Ciao Bella Sicilia Birthday Card
Hello, Friends! Summertime is winding down, but I just had to share this Ciao Bella Sicilia Birthday Card with you. It’s so lemon fresh and pretty! This is the card I made for our daughter’s birthday this past week. She came in on Wednesday and just left a few minutes ago. I had this waiting for her on the dresser in “her” bedroom. It was the perfect birthday card because she loves lemons .
Liz is also grows the most beautiful flowers. She only has a small terrace on her apartment, but she has transformed it into a Mediterranean escape with herbs, roses, hibiscus and flowers blooming in abundance. Butterflies, hummingbirds and bumblebees visit her terrace daily, so I had to incorporate those elements into the design of this 6×6 easel card as well.
The bow cluster is topped with a Reneabouquets glitter glass butterfly, I’ve also scattered Reneabouquets Tiny Treasure Butterflies around the page to pull out the blues in the paper collection. Pair Yellow Gold Delicate Stitched Satin Ribbon with Gold Metallic String to create a luxurious bow.
The Planter Box
To create the “planter box” on the base of the easel card follow these steps:
- First, adhere a metal drawer pull upside down on the card base. Use Dries Clear Adhesive or a metal adhesive. Hot glue does not work well with metal.
- Next, fill the cavity of the drawer pull with Spanish Moss. This forms a great base for the flower fillers.
- Now, tuck in some bird feathers, Queenie Moonlight Flowers and Renea Moonlight flowers to fill the planter.
The Front Pocket
Create a shallow box pocket on the card front. Now you can tuck in a decorative tag and a little sticky note pad as a gift.
My thought was that Liz could keep the card on her work desk as a reminder that she is loved. The note pad tucks away into the pocket, but serves a practical purpose as well.
TIP: Adhere the sticky note pad to a 2 7/8″ square of chipboard to provide a solid writing surface. When the initial pad is used up, it’s easy to adhere a new one on top.
A Peek Inside
Leave a little room inside the card to write a personal message. Family birthdays (we have a LOT of them this month!) have been keeping me super busy in the studio. I’ve missed visiting with you all here, but it’s been so good to celebrate our loved ones in small gatherings. This wasn’t the big “milestone birthday bash” we had planned prior to the pandemic…but it was still sweet and special. And we did our best to celebrate our birthday girl in style. I think she left today feeling loved, appreciated and cherished. That’s always a good thing.
I know I’ve been a bit scarce here on the blog of late. Life has just been extremely busy. We have harvested (and by we I mean me) more than 600 tomatoes this summer. Those luscious tomatoes have been processed into jars of salsa, marinara and soup base that I know we will enjoy in the cool winter months. There have been 9 family birthdays! The studio is being de-stashed and reorganized for a more efficient/less cluttered work flow. And I’ve been planning my Button Farm Club Kits and projects for the final quarter of the year.
Dale and I are planning to run away to the beach at the end of this week for some much needed R&R. I have a post or two scheduled to go live while I am away. But don’t worry if you don’t hear much from me. Everything should be back to normal by mid September. I have some fun stuff in the works for us, and life always seems to settle back to a more normal pace once summer has passed.
I’d love to hear what you all have been up to during these busy weeks. I’d also love to know what kinds of projects/tutorials you’d like to see me work on. Won’t you please let me know in the comment section below?
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheerio,
kathy
SUPPLY LIST
- Ciao Bella Sicilia Collection
- 12×12 paper Pad
- Creative Pad
- 6×6 paper pad
- Reneabouquets
- Yellow Gold Delicate Stitched Satin Ribbon
- Gold Metallic String
- Little Birdie Flowers
- Metal Drawer Pull
- Buttons and Keys from my stash
kathy what a gorgeous, sunshiny card…..i love the colors..when i feel better i will order some of that paper..looking at it makes me smile
soup in the fall is wonderful
isnt God good
stay se3ll
sending love
lynn
What a blessed daughter she is to have a mom like you! I love making cards for my daughter in CA because, even though they are not as sumptuous as yours, she displays them on her mantle for months!! Your summer cards are beautiful!
What a jaw dropper this card is Kathy!! I love the bold lemons and blues~ it really does make you feel all sunny inside~
This easel is just gorgeous!!! Luv those blue and yellow colors together and luv so much how you coordinated all your patterns together! That upside down door pull is perfect with those dainty flowers and moss and feathers inside! Beautiful tag and great idea for a tiny notebook! And with those beautiful butterflies on your ribbons …yup! Just gorgeous! Have fun at your precious beach trip! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us ….sounds exciting! I’ve been busy canning too! Just not tomatoes yet! Lol! Looks like it will be vegetable soup mostly this week with end of garden produce and maybe some more green beans! And add in a couple of 12 hr babysitting days …whew! I’d luv to see how you make those sunflowers come alive! Lol! Or if I’ve missed that tutorial …just point me in the right direction! Are you redoing your whole craft room? Mercy …I need to destash and reorganize too! Just haven’t been able to make anything in my studio lately …but have started a small album for our great granddaughters first birthday! Good thing I started a month ago! Lol! Have fun kids! Hugs, Suzy Q
Love this color combination of blue and yellow…always refreshing and pleasant on the eyes.this entire easel card is gorgeous!! Floral cluster is full and beautifully designed. Always lose dangling charms…love the sound as they move against the paper. Happy Birthday, Daughter! I so enjoy the drama of an easel card!! Sounds like you need a few dys of vacation…what a busy life you lead!! No requests from me…just lots of appreciation for your creativity and that you share your skills with the rest of us mere mortals!
Sorry! I forgot to wish your daughter a belated Happy Birthday! I am sure she felt loved and treasured!!
Aww, Kathy!!! What a sweet, beautiful and thoughtful card for your daughter!!! So much detail and that clever little planter! You are such a beautiful soul, sweet Kathy!!! I hope you and your husband have a wonderful and relaxing time at the beach. You deserve it!!! Hugs, my friend xx
Gorgeous ! Love all the little things like the butterflies, the drawer pull full of flowers, and note pad was just awesome !!! Would love to see more from the MicroCosmos collection but know the holidays are upon us. Stamperia Winter Tales & Hortensia ( I can wait till Spring ) are beautiful collections. Also love how you used Eileen Hull notebook die in the past would love to see it put to use again.
Hi Kathy
WOW….. I’m convinced you live on a magical planet creating masterpieces!
Such a blessing, in these trying times, when I open my emails and receive a ray of sunshine from you. Have a wonderful vacation, stay safe…. have a ball! Maybe next time you plan a trip, UK is not too shabby! Lots of Italian ice cream.!!!
To all my crafting sisters in the USA… Stay Safe.
Blessings from UK
First of all, what a stunning card – absolutely gorgeous with all the embellishments, and I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing time at the beach – a well-deserved rest for sure, and will be happy to see your new creations in September – Be safe and have fun!!!!
Beautiful card Kathy! I know your daughter must have just loved it!! I have missed you but I know what you mean about “harvesting”! So far its been pickled beets and cucs. Next it will be apples galore! Enjoy your vacation!
Kathy, this is spectacular, jaw-dropping exquisite card. Yet another family heirloom I am sure for generations to enjoy. Hope you have a wonderfully, enjoyable vacation and renewal of spirit at MB! You and hubby deserve the best…look forward to your return and new projects.
Kathy, your card is beautiful! I am sure your daughter left feeling very blessed. One of my favorite things to do is check facebook to see what you have been creating so yes I have missed you. I do hope you recived the Stamperia Winter Tales. It is a beautiful collection for the winter and Christmas. I would love to see your interpretation of this magical collection. Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us and enjoy your vacation. Please stay safe!
Such a beautiful card Kathy. Love how the colors really go together. And the drawer pull as a tiny planter. Who would of thought. Love the butterfly as well. All your cards are surely keepers in my book. I would not be able to toss them out. They would all be on display and no room for anything else. Be safe &TYFS
Kathy this card is blooming with colour, it looks like a garden. I love how you incorporate the various gifts such as the bookmark with a key and the post it note pad is wonderful. Since my trip to Italy 10 years ago I have an appreciation for lemons and this paper collection captures their beauty. Normally my family would be heading to Myrtle Beach, but because of Covid we could not go this year as the borders are closed between our countries. Instead I helped my sister move to NewBrunswick and we had plenty of time to unpack because we self isolated for 14 days. The bright spot is that I ordered Authentic paper and I am excited for when it will arrive. I would love to see your interpretation of a card that fold around and stands when the ribbons are tied. I plan to make them with 5 pages with an animal theme for my grandson. Enjoy the beach and a much deserved rest. I hope to return to Myrtle Beach for my families annual vacation next year.
Perfect for your daughter and enjoy your vacation.
Kathy, this card is just breathtaking! First of all I have always loved the blue and yellow combination of colors. This paper collection is absolutely exquisite with the Italian motifs and patterns. I LOVE the drawer pull filled with flowers on your planter box What a genius idea. The bow, flowers and butterfly are so perfect and really do look like a beautiful terrace garden. Does your daughter have a little lemon tree? Her garden sounds wonderful. I know she was absolutely thrilled to get this card! What a treasure! Thank you so much for sharing. Have missed you but know you are busy, busy. Hugs!