Sunday 24 April 2022

Birthday card for someone special

A lovely friend recently had a Birthday, and this is the card I made for her:

I used:

- 5.5" x 4.25" white card blank, tent style

- a layer of the same white card for the front panel, die cut using a Lil' Inkers 'Stitched Rectangle' die and set to one side

- used a sheet of patterned paper from a Honey Bee 'Team Tie Die' paper pad and die cut the bottom edge using a die from the Simon Says Stamp 'Flower Swag' set of dies - more of this below!

- then die cut the floral piece using a snippet of white card and the other die from the SSS 'Flower Swag' set

- glued the floral layer onto the edge of the patterned paper - using a glue pen - before gluing it onto the white stitched edge layer

- glued the whole panel onto the card front

- die cut the sentiment from another snippet of white card, using a Presscut die called 'Happy Birthday' and glued it in place

- added some clear amber 'dew drops' into the flower centres etc.

I had three attempts at getting the patterned layer as right as possible with the die cut edge at the bottom. Almost lost the will to live and, having watched a YouTube video I now know exactly how to do it of course! I just wasn't thinking properly on the day and the more I tried the more of a flap I got into. It's a stark reminder to look for a video when fiddling round with something where I'm unsure about measurements. The result is passable but not as wide as I wanted - still, said friend is a crafter - which always means that even if your best attempt goes a bit awry - they do understand!

Final say on the die cutting machine adventures. The two Gemini pale green 'double sided dies' cutting plates are brilliant! You use them as the middle part of the cutting sandwich which then only has the two clear matching plates on the outsides. No magnetic shim or thin plastic shim needed. Yes, the plates do score, as one would expect, but nothing like the clear plates score - and absolutely no bending occurs to any of the plates in the sandwich! It's early days but so far I rate it one of Jennifer McGuire's best ideas!

I'd like to enter this into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #37 HERE

Thanks to a prompt from Pauline on the Allsorts DT, I'm also linking this into the current Allsorts Challenge Week 673. The theme is 'Something beginning with B' and so I'm using 'Birthday and Background' for my take on 'B'.

Do remember, today you can find the results of Challenge #425 over in the Snippets Playground HERE

Also, from Monday 25th April to the end of the month it's ScrappyMo's Rudolph Days Challenge.

No real news about Dudley this week, although we did give our local sorting office a giggle apparently. We had something to return via Click and Collect and the online form asks you to declare if you have any dogs on the property. So I typed in 'One small dog, with big bark'. As it happens it was Steve, our regular postman who collected the package and with a huge grin he wagged his finger at Dudley and said 'You're famous now boy'!



32 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous birthday card.

    Love that paper and the pretty floral edge. I am absolutely positive your crafting friend loved this beautiful card and will treasure it.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Forgot to say: The postman doesn’t realise JUST how famous Dudley is!!!! He had worldwide fans! X

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  2. This is a lovely card with the patterned paper being used to good effect with the floral edge die. Great sentiment die as well - brilliant all round I'd say.

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  3. Your card is absolutely amazing Di, how fabulous way to use that beautiful paper!! You arranged the diecut floral so well with it!!
    Dudley is very famous in blogland, but now he is famous also in the postmen world! :D Ah ah ah!!!... Your usual postman's words made me laugh so much!! :D :D How fun!
    Hugs and lots of cuddles to the Star!!

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  4. A fabulous card Di - I'm sure your friend will think so too.

    Kath x

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  5. A lovely card with your floral edging Di x

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  6. Beautiful card, love the floral edge and the inky look, with that paper no one needs to get inky up to the elbows. Our little terrier X used to see the postman up the street and bark until he got to the house then she would roll over for a belly rub.

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  7. Wow I love this Di .. fantastic layout and until I read your write up I assumed the background was hand inked - that paper is stupendous!! Just to mention this card would fit very well at this week's Allsorts challenge "I spy things beginning with B"
    Pauline xx

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    1. Hi Pauline! Thanks for your lovely comment. I'll link into Allsorts right away if you think this qualifies.

      Hugs

      Di xx

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  8. What a stunner of a card with a great design. Very unique and I love it x. Yay to Dudley being famous at the post office x.

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    1. You might wish to change that about Dudley to being 'infamous'! He does charm all the delivery people as well as our friends I admit! xx

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  9. This is fantastic and I just LOVE the die-cut border on the bottom! It's a great look and a wonderful birthday card!

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  10. Hi Di this is a gorgeous birthday card. I love it. Take care. Hugs Jackie

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  11. Ohhh this is beautiful Di, I'm sure your friend was delighted with it!
    I'm so tempted to get a Gemini, my olde Cuttlebug is on its last legs!

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  12. Oh Di this is just so beautiful and creative the paper is gorgeous as is the design xx

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  13. Just love this contemporary design, it looks wonderful. Didn't you tell the postie that Dudley is already famous!

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  14. This is beautiful Di and I think you did a wonderful job. The paper and the floral die cut border are so pretty and I think the lining up of the die is just fine, I love the added gems too. Your friend will adore this. x

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  15. So elegant Di and what fabulous DP's, I really thought you had been at the alcohol inks as the effect is super, many thanks for sharing with us at Allsorts challenge this week.

    B x

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  16. Fabulous card Di! Would never have known the angst it caused, but seeing how the border is wider than the panel, I can see how difficult it must have been. Love that paper! Xxx

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    1. Hi Lesley! THAT was my problem - I was cutting the border and the panel in the wrong order - and also hadn't initially realised it needed to be set at an angle. My second attempt then looked like a hike up Mount Everest at too steep an angle. Sigh. We live and learn ...... I guess. xx

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  17. What a fun birthday card with the pretty tie dye paper and gorgeous flower die cut! Thanks so much for joining in with my "I Spy" theme at Allsorts challenge!
    Ellie
    Ellibelle's Corner

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    1. A great theme too! Am dreaming about more 'B's' here - if I have time to do a second entry! xx

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  18. Beautiful paper sets off your bright white border and sentiment perfectly! Thank you for joining the challenge at Allsorts this week.

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  19. Beautifully cool card, it was worth all the hassle! Ooh and Dudley is famous at the sorting office! Take care my friend. Hugs xxxxxxx

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  20. OH! This is gorgeous Di, I love the shading and the match of the dies, the bottom one looks perfect to me.

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  21. That is gorgeous patterned paper! I love the way you used the flowery die cut on the bottom edge! Such a beautiful card!

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  22. What a beautiful card for your dear friend Di! I love how you did the edge and I doubt I'd be able to figure it out myself, so good for you for finally getting it right! Dudley has been a big star for a while now and he seems like quite the charmer. lol Hugs, Brenda

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  23. I love this fun design with lots of great color and drama from the paper and movement from the flower border! I'm sorry it gave you trouble, but it was truly worth it! Thanks for playing again in NBUS! Hugs, Darnell

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  24. This is a brilliant design, I love how the die cut sits so neatly in exactly the right place. Well done for sorting it out in the end xx

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  25. Ooh, such a pretty card and here I thought the background and die lining up was just happy coincidence. Now that I know you tried to do it on purpose, it makes my head ache! Even on my best day, with my brain fully awake, I think I would have given up and just let the ink and die end up where they ended up. I'm sure your friend will love the results, but I do hope you didn't harm yourself permanently with the stress, ha!
    I can just imagine the chuckle your post man got when he read the details about your small dog with his big bark!

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  26. Fabulous card for your friend Di! Love the gorgeous papers and what a fabulous idea to add a die-cut spray of flowers over the bottom and die-cut the bottom to match. So creative and clever. I think you did a perfect job of it and so will your friend. xx

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  27. I'll have to check into those plates--good to know you're happy with them! Absolutely gorgeous card, Di! Did chuckle at the Dudley story!

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