A Birthday Card for a Friend

One of my crafting friends turned 70 today so, of course, I made her a card. It just so happens that earlier this week I received an order from Chocolate Baroque which contained three sheets of their new stamp releases, so what better way to try some of them out.

I knew my friend likes butterflies so it was easy to decide which stamp to use as the main image. I wanted to work mainly in one colour, so I cut a 14cm square of white card and used a sponge to add some Memento rhubarb stalk ink, making it darker around the edges. Using the same ink pad I stamped the main image and added a little extra colour with copic markers. I then chose a large swirl stamp from a second sheet of my new stamps, and used sections of it to stamp all around the card. I mounted this onto a dark burgundy base card, and used pink and plum stickles to highlight the spots on the butterfly's wings.

For the corner embellishment I had a go at making some boho flowers. This was only my second attempt and I was very pleased with them. The larger one was not too difficult though the tiny ones were a bit fiddly. I made them from layers of pink card and white heavy paper rubbed with the rhubarb stalk ink pad. While they were still wet I wiped them through some of the ink that I had put on my craft mat, and then when they had dried I added a touch here and there of the darker stickles glitter glue. I could tell you how I made these flowers but a lady called Carole Claxton has kindly put an excellent tutorial on her blog which you can find here, so there is no point in my repeating it all.

Using the off-cuts of the base card, I cut two 'forest branches' with a Marianne die and using the back of one of them so that they both curved inwards, I glued them from the bottom left corner, and then glued the flowers in place over them. A small greeting in the same ink, added to the top right corner, finished it off.

I am linking this card to these challenges:
Scrappy Frogs Challenge: Summer Flowers.
Creative Craft Challenge: Pretty Blossoms.
Ooh La La Creations Challenge 83: Summer Flowers.
Make it Monday 44: All Papercrafts
Joyful Stamper: Inspire me Fridays 14 linky party.