Birthday Rose

Most card makers love to embelish in particular ways, add distinct elements, elaborate, and create special and unique cards. However, it's just a simple and honest card what you need sometimes, and if it's over embelished, then the impact is not quite what you wanted.

Let me show you this easy-and-fun-to-do card... which I made for my mother in law. She's such a sweet, calm, loving lady you would love. She also has a huge sense of humor, but for this birthday ocassion I decided to give her a card that looks as sweet as she is.

Just grab a white base, cut a strip of patterned paper scrap and border punch with a design shape and place in top of base. Cut two pieces of ribbon, cut the end of each and bend once positioning them as shown. Punch two scalloped circles with just a slight difference in size so you can place one on top of the other. Stamp the image, color as desired and cut. I chose a rose, which I color stamped with ink and finished with glossy look. Add bling bling. Hand write the name of the recipient. Add another sentiment inside of card if desired.

Very quick, very nice... and very appreciated by my mother in law. I hope you also like it.

(cardstock: American Crafts; stamp: Inkadinkado; ink: Color Box; jewels/bling bling: Devrian Global Industries; Glossy Accents; punches: Martha Stweart; adhesives: Scotch, Glue Dots, Generations; miscellaneous: gel pen, scissors, ribbon)

"A Song For You" Layout

My father died when I was ten. I have a lot of memories about him and there is not a day I don't think about him somehow. I wish I could have known him better and be able to tell in what ways I look like him in terms of behavior or character.

There is this song from singer Rocío Durcal, called "Amor Eterno" (Eternal Love). Everytime I hear it I cry a lot. Most people might think it reminds me a former boyfriend or something like that, but it's really my father I think about.

The song is in Spanish and in English it means something like this: How I wished you were alive. That your little eyes have never closed and I was looking at them. Eternal and unforgettable love. Sooner or later we'll be together to continue loving.

The journaling in the layout is this piece of the song. The Jesus Christ metal frame is a gift from my father when I was a child.

This layout is a tribute to that feeling. I tried to give it a "heritage" look with the chosen colors and embelishments. I also used distressing techniques and lots of ink to create that "old" look. I decided to use a photo of my father when at war, to also support that heritage look. The original photo is torn as this one, which is really a reproduction after scanned, and I cut it following its shape.

How about you? Do you have a song that reminds you someone or something from the past?

(patterned paper: Memory Stor, Glitz Design, American Crafts; chipboard: Basic Grey; rub-ons: Glitz Design; brad and metal plate: Portafolia; pen: Sakura; adhesives: Scotch, Alleene's, Generations; ink: Color Box; punch: Martha Stweart; miscellaneous: book page, scissors, paper trimmer, tulle)