Freshly Made Sketches #278 and Seize the Birthday Challenge "Anything Goes"

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone has been enjoying their Sunday!! Bitter cold here after a little snowstorm we had on Friday. Spent the day snuggled up inside the house, not doing much of anything.

Today I am going to show you a card that I created for the Freshly Made Sketches #278 Sketch and Seize the Birthday "Anything Goes." Once again I have been playing with my camera, trying to get better shots of my projects but all my experiments were bad. I wound up going with the darn light box again, and I need better lights!!

I know that this card is not exactly like the card but my card was inspired by it. My shape, aka balloons, are a little higher then I would have liked but it didn't work any lower. This is an example of what is in my head does not necessarily translate into reality.

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch that I used for this card:

 

I started off my card by cutting a blue scrap of pattern paper and adhering it to the card. I then created a background using CAS-ual Fridays Stamps "Shenanigans" stamp set, stamping in light gray on a white background. I knew I would be putting another sentiment over it so I didn't want the paper to be too overwhelming.

I added the paper over the blue and then adhered the little streamers that I had stamped and cut using PaperTrey Ink's "Birthday Style" stamp set. This set is as old as the hills but it worked for what I wanted it to do.

I die cut and blended the balloons, adhering them over some die cut strings. The sentiment is from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps "Frankly'isms" stamp and was stamped last.

I chose the colors to be more masculine in nature. I have a hard time making cards for men and wanted to do something a little more funny then cute.

On a more personal note, I had a really bad week. Payroll fell for a phishing scam and all my district's information is out there now. Some people filed tax returns, finding out that they already had been filed falsely. My husband did ours and ours were not. Probably because I would have owed if I filed myself!! Now I have an eagle eye watch on all things credit related and am just so frustrated. I really, really dislike people who steal on the web-and I really don't care the reason.

Also worried about budget cuts on our local, state and federal level. I find it so annoying that on a state level, that our government cannot make the cities be more fiscally responsible. We pay A LOT of property tax and it annoys me that I have to bail out cities like Hartford due to stupid financial decisions. I thought I was able to let go of some of the stuff I cannot control but budgets do effect whether I have a job or not so all this uncertainty gets to me after a while. I have been so grumpy and irritable the whole week and my stomach has started to hurt. Even working out has not helped me!!

Anyway, finally had a good cry yesterday and today I feel a bit better. I also did some color therapy, joining in the Thirty Day Coloring Challenge, which also helped.

Well that is all for me today. I will post the cards I create from the coloring sometime this week. Just have to get the mojo working!!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for reading this LONNNNGGGG post. I appreciate all your comments that you so generously make. Crafters ROCK!!

Nora

Supplies:

Stamps-CAS-ual Fridays Stamps “Shenanigans” and “Franklyisms,” PaperTrey Ink “Birthday Style”

Dies-PaperTrey Ink “Birthday Style,” Lawn Fawn “Party Balloons”

Ink-WPlus9 “Fairy Dust,” Simon Says Stamp “Island Blue,” Stampin Up! “Certainly Celery,” Ranger “Jet Black” Archival Ink

Paper-Recollections “White,” PaperTrey Ink “Select White,” Stampin Up! “Pistachio Pudding,” Bazzill Black

Other-MISTI, Big Shot, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, Scotch Dot Adhesive, Foam Adhesive, Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool