Golden Anniversary 2

Hello!  Here's a second golden anniversary card because I wanted to make something a little different to give the person who asked for them some choice.  The main inspiration for this one was that the couple celebrating their 50 years of marriage really love music so I wanted to incorporate music somehow.  I got out my music-themed stamping things and was trying out various embossing powders when I came across this one - Gilded Gold (Ranger).  Not to exciting on light coloured paper, but when used on black, it is stunning!  It's hard to describe, but basically it's only just gold, but definitely gold.  Like second generation stamping with gold ink only shiny and raised and in embossed form.  I think I have a new favourite embossing powder!

Most of my cards start from a focal image and go from there, but due to my new pash for Gilded Gold, I started with the background on this one (music notes scrap block - Cornish Heritage Farms) and decided to build up a little collage of sorts. I rummaged in my scraps bin and found some button paper and a piece of textured metal from a class I took at Heather's Stamping Haven (this only encourages me not to throw anything out.ever.bad.very bad.).  I remembered I had some lovely Darkroom Door photo chips and sure enough, I had a whole sheet to choose from.  I selected this piano one, and enhanced it with some Antique Linen distress ink and a scroll stamp (Stampers Anonymous) in Delicata gold ink (heat set it or it will smudge). The final touch was a little message that says "Happily Ever After" (Stampin' Up - Fancy Flexible Phrases), punched out and beribboned with seam binding and a bit of gold cord.  I matted on a cream gold, then a darker gold and put the whole thing (approximately 4 lb by now) on a cream linen base, also edged in Delicata gold and sponged with Antique Linen.  A few drops of Liquid pearls in bisque were the final touch.  Though now that I look at it, I am debating adding two more drops at the top left of the collage for balance.  I might wait till after I've had coffee though (I am writing this first thing in the morning) because I don't want to spoil the card with a misjudged squeeze of Liquid Pearls.  On the inside of this card, I put the sentiment "Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, life gives us a fairy tale" (Stampin' Up).  A nice message for an anniversary!

Thanks for stopping by!

Golden Anniversary

Hello!  I was asked to make a card recently for a golden wedding anniversary (50th) and here's what I came up with.  I was completely uninspired to make something traditional, so I rootled around in my stamps and found this one (The Stamp Barn by Frog's Whiskers Ink).  I thought there was plenty of scope for adding gold, and I liked the "two birds" element for the anniversary part.  The card base is a gold-fleck confetti (the ugly splotches have been added by Sauron the Scanner, aided and abetted by Paint Shop Pro - it doesn't show in my edited version, only when I load it here for your viewing pleasure).  I stamped the bird image and embossed it with gold, and used my Tombow markers to "watercolour" it.  I painted the ribbon with Solar Gold Twinkling H20s for extra oomph.  The sentiment (Stampin' Up) is also embossed in gold.  The panel behind the images is a soft gold, the sentiment is matted with a brighter gold and the bird image is matted on a brown gold.  This card has enough gold on it to qualify for the High Roller Discount on the Vegas Strip.  Go big or go home, I always say.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you're enjoying your summer/winter (don't want to be hemispherically biased here!).  We sure are - lots of swimming and barbecues and generally enjoying the break in the weather.  (We had a terrible heat wave last week.)  I've been doing some jamming and some quilting and some stamping and some knitting and some crocheting.  Good times!

Happy Stamping!