A birthday tree

I seem to be on a roll with masculine cards at the minute. Here is a birthday card, featuring one of my most-used sets in the catalogue, Lovely as a tree.

I embossed a piece of espresso cardstock using the square lattice embossing folder, then added eyelets using a crop-a-dile. Some twill has been threaded through the eyelets and tied in a knot. I made a little tag for the sentiment using the modern label punch and crumb cake cardstock, and attached to the twill knot with linen thread. The tree stamp has been inked using markers and stamped onto watercolour paper. I've then used an aquapainter to spread the ink a little to create a watercolour effect, then torn the paper on two sides.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps – Lovely as a Tree, Occasional Quotes (hostess L3)
• Ink – Old Olive, Early Espresso
• Cardstock – Old Olive, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
• Other – Modern Label punch, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Watercolour paper, Aquapainter, Jumbo Eyelets, 3/8” Twill, Linen thread, dimensionals.

For Beth

This was made originally for my god-daughter's 21st birthday - I thought the Eiffel Tower was quite appropriate as she was spending a few days in Paris with her fiance. I changed my mind at the last minute (as you do with cards for important people!) and made an alternative. Needless to say, I never got a photo of that one as the glue was still drying when she opened the envelope ;)

The red cardbase has been stamped using black ink and the En Francais background stamp, then a layer of designer paper (with distressed and charcoal-inked edges) added to the left hand side. The tower has been stamped in black on vanilla cardstock, which has then been crumpled and the edges distressed using the fabulous distressing kit. A layer of black cardstock provides a mat for the image. The sentiment has been stamped in black then punched and coloured using a red marker, then popped up on dimensionals.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps – Artistic Etchings, Oval All, En Francais BG
• Ink – Basic Black, Charcoal
• Cardstock – Red Riding Hood Red, Basic Black , Very Vanilla
• Other – Love Letter DSP, Marvellous Markers, 1¾ Oval punch, Distressing kit, sponge daubers, dimensionals.