Family Birthdays

I've been a little MIA lately, but believe me, I've still been crafting. I was actually making a series of holiday cards for my parents to give to their coworkers this year. That involved quite a bit of designing and then mass producing. Hence, my absence. But I'm back today with a couple of birthday cards that I've created for family.

First up is a card for my brother. I'm not so great with masculine cards, so it took me a while to come up with a concept.

I decided on something clean and simple and a little bit punny. I like how it turned out! I combined a couple of stamp sets from WPlus9 to create this simplistic look. It also just happens to fit in with the Less Is More challenge this week since the theme is Masculine. Perfect timing!

Supplies:
Stamps: Punny Produce: Pears (WPlus9), Wishing You (WPlus9)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green

Next up is a card for my mother. Her card was easier to come up with. For as long as I can remember, my parents have talked about retiring to Florida. About a year ago, they bought a home in Sarasota, so they're taking steps to make their dream a reality. That means that whenever I think of them, I think tropical themes.

My Favorite Things recently released some stamps that remind me of my parents, so I snatched them up as soon as I could. I used them here to create a cute card for my mother. The "birthday" part of the sentiment is actually stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold. The background for the sentiment has some yellow ink blended up from the bottom to give it a little depth.

There's a better picture so you can see the shine. It's much easier to read IRL. I was extremely happy with the way it came out! I think this reflects my mother perfectly!

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Everything (Mama Elephant), Polynesian Paradise (My Favorite Things), Pineapple Background (My Favorite Things)
Dies: Stitched Ovals (Simon Says Stamp), Polynesian Paradise (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Sahara Sand
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Sunflower and Freshly Cut Grass (Lawn Fawn), Lemon Chiffon (Simon Says Stamp), Assorted Copics
Other: Gold embossing powder, Clear Droplets 4mm and 6mm (Pretty Pink Posh)