Grateful

I celebrated a significant birthday recently which was wonderful  - to be able to celebrate I mean!  I don't like the fact that I'm getting older but the alternative is much worse, so it's fair to say I'm feeling extremely grateful at the moment!  It was wonderful to be surrounded by loved ones even given (or perhaps because of) the recent loss of my mum.

After the party I sat down and started a bunch of thank you cards for all the friends who had helped me celebrate the occasion.  The house was full of the most exquisite floral arrangements (in fact I ran out of vases) and was inspired to create floral arrangements of my own.

Initially I started quite simple.  I cut six garlands from an old Sizzix Bigz die (Tim Holtz Regal Crest) from brown card stock.  I cut these in half and distressed them with green and red inks and sprayed with Mustard Seed Glimmer Mist.  Because I had left and right facing garlands, I had left and a right facing cards.   I cut a whole bunch of these small flowers (Tim Holtz Funky Foliage) from white card stock. I think they're supposed to be cornflowers, but I coloured them in the reds, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples from my birthday bouquets using alcohol markers.  Alcohol markers are great for colouring and blending seamlessly - though the flowers are so small, the blending is almost imperceptible.

When I had used up all the "cornflowers" I had cut, I was tempted to get a little more adventurous.  I don't know about anyone else, but 10 of the same design seems to be about my limit!  I started cutting other flowers from the Funky Foliage set and also from the Funky Nature set and colouring these.  I also cut a few of the MFT Sunflowers.  I also tried some foliage left over from a previous project and decided I preferred a more delicate foliage so cut a bunch of these.  Finally to finish the cards, I cut and stacked these Grateful sentiments (Winnie and Walter Big, Bold and Blessings set) which summed up just how I was feeling!  

Of the twenty or so cards I eventually made, this one was my favourite!

I'd like to enter the Four Seasons Anything Goes Fall Challenge for November.  

I'd also like to join the Shopping Our Stash Challenge #457 which has the prompt You Don't Bring Me Flowers.

And Little Red Wagon Challenge #626 - So Very Thankful.

And 613 Avenue Create Challenge #11 - AG with optional Twist Thankful.

 You may have noticed the wood panels I used for the initial cards.  I'd like to enter the Double D Challenge - A Walk in the Wood as this was exactly what I had in mind when I started these cards.  

Finally Day of the Month Club Challenge #33 which has the prompt Beautiful Day - I'm still basking in the glow of my beautiful day!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be thrilled!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get better acquainted!

Kate