Wish Big!

I have used the Simon Says Stamp Best Year Yet stamp/die set, from the Dear Friend release, to make a birthday card!

I stamped, die cut and embossed each candle.  This card was supposed to have a stamped and die cut "happy birthday" sentiment that I had brushed on color to, so I decided to brush on the color to each candle with the same color inks.  To do this, I made a stencil of both the flame and the candle by stamping the image twice and handcutting both pieces, the candle from one the flame from the other, and brushed on the colors through my makeshift stencils... 

I then used my Wink of Stella to give each flame some glitter.   Deciding not to use the sentiment that I had originally thought of, I decided to use the "wish big" from the set!  I put the stamp in my MISTI and stamped a few times with black ink,  I then cleaned the stamp, and versamarked the stamp and clear embossed the sentiment...twice...to give it a really glossy look.  I die cut it...and found the gloss had been dulled a bit by the die cutting, so I heated it again, good to go glossy!!  I used an old Simon cover die (Full Card Bubbles)for my embossed background, embossing rather than die cutting.  I used a glossy black piece of cardstock behind that, and then popped it up on an angle on piece of ink blended glossy white cardstock, using the same purple ink for the background as the purple candle. I layered the candles and sentiment with the new Simon foam, for dimension.   Here's a close up...

This was one of those cards that I must have mad a 1/2 dozen ways, until I came up with this design and layout.  Some cards prove to be a challenge to your creativity and patience, but I'm happy with how it turned out.  

On a side note...I have had multiple readers ask me about email subscriptions to my blog, and what happened to them??  I'm probably going to post this a few times to catch most readers, but the answer is complicated.  Google did away with the email subscription gadget.  There is still a way to put one on your blog, but you need to be somewhat proficient at coding, and I'm not. I can do simple coding fixes, but  I'm so inept at coding, I messed up my blog, MANY months ago, so that now I cannot stay logged into my blog, and the links to my blog no longer work on Instagram because I can't stay logged in. I can no longer edit my posts from my home blog page, but have to go to my posts page to edit, as I cannot log on, on my home blog page.   If there is anyone who knows how to fix Google blogs, I could use help!  I have tried, unsuccessfully, to contact Google, and to ask for help in the "google community" when I could get no help from Google.  So, as for the emails, I think I will have to change my blog to another platform before I will have an email subscription, I'm a bit on the fence about that...so I'm I am truly sorry... I am trying to figure it out....but until then...thanks for hanging with me!!  

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa