Happy Birthday

There are two favorite tree branch dies I like to use a lot;  last week’s post showed the slim and elegant Grove Branch from Memory Box, and today’s has my other favorite from Impression Obsession that I like to use when something a little more on the gnarly side is called for.  The sponged panel and matting under the text was a find from my beloved Scrap Stash, about which I cannot say enough:  such card-starting inspiration it contains!  Even the smallest pieces can spark an interesting new direction . . .

 

 As Jennifer Maguire has often noted, thin strips of cardstock can really finish off a design nicely.  She has used them to cover the seam on adjacent cardstocks or to keep a bare edge from ending so abruptly.  Here, I’ve used them to create a frame:  sliced from the sponged panel, they help connect the panel to the layer underneath and keep it from looking so floaty . . .

Cardstock:       Bazzill Dark Purple, Marcos Jute, Generic Dull Silver

Stamps:             Stampin’ Up Happy Birthday
Inks:                   ColorBox Silver, Various Purple and Pumpkin shades sponged on
                              and spritzed with Perfect Pearls Silver mist, Gelly Roll      
                              Clear Star                               
Emb Powder:   B’Muse Silver 
Dies/Punches:  Impression Obsession Bare Branch, 1/8” corner rounder