Monday, August 9, 2010

WMSC9: It's a Small World After All

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to the week! I have two friends who are celebrating their birthdays on the same day at the end of the month. I met Eileen years ago when I was doing volunteer work and I met Simmer at my most recent job with a big four audit firm. Simmer's sister, Sally, ended up working with Eileen at the same hospital where I used to volunteer. When Eileen told Sally that I worked at the same firm as her sister, Sally asked Simmer if she knew me. With a staff of over 2500 in the Toronto office, what were the chances that Simmer shared an office with me?! It's a small world indeed. I probably should've bought a lottery ticket that day. ;)

I decided to use this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #9 to make birthday cards for Eileen and Simmer. Normally, I'm not inspired by sketches at all but the second I saw this one, ideas started forming in my head so I had to use it. Besides, it's one of the most beautifully laid out sketches I've ever seen!

For the sentiment, I knew I was going to use a PTI die cut label and I thought the giant flourish would look beautiful with it. I stamped that first with Kiwi Kiss on Kraft, affixed the label (after stamping the frame and sentiment), then restamped the flourish over the label in watermark ink. Then I heat embossed sparkly tinsel to the label to show a continuation of the flourish. This tinsel is so sparkly and pretty in real life but it's extremely difficult to photograph!

I die cut flowers using PTI's gorgeous felt in three colours and created centres for them. For the circles and centres of the flowers, I used the dandelion image from Unity's June 2010 KOTM and PTI's Text Style II. When I arranged the flowers, they didn't look right so I added a button with hemp cord and a small circle on the end which completed the sketch nicely. I purposely cut this card base at 4" x 5.5" so it would be a standard 4.25" x 5.5" card with the circle and flowers hanging over both sides. I really don't want to part with these but at least I'll know they'll be loved! Well, they better be. :Þ

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; Unity June 2010 Kit of the Month - Fly Free; PTI Fancy Flourishes; PTI Background Basics: Text Style II; PTI Fillable Frames #4; PTI Up, Up and Away; SU Pink Passion, Kiwi Kiss & Taken With Teal inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Versamark Watermark ink; PSX Sparkle embossing tinsel; Hobby Hot Boss; PTI Beautiful Blooms II #2 die collection; PTI 100% wool felt in Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores & Simply Chartreuse; PTI Fillable Frames #4 die; QuicKutz Epic Six; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach circle punch; Darice hemp cord; Basic Grey buttons; Glue Dots pop up relief

19 comments:

Erin (Homemade Cards by Erin) said...

You make that looks so easy, love the kraft and the text! I've got a version of this sketch, but I'm not sure yet.... might re-do part of it.

Annelies said...

A very cute card! I love it!

Melissa said...

Gorgeous cards Em!

Dawn said...

Oh Emily...this is awesome! Something about it screams to be. Love it!

G Peplow said...

Beautiful cards, love that sketch also. I would have loved to have a go myself but my Grand daughters are staying with me and any serious crafting will have to wait until next week although some not so serious stuff is bound to go on :D
Have a lovely week :) xxx

Karen B. said...

Absolutely delicious! Love the colors and the layout.

Patty Tanúz said...

I love your cards!!!!!!!!!!!! Kisses from México!

Lindsey said...

Wow! Beautiful and original takes on the sketch. I do like all the ways you use that text stamp! :)

Angela said...

Those cards are amazing, Emily! love all the details. Also, the phrase "Simmer's sister Sally" is super-fun to say out loud :)

Beth aka BR-T said...

Oh these are fantastic I just love how the bold colors pop off the kraft! Beth

Lynn said...

Emily, this is fabulous!!! Love all the felt and the circle punches...perfect!

Sunghee said...

Beautiful as always! How do you do it? How do you always so creative and quick!

suzARTe said...

Oh my goodness, I just love this card. the colours and everything is just fantastic.Really beautiful card

I am having a monthly challenge over at my blog, I would love you to join in, come and have a look

Edna Morrisedie said...

Just gorgeous, I love all the detail you put into the flowers and sentiment panel, lovely colours and all around fabbo!

Lynn said...

Emily - thanks for your comments on my card from yesterday...the tag with the perforations is a sizzix die from SU...it is one of the tiny tag dies at the back of their catalog!

DG said...

I always think about a lottery ticket too when things like this happen lol.

These cards are just downright beautiful. The tinsel is fabulous and I just love everything about them. So well done and I think they are both going to love them!

Julia Aston said...

a beautiful pair of cards! love your felt flowers andthe shimmer stamping over the sentiment! thanks for playing with WMS this week Emily!

Janna Werner said...

Love those cards,

greetings Janna

Meg said...

Aw, these are so awesome!! What a great way to interpret the sketch!! I love how you stamped & glittered the flourish and the colors you picked are fabulous!

What a coincidence to have two friends share the same birthday and to have them connected in such an six-degrees-of-emily way!