Birthday {blog} bash!

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBEKAH, whose blog bash this is.

Secondly, WELCOME to my blog if it’s your first visit, and welcome back if it’s not. Hope you’ve enjoyed your blog hop so far!

I sat and thought for ages about what I could do for you. As I’m a card maker and a jewellery maker I thought about doing something there, but most of us have made a card at some point and if you don’t already make jewellery sharing a project with you could prove hard on your pocket if you wanted to have a go. So, instead after much pondering I went with a 12x12 layout. Highly original huh!

There is a birthday theme to it though. Well, sort of. That photo, it’s me when I was a mere ten weeks old. Feel free to go “"awwwww” at this point, or as I did “wow, a face only a Mother would love!” LOL.

I love a distressed look, and thought it suited the age of the photo (which is a copy not the original) so having chosen the papers I set about inking and curling the edges.

The cream 7Gypsies paper was screwed up and sprayed with a small amount of glimmer mist. Once dry it was flattened out and then I went over the crease mounds with distress ink using an inking tool. A little spritz of water to wash the ink and then a quick dab with a cloth, and it’s ready to add to your page.

The flowers are just small lollipop ones made from scraps. I used 1.5”, 1” and 5/8th’s” punches. The edges have been inked and then glued together with good ole glossy accents. The centres have been done with small beads. I added glossy accents then dropped some beads on, once dried I added a second layer so that they pop out a bit.

The leaves were hand drawn, in my case using a fine sharpie pen, and the cut out. I wasn’t precise when doing this at all, either in the drawing or cutting.

Once everything was suitably shabby I stuck all the paper to the cardstock background and then, in pencil, drew where I wanted my “vine” to go for the leaves and flowers. Following that line, and again I wasn’t accurate (I’m far too impatient) I went along the line with a paper piercer and then stitched the vine/stalk on.

Now the fun part, adding the flowers and leaves along it’s length with glossy accents. I tend to keep going until it feels right. You may want more or less.

Then it’s just the addition of a few butterflies with beaded bodies and you’re done.

If you do do a layout based on mine, or using any of the techniques please let me know. Leave me comment as I’d love to come and see it.

Supply list:

• glossy accents
• black pen (I used a sharpie)
• Distress Ink (a brown one) & Inking tool
• Bazzill Cardstock
• Patterned paper: 7Gypsies –Karma, Staastburgh & Requiem ; Basic Grey – Garden Party & Waffles; Giraphic 45 – Domestic Goddess.
• Tim Holtz frame & ticket
• Embroidery thread or scrappers floss in dark green
• Small beads
• Date stamp
• Circle punches
• Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart in my case)
• Border punch
• Paper piercer
• Lace

Thanks for stopping by and joining in Rebekah’s birthday {blog} bash! Your next stop is to the very talented Nicola Booth, so go get yourself a nice fresh cuppa and enjoy the journey.

If you want to go back to Rebekah’s blog you can click here .