Happy Birthday card

Happy Friday!  It's been a hectic week here for me, but I still managed to carve out a little time to spend in my craft room.  I wasn't really feeling in the Christmas card making spirit (don't worry, all of our official cards are already made!) because I'd been working on my Silhouette advent calendar and was all Christmassed out, so I bypassed all of the many Christmas challenges that are around this week and instead decided to give the Make Your Own Background (aka no patterned paper allowed) challenge at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge blog.

It was really fun for me trying to get creative and decide how to make my background.  First I tried embossing, but wasn't feeling it, then I tried ink splatters and really wasn't feeling it (especially after I splattered green ink on my white chair) and finally settled on Distress Inks.  For the background paper on this card I used Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Old Paper, and Vintage Photo.  I really liked the look of it when I got done- too bad I covered most of it up!  I ran a strip of washi tape across the card and then put on a square of the same color kraft paper that the card base was made of.

I cut the present from Doodlecharms- an oldy but a goodie- and then embossed the bottom part with the Swiss Dots embossing folder.  I put some ribbon on the top and used a gem to hold it together, then I put some Aqua Stickles on the top of the present.  I finished it off with three smaller gems along the bottom and a sentiment by Jaded Blossom (from the Picture This set) on the top.