Crafting frustrations

Today was an uber frustrating crafting day. I had several things I needed to work on for the Stampin' Up!^® convention, and my stamping mojo and skills were just not cooperating. Everything seemed to end up crooked and/or smeared, which made me tired, grumpy and very frustrated. I took a break this afternoon to go to yoga class and decided on the way home that I was just going to set aside the have-to-get-it-done stuff and start over with something else. So instead I made two cards for upcoming birthdays.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Best, Perfect Party
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Strawberry Slush, textured Bermuda Bay
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Pink Pirouette, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), rhinestones, iridescent shreds (unknown), Dimensionals

I put my markers to good use on this card, using them in three different ways: I colored in the stamped balloon images, made "confetti" with the narrow marker tips, and colored directly on the rubber of the "celebrate!" stamp to create the multicolored sentiment.

To make the sentiment stand out against the background, I matted it with a piece of textured Bermuda Bay cardstock, which I adhered at an angle. Then I adhered some iridescent shreds to the back of the Bermuda Bay cardstock and used Dimensionals to attach the piece to the card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Blooming with Happiness
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories: Ovals Collection Framelits dies, Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack, paper-piercing tool, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon, Stylized Flower embossing folder (Cuttlebug), Dimensionals

I've always liked this floral cake image and the coordinating greeting, "May your day bloom with happiness," which I stamped inside the card. To make this feminine birthday card, I combined the image with a floral embossing folder, ruffled ribbon and a soft color palette of Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron and Crisp Cantaloupe. I also pierced a border around the oval die-cut. Both the embossed layer and the oval are adhered to the card with Dimensionals.

I was happy (and a little relieved) that I managed to finish a couple of cards that I actually liked. I'll try again tomorrow and hope for a more productive day. Thanks for stopping by!