Achieve, Soar, Persevere

Birthdays near Christmas often get buried in a sea of red and green.  I've decided to try a different color scheme for this December 22 birthday card.  It's going to a single mother with lots of challenges in her life.  Therefore, it seems to me that encouragement can work for any occasion . . .

The fun thing about this card is its source of inspiration - have any of you taken a good look at boutique Kleenex boxes lately? I've included a picture of the one I used for this card below.  I loved the colors, the design, the two patterns together, and the fact that the artist made her techniques so easy to follow!  She used circular sponging for a soft look and then added slightly more concentrated color and texture by pouncing with a coarse sponge.  Along with some lights and darks, solid leafy images worked to give the scene some depth. 

It was really fun to get a stamping lesson off a Kleenex box!  Time to go hunting for another one . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Horizon, Strathmore Soft White, Neenah Emperor,

                        Generic Purple   

Stamps:       Our Daily Bread Chalkboard Lattice Background, Printworks

                        Leaf Pattern, Waffle Flower Layering Marble, Starving

                        Artistamps Positive Words

Inks:             Distress Faded Jeans, Weathered Wood, Broken China,

                        Dusty Concord, Evergreen Bough, Papertrey Ink Fresh

                        Snow, VersaFine Majestic Blue

Emb Powder:   Vippie’s Transcendence

Dies:            DieNamics Rectangle Frames, Spellbinders Signs of

                        Spring 1 (bird), Memory Box Lorelai Leaf               

Doo Dads:    Art Institute Glitter: Aqua from the Floral Collection, Stamp 

                         Oasis Heat & Stick