Happy Birthday SUO Challenge #39

As some of you long-time visitors are aware, February is the month for an extraordinary number of birthdays in my family, so this SUO Challenge was really right up my alley!

The color inspiration for this card came by accident.....I had scraps of Blushing Bride paper laying on my very messy desk (left overs from the Birthday card class last week), when I accidentally knocked a dowel holding some spools of ribbon loose, and they all came crashing down on the desk and floor. The Bravo Burgundy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (retired) just happened to land on the Blushing Bride paper, and I really liked the combination, so I grabbed some cardstock and got to work. Since that ribbon is retired, and we're encouraged to use current items if we can, I opted for the pleated Blushing Bride ribbon. It's a lot easier to work with, anyway!

Stamps: Fresh Vintage, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Blushing Bride Textured, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, Twitterpated DSP
Ink: Bravo Burgundy Classic Stampin' Pad, plus Bravo Burgundy, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, and Early Espresso Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, 1" Square Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Blushing Bride 1/2" Pleated Satin Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Faux Tile, Real Love

The theme this week at SUO Challenges is to try a new technique, or one you haven't done in a while. My friend Jennifer Timko's Faux Tile card inspired me to try this technique. It was easy-peasy with the Simply Scored scoring tool, and most of the elements are things you can get for free when Sale-A-Bration starts!!! How cool is that?!

Using the small end of the stylus, score each "grout" line several times - you want a deep impression. Then stamp your image over it, being careful not to press too hard or you'll get ink in the grout (and we all know what a pain it is to clean grout, lol).

Poppy Parade was used first, then Crumb Cake was ever-so-lightly burnished on the edges of the tiles to really make 'em pop. Not that you'd want tiles popping in real life, but you get the picture.

This also qualifies for Shelli Gardner's Simply Stunning Challenge. Simple? Yes, definitely! Stunning? I think the color combo is stunning, so yes to that, too!

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Outlined Occasions (SAB)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB)
Ink: Poppy Parade and Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pads, plus Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Decorative Label Punch, Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Sponge Dauber, Stampin' Dimensionals

The "Practice" Stamp

The image used on this card was the practice image that was stamped for this card. It turned out so well (they frequently don't the first time), that I couldn't just throw it away so it, combined with another practice scrap (the frame), turned into a birthday card. Birthday cards are another item I need to stock up on, so this will be a good start!

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black Classic, plus Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Holiday Windows Movers & Shapers dies, Basic Black Striped 1-1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Fresh Vintage Birthday

One of the new stamp sets from Sale-A-Bration (starts Jan. 24th!), is called Fresh Vintage, and is an absolutely lovely little set, all by itself. The fact that you can get it for FREE is icing on the cake! This card was inspired by another card I saw on Pinterest. I liked the way the frames were die cut into the layers, and knew it would be perfect for this birthday card.

Coloring is so much fun, whether it's coloring in a stamped image, or coloring on the stamp itself with markers, as was done here. The butterfly is made from Very Vanilla cardstock sprayed with Gold Smooch Spritz and cardstock weight vellum. The layer of vellum between the Very Vanilla layers gives it a somewhat ethereal look, but you can't really see it in the photo.

When using the Labels Collection Framelits dies, I cut both the DSP and the cardstock at the same time with the smaller frame (using Dotto to keep the layers from shifting). That made it easier to center the larger frame on just the DSP layer to make everything line up nicely. Both layers are popped up on dimensionals for extra depth.

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB item), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, White Vellum Cardstock, Attic Boutique DSP
Ink: Soft Suede Classic plus Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Gold Smooch Spritz, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Big Shot, Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

And yes, I know the DSP is upside down. Shhhhh, maybe no one will notice!