Special Occasions

Let's be honest... most of the time, you scramble for a card at the last minute because you have a birthday, anniversary,  wedding... I know I do all the time. How nice is it though to be on the receiving end of a card that you know was specially made for you?

The first card I am sharing today is one I made for my son in law. He is a wonderful person, and I wanted to make one that suited him. This one fit perfectly. I used a retired set called A Good Man, and combined it with my Stampin' Blends, including some new and returning colours. Azure Afternoon, Lemon Lolly, Lemon Lime Twist... I love how the hint of yellow on the plain white t-shirt gives it so much dimension. 

I don't know about you, but the peach Crayola crayon was always my go to for skin colour. I am very pale, and it never quite fit, but that was what I had. My SIL is part Inuit, and it doesn't fit for him either. Well, a bit more than a year ago, Stampin' Up! came up with some new Stampin' Blends colours that work so much better to show off the diversity of my friends and family. The Stampin'  Blends come in pairs from Light, Medium Light, Medium, Medium Deep to Deep. Each is a pair, and they provide wonderful variety for hair, skin, and so much more think animals and earth tones. I used two of these to create a skin tone that was just right for him. I know he likely didn't notice, but that is sort of the point of being inclusive, right? It ceases to be identifiable or different and becomes just normal.  

This next card is the one I made for my daughter for her birthday.  When I saw Love Cats in the spring mini that just ended, I knew it was meant for my girls. It isn't a birthday set so much, but it worked. I looked online for images, found one that inspired me, and ran with it. Now, being that it was for a specific purpose, I was not concerned about using retired products. I always loved this gingham DSP, and I still have a few sheets left for special cards that need just that right paper. It fit here. Combined with Strawberry Sorbet and retired Tempting Turquoise, which is similar to the 2022-2024 In Color Tahitian Tide, it looked great! She loved the cute little cats, which I coloured over with my new Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to make it crisp and true black. 

My sister in law has a birthday right after school finishes up. I'm always late getting a card off to her! I was excited to try out my new bundle, the Circle Sayings bundle.  I have seen so many great cards on my social feeds that use this set. I had to get one myself! I used some recently retired DSP called Fancy Flora. I love the Monet style impressionist art look it has. The green you see is actually the back of the floral front. I love how easy Stampin' Up! makes colour coordination.  The retired Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen In Colors worked perfectly as a base. 

Three very special people in my life and three special cards made just for them. THIS is one of the things I love about crafting. ❤️

If you would like some help with an order, have questions, or sim0ly like my work... comment and let me know!