A very special birthday card (and cheap stamps!)

Supplies: mother image (Victorian Traditions), rose (Birds Cards), sentiment (Elegant Word Art by Bethany); paper (unknown, Recollections); fleur de lis border punch (EK Success); D'vine Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug); pearls, ribbon (sheer and grosgrain), rhinestones.

This whole card started with the roses. I love this digital stamp since I am such a "roses" person! I printed them onto the peachy-orange paper, then shaded them with my colored pencils and baby oil. It was really easy and very impressive! I don't know if you can zoom in enough to see them in any detail, but they are exquisite!

Then I wanted to put them on a very special card, and I thought of my mother's upcoming 60th birthday and this image I had printed out with her in mind. Everything just fell into place from there, and the card came together rather quickly. (If you read this, Mom, just forget what it looks like for a few more weeks! :)]

Do you like those tiny pearls at the edge of the paper lace? I've seen other people do it, but they used half-pearls. I've seen them at Michaels and almost bought them a few times, but there have always been other things I was more willing to spend my money on, and I've never bought them. Well, I had this string of tiny fake pearls (like you can get by the yard in a fabric store) from a banquet we went to in September. I simply cut the pearls off and glued them to the card. They are so small that it doesn't matter that they aren't half-pearls (i.e. flat-backed). They add very minimal bulk to the card.

And in case you can't see the sentiment well enough, it says, "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." My mother has always been a great example to me and has always had a great reputation. She embodied the lost art of motherhood, and I will always be grateful for her!



Now ... check out these stamps I picked up at Tuesday Morning today. They were only $0.99 each! That's even more impressive when you realize that they are 3x3" and 2x3". They had a few other stamps, but these were the only ones I was interested in. I also picked up a pack of 12x12" paper and some wide satin ribbon for my cards, but maybe I'll get to share those when they're used in a project soon!