Birthday Blooms with Distress

It's amazing to me, now that I've started creating again, just how many reasons I can find to pull out my ink and stamps. I can hardly keep up with all the things that could use a lovely handstamped card!

Tomorrow, my aunt Julie turns...erm... well ladies never tell, right? I won't spill her secret, but I will show off the beautiful (if I do say so myself) card I created to pop in the mailbox tomorrow. 

In searching for challenge blogs, I came across STAMPlorations stamps and immediately fell in love. The beautifully sketched stamps jive so well with my aesthetic, so I joined their stamp club and now will get amazing stamps mailed to me every other month. Just a lil' sumpin' sumpin' to anticipate and keep me inspired.

I received my first set two days ago and have been eagerly anticipating getting to put it to use. I felt delighted when I opened the package and received a handstamped, handwritten card (shared above) from the owner of the company. What an amazing touch!

I unwrapped it and immediately began creating. I wanted something cheerful, which can be hard to accomplish with distress inks, but I think I pulled it off.

First, I created a background using Mustard Seed Distress Ink and one of the daises from the "Bloom Sketches" set. Next, I created a 2-inch panel and cut out a 3-inch half circle in the middle to make room for my daisy. I used Old Paper Distress Ink and a sponge to give it a worn look and embossed over it with gold. Then I squished some ink onto my craft mat, spritzed lightly with water and dabbed until I got the effect I wanted

Next, I embossed the gorgeous daisy with the same gold and fussy cut and glued some of the petals to create a layered effect. I colored the center using Spectrum Noir markers and used mounting tape to lift it. 

Lastly, I added the saying and called it a night! I think it will brighten my aunt's day. 

Since I created my own background, I'm adding it to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Make your own Background".

I'm also entering it into STAMPlorations's current challenge: "Stamps and Markers". I love the challenges on both of these sites because you don't have to use their stamps to play along. (Perfect for my limited budget!)