate Big Stamp Set
*Simon Says Stamp - Birthday Balloons Stamp Set
*The Stamps Of Life - Candles4Birthday Stamp Set 
*The Stamps Of Life - Bubblegum4me Stamp Set
*Wink of Stella - Clear Glitter Pen
*Yellow Embroidery Floss (for the bow)
*Sequins (I didn't have any so I used nail art sequins)
*Clear Acetate

Supply List - Card 2
*Simon Says Stamp - Balloon Dies
*The Stamps Of Life - Candles4Birthday Stamp Set
*The Stamps Of Life - Candle Club Die Set
*My Creative Time - Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More
*Recollections Cardstock - Pink Buttons
*Recollections Cardstock - CoolWater or Purple Passion or Soda Pop (all of these have a purple that matches the purple I used)
*Georgia Pacific White Cardstock
*The Paper Studio - The Basics Paperpack
*My Favorite Things - Grape Jelly Ink Pad
*Stampin' Up - Melon Mambo Ink Pad 
*Matching Embroidery Floss (for the balloon strings)

Supply List - Other supplies used
*Tombow Adhesive
*Scor-Pal/Scor-Tape/Sookwang Tape 
*Scotch Foam Mounting Tape
*Card/Plate holder purchased from Michael's Crafts
*The Stamps of Life - Custom Made Personalized Stamp (used to stamp very back of card)
*Michele R Designs - Custom Made Personalized Watermark 
*Sizzix Big Shot Machine
*Sizzix Magnetic Platform 
*Foldio 2 Portable Photo Studio
*Scoreboard
*American Crafts/Cut Up 9" Paper Trimmer
*Multi Matte Medium .5oz

Challenges Entered 
*Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes Wednesday Challenge (only the first card was entered)
*Crop Stop Linky Party #7 (only the first card was entered)


(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)