A Very Happy Birthday

I needed a very special birthday card for my close friend Keri.  You've seen some pictures of her kid birthday parties where she occasionally has asked for a little crafty help and in turn I've been able to post her crafty ideas here on the blog.  Needless to say, this crafty one and I celebrate our friendship each month with a night out and I just new I wanted to do something special for her birthday.

I went shopping in the stash for something on the red side.  Keri just seems red to me.  Even though she's totally remade her entire house this past year with a decidedly deep mustard yellow, modern turn.  Still, once a color has been assigned, the great and wonderful introvert is unlikely to change, so Keri still seems red to me.  I found this piece of rusty pink that seemed a little more girlish and went to town.  The front face of the card is simply a Vintage Photo Distress Ink edged piece of patterned paper.  The paper created the look on the front of the card almost by itself.  I had some glassine paper flowers on hand and layered two inside a circle cut from a piece of coordinating patterned paper.  The sentiment was printed to a scrap of tan-creamish linen textured cardstock and trimmed to look a little like ribbon.  A few small pearls, covered with Scattered Straw Distress Ink to change their color, were placed to balance the card design.  Don't know if that worked, but I like it.

The inside was where I needed a trick.  Keri recently picked up a Silhouette.  She's been borrowing cuts off and on for a couple of years and I think she finally decided this was a tool for all seasons.  Since she has a little 3 year old, her kid crafting days are not over.  I just couldn't resist a little birthday celebration and purchased a gift certificate for the Silhouette store.  I made this handy layered sentiment inside complete with a pocket and the gift pull out.




The Gift Card from Silhouette is purchasable online.  I snagged a screen image of the card and adjusted the color to match my scheme in Word.  Its a real simple way to jazz up something as hum-drum as a gift card (not my favorite gift, but in this case it works wonderfully).

Happy Birthday, Keri!  This is well deserved and I know will be put to good use.

I've linked this card up to the Inspiration Journal's  July Monthly Challenge:  Happy Birthday America & Other Birthday Celebrating.  Come join the fun!