Vintage Wishes

Hey People!  Are you all in full throttle for the holidays?  I have my large, formal tree done, but that is it.  Still need to put up the family room tree.  Not even going to mention where I am in the scheme of things as far as  holiday cleaning, baking, shopping or even making Christmas cards!!

Today work celebrated the December Birthdays (mine and one other gal) with lunch out.  The other crafty gal in the office made my card, but I was asked to make the other gal's b-day card.  Originally, I thought I would use a card I had in my stash.  But, none of them flipped my trigger for N.  So, in true Starla fashion, I decided at the last minute to make a new card!  I LITERALLY finished photographing just as I needed to be leaving for the eats!

I started with the sketch challenge on SCS for my inspiration. 

  While I stuck pretty close to the actual sketch, I could not get the large panel to work for my embellishment and sentiment.  Sooooo.  This is MY take on the sketch!

Card base is Pure Luxury Ivory (vanilla) 5.5" square.  All the decorative paper came from MME's Lost and Found Sunshine.  I sponged Distress Ink in Vintage photo on all the decorative paper edges and on the tag that was cut and embossed with Spellbinder's Label Eleven.  The b-day sentiment is from SU's It's Your Birthday and was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink.

The Flower.  sigh...........I love the flower!  hehe. I covered Clearly for Art Whiteout with Broken China Distress Stain.  Now, you have to realize that CFA has more of a slick surface.  The Distress Stain just wants to bead up on it, rather than absorb.  But, that was ok with me!  I covered both sides of the whiteout with the stain, then wiping off the excess.  I repeated 2-3 more times until the color that did absorb was to my liking.  I then die cut some with PaperArtsy's Grunge Flower and Grunge Flower #2 and #3.  I snipped between the petals to separate them so that I could heat and mold the CFA better.  Let me just say that I REALLY need to get me those thingamawhoppers that you put on your fingers to protect them when hot gluing or working with CFA film!  Trying to heat this stuff BURNS!!! Either that, or I need to get me some hemostats!!  After heating and molding my flower layers, I then sponged Distress Vintage Photo on the edges.  Again, the ink wants to wipe off the slick surface, but I just wanted a hint of the color and it seemed to stick pretty well through all my handling of the flower to assemble it!!  As I was running  a bit short on time, I used my hot glue gun (why not?!  My finger tips were already singed!) to assemble the flower and adhere it to the card.  Colored a 1/2 pearl with Copics and ran out the door!!

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I just wanted to let you know that blogging is going to be even more sparse than usual the next few weeks!  I'm going to be working full time, covering for the other therapists who are taking holiday vacations.  Add to that schedule are the Kiddo's ball games, Christmas concerts (multiple performances for the Oldest Kiddo) and just trying to get ready for the holiday's myself!  All in all, that  is not going to leave much time for the ol' blog!  I DO HAVE a couple of projects that I'm still hoping to complete and share and I know that there is one more eP blog hop in the works!  So, until then.............

Remember to explore some creativity!!