Welcome Spring with Frilly and Funkie: Happy Birthday Circular Twist Easel Card

Hello, Friends!  It’s time for another fabulous challenge over at the Frilly and Funkie blog.  This go round, Nancy is our hostess and the theme is Welcome Spring!  Let’s see what Nancy has to say about this great challenge!

Challenge Theme: Welcome, Spring!
Springtime! Its fresh, soft breezes and fragrant blossoms are just around the corner. Create any vintage or shabby chic project that welcomes the advent of this glorious season. Think budding trees, birds and nests, butterflies, and beautiful blooms!

As you know, the Frilly and Funkie Design Team is excited to be celebrating all things Wendy Vecchi this month. We will all be using her fabulous products, new and old, in our creations. You’ll be blown away at how versatile they are since we all have different creative styles. When you enter the challenge, you are not required to use Wendy’s products in your creation but it would be great if you did. Don’t have any yet? Check out her product range at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Now, let’s get the party started!

Happy Birthday Easel Card and a Wendy Vecchi Birthday Cake

Our youngest granddaughter turns TWO this month.  How did that happen so fast?  Her favorite color is purple, so I dug out the May pages from Graphic 45’s A Place in Time Collection where I found this darling little birthday girl image.  I was thrilled when I noticed that the magazine cover actually says “Two Years Old Today.”  How cool is that?

Just for fun, I turned the image into a mini card on top of a card.   It measures just 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4: and is held in place by that cute little green binder clip.  I can write a sweet note to Lydia on the inside, and maybe tuck some cash for her education fund in there, too.

Wendy Vecchi Circle Frames Stitching Template

Stitching is a wonderful way to add texture to a card.  Normally, I use my sewing machine to do this.  However, I’m not that great at sewing a perfect circle.  So hand stitching became the order of the day.  Normally, hand stitching on paper is an exercise in frustration.  But I had a secret weapon in my tool box to help me!

Wendy created this ingenious template that makes stitching on paper a joy!  I centered the template on my die cut scalloped circle, taped it in place, then laid the whole works on top of a thick foam mat.  Then, using my piercing tool, I worked my way around the perimeter of the stencil, creating a perfectly spaced border of holes.  All I had to do was  add the stitching!

I also used the template as a stencil and added two more rows of little dots by working Wendy’s Embossing Paste through the openings. Although much of  this is covered with my card design, you can see some of it near the balloon cluster in this shot.

Mat Minis Celebrations Set

These pretty purple balloons are part of the Mat Minis Celebrations set.  Instead of painting or using texture paste, I covered them with designer paper.  It’s great to be able to create embellishments that match a project so perfectly!

Every easel card needs a “stopper” to prop the card open.  For this card, Petaloo flowers and the birthday cake from the Celebrations set do the job perfectly. The purple flowers make me think of the crocus and grape hyacinth that bloom in the spring.

After sponging the cake layers with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink, I spritzed them with Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist and heat dried them.  Next, I used Wendy’s embossing paste through another stencil from my stash to add the icing to the cake.  The cake plate and candles were sponged with Shaded Lilac ink, then spritzed.  I used the Flourish stencil from Tim’s #10 mini set to add more decorative elements here.

I used purple Stickles between the cake “layers” and all around the edges so that it would pop off the background.  I’ve never been great at decorating cakes, but I rather like the way this one turned out.

To make the candles shimmer, I first painted the flames with Mustard Seed Distress paint, then topped them with Stardust Stickles.

I think Lydia will get a kick out of opening this card and finding the birthday cake inside.  She already loves to color and play with paper…so it looks as though I have another little crafter to enjoy!

Now It’s Your Turn!

You’re invited to join the fun at the Frilly and Funkie Welcome Spring Challenge.  To do so, just link up your own vintage or shabby chic project.  You’ll find all the details HERE.

The team will choose their top four picks with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie. Three additional participants  will receive badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a random drawing for a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I can’t wait to see what you make!

Thanks for helping me welcome spring!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links to the Funkie Junkie Boutique

Save

Save

Save