Bold birthday blossoms

I have a quick PSA before I share my card today: We're more than halfway through August (I can't believe how quickly the days are passing by!), but there's still time to get some happy mail from me. If you would like me to send you a handmade card as part of my #31DaysofHappyMail challenge, just leave a comment on my "A blog anniversary - and you get a card" post by Aug. 31, 2016. There's no catch -- just provide your address, and I'll drop a card for you in the mail (and I won't post your address for others to see). I'd love to send some happy mail your way!

Now on to the regularly scheduled post and a card that definitely makes me happy:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Inside and Out - Birthday II (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant card stock; watercolor paper (Strathmore); Newsprint Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens: 080, 803, 065, 041, 043, 061 (Kuretake); Elegant Eggplant marker
Accessories: Hydrangea outline stickers (Krazy Kreations), linen thread, Shine and Sparkle sequins (Hazel and Ruby - The Makery), color spritzer, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I love these hydrangea stickers, and I especially love how they look painted in bold, vibrant purple. (I shared a few other cards made with these stickers in the post titled "Watercolored hydrangeas.") It's a little hard to see in the picture, but a few of the blossoms are separate stickers that I painted, cut out and adhered over the main image with Dimensionals.

I didn't want the rest of the card to distract from the focal image, so I kept the layout and embellishments pretty simple. I adhered a piece of Newsprint DSP to a Basic Black card base and then spritzed it with Elegant Eggplant to add a touch of color. For the focal panel, I layered the watercolor paper on a piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock, which I tore along the bottom to add a little texture. I wrapped some linen thread around the panel a couple of times and tied it off in a bow. I had wanted to add the stamped "Happy birthday" onto the thread like a tag, but I didn't leave enough space to punch a hole. So instead I used a Glue Dot to attach it to the focal image and tucked one corner under the thread. I adhered the panel to the card base with Dimensionals and added a few sequins for a little sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!