Party Animals

Hi Everyone!

One of the blogs I follow is Audrey Yeager's "Audrey's Reflections".  She is a scrapbooker, not a cardmaker and I am a cardmaker, not a scrapbooker, yet I love reading and rereading her posts.  She writes from the heart and her projects and photographs are always amazing.  She just had her second child a few weeks ago.  Congratulations to you and your family, Audrey. 

About a month ago Audrey posted a blog about a mini album that she had created for her daughter Charlotte.  I LOVED that album and immediately ordered the "Party Animals" paper from Kaisercraft that Audrey used for the album.  In addition to some 12" x 12" sheets of paper I also ordered the 6.5" Party Animals Paper Pad.  It is such a cool pad to have.  Janet and Cindy Virtual Vine you MUST MUST MUST get this paper.  There are 24 sheets of paper that have among other things the cutest animals.  In the back there are paper die cuts and borders. 

Well, I cut out the animals to make a mini album, but that is as far as I have gotten with them as I still have to fussy cut them.  But last night I used some of the paper from the paper pad to create this card.  You may not be able to tell from the photograph, but there are a lot of layers on it.  First there's the 4" x 5.25" sheet of paper that has the stars in circles on it.  Then I used a scalloped blade in my trimmer to cut a 4" x 2" piece of yellow dotted paper.  Then I cut a sheet of 4" x 1.5" striped paper that I adhered on top of the dotted yellow paper. 

The circle was cut with a purple Marvy paper punch.  I adhered it to my layering paper and then paper pierced around it to make it look stitched.  Actually I had another circle that I threw away.  I cut it with a paper punch and then drew stitches around it that I didn't like the look of so I cut a second circle.  I paper pierced the second circle and then I drew my stitches.  I LOVE the way that technique worked for me.  I can paper pierce evenly so now my stitches are even and even close up look real. 

Next I used a star Nestability to cut a star and adhered the star to the circle.  I paper pierced the star and "stitched" it.  Fussy cut a tiger from one of the paper and glued him to the center of the star.  The orange circles were created with a 3/4" circle punch and the stars were punched with a star punch.  I added just a few tiny rhinestones to the card.  Oh, and I stamped "Happy Birthday" below the star. 

I like the card, but I wish I had embossed the striped paper just to add a little more texture to it.  A while ago Jeanne hung a wooden mail organizer on the wall for me that I use to store my Cuttlebug folders.  That does keep them organized and got them off my work table which is good and bad.  Now that they are even slightly out of sight I sometimes forget to use them.  I definitely prefer having my supplies out in the open and immediately in my sight.

Had lots of company yesterday and today Diane's coming for lunch and crafting so I either need to make some lunch or run out and buy some. 

Have a great day! 
Carol