Free as a Bird Mother's Day Card--#tgifc260

It's time for a TGIF Challenges technique challenge this week.  The technique is belly bands.  I usually do belly bands on boxes, but today I made a gatefold card with a belly band.  I had fun with it because I rarely do gatefold cards--so two construction techniques for me today!

The card base is Pool Party cut 5-1/2" X 8-1/2" and scored at 2-1/8" from each short end. I used three patterns from the Bird Ballad designer series paper pack (#149592).  Two pieces of the feather pattern were cut to 5-3/8" X 2" and layered on the two sides of the gatefold on the card base.  The belly band is the bird cage pattern cut at 1-1/2" X 10-1/2". It was wrapped around the card and taped together in the front with Tear & Tape adhesive.  The birds on the focal point circle were fussy cut from another pattern of Bird Ballad paper.  The birds were layered on a stitched circle (Stitched Shapes dies, #145372) die cut out of Pool Party and a scalloped circle (Layering Circles dies, #141705) die cut out of Calypso Coral.  

The greeting is from Strong & Beautiful stamp set (#148732).  Three strands of Whisper White baker's twine (#124262) tied in a bow with the ends curled and three Basic Pearls (#144219) complete the card.

There are some inspiring belly bands over at the TGIF Challenges blog.  Check them out here.

Hope you have a great weekend!  I'll be stampin'!

--Sara Nell

Free as a Bird--#tgifc253

The TGIF Challenges product spotlight this week is Embossing Paste.  I love embossing paste, but haven't used it in awhile.  I'm happy this challenge got me to pull it out again!
I love the texture that embossing paste gives to a project:

For my project today, I pulled out the polka dot pattern from the Basic Patterns mask set (a carry-over from the Holiday Catalog, #150697) to create my background. I die cut a piece of Shimmery White card stock with the second largest die in the Stitched Nested Labels dies (#149638).  I did a light wash of color with Pool Party ink over the piece and placed the mask over it. I tinted my white Embossing Paste (#141979) with Pool Party ink and then spread it over the mask and onto the Shimmery White label using palette knives (#142808).  I layered this piece over a Pool Party label die cut with the largest die in the die set.

I stamped the bird image from Free as a Bird stamp set (#149468) with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored it with Petal Pink Combo, Smoky Slate Combo, Soft Suede Light, Old Olive Combo and Pool Party Combo Stampin' Blends. I fussy cut this image and the greeting (also from Free as a Bird and stamped in Memento ink) and adhered them to the embossed piece with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Both images were stamped on Shimmery White card stock.

A coordinating piece of Bird Ballad designer series paper (#149592) was adhered to a Whisper White thick card base. A double strand of Whisper White 1/4" crinkled seam binding (#151326)  was wrapped around the card base and tied in a bow on the front.

Be inspired by all the wonderful uses for Embossing Paste over at the TGIF Challenges blog here.

Have a happy week!

--Sara Nell