I always struggle with making masculine cards, and I am not particularly great at CAS cards, yet I am drawn to some absolutely wonderful ones here on SCS, yet mine feel stark at times. Knowing when to stop adding onto the front of a card is something I struggle with too--I don't want to take away from the focal point yet when do you stop adding to a card? I hope I am learning!
This is a birthday card for my much-loved nephew, Ben who turned 16 a few weeks ago. I had a bad case of the flu and missed seeing him on that big day. Other than one birthday when he was away with his parents, this is the first birthday of his that I have missed, and it just didn't seem right. I had the opportunity to spend time with Ben on Friday and to give him his birthday gift, and I decided that a card was in order, even though his birthday had passed. When I have not made him a card for his birthday, he has noticed. A few years ago, after opening a card I had made for him, he said how wonderful the card was, then he said that my cards were really great--then said "but some of your first cards were crappy"--I laughed and laughed and laughed! He was right--at least about my first cards being pretty crappy!!! My sister thought that he was rude when I relayed the story, and perhaps in some situations it would have been, but he and I have a very close and frank relationship and I am glad that he can say what he is thinking. He is a very kind and considerate young boy and I am thrilled to see God working in his life through the choices he is making in his friendships and how to spend his time--at youth group and this summer he has spent 2 weeks volunteering at a Christian camp (he was a camper there in the past). He loved it so much that instead of spending 2 more weeks volunteering there later in the summer, he plans to spend 3 weeks there. This Auntie is THRILLED even though it means that I won't see him as much. He has talked about what being at this camp has given to him, a closer walk with Jesus, and what could be better than this! This is my main prayer for Ben!
This close-up view shows the 16th--the numbers are from a set from Sara's Signature Birthday Party collection by Crafters Companion, and the "th" is from a Simply Defined collection "Forever and a Day" Years, and the birthday candles are a Tonic Studios Invite Insert set "Celebration Candles". While the numbers were still in their dies, I added Glossy Accents to the raised, embossed portions to add some depth. These numbers and the "th" were cut out of fun foam that I'd added double-sided tape on the back to make them into stickers. I doubled up on the numbers to make them really stand out. After all, a 16th birthday is a pretty big deal!!! To add some variety, I used Anna Griffin's foil cardstock in silver matte to die-cut and emboss the birthday candles--for the "happy birthday" I used the same silver cardstock but in the mirror. I wanted some texture on the card but nothing that would take away attention from the die-cuts, so I went with this striped embossing folder from Darice in a 5 by 7 size and cut it down. Ben's favorite color tends to be blue, hence I backed the die-cuts in a deeper colored cardstock, SU Pacific Point. I hope that you can see the gleam from the Glossy Accents on the "16" since it was a masculine card and I was going for a cooler feel, I couldn't use anything sparkly, but I thought that shiny would work.
I cannot express how much I appreciate all that I learn from so many of the great artists here on SCS. I admire the great artistry that I see so often here when I'm looking in the gallery--it is such an inspiration. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to take a look at my card. When you leave a comment, it is so encouraging, and it really makes my day!
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2018 GMT Views: 816
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Paper: card base and envelope by Simply Defined, Pacific Point by SU, Silver mirror and matte cardstock by Anna Griffin
Accessories: Gemini, fun foam, glossy accents, Darice EF, dies by Tonic Studios, Elizabeth Crafts, Crafters Companion, Taylored Expressions, and Simply Defined.
Techniques: die-cutting with metallic foil cardstock and fun foam