Paint chip birthdays

I saw a card on Pinterest that linked back to creativelynks.blogspot.com that featured a paint chip on the card.  She added an image to her paint chip, I did not but did like the idea of the paint chip being the feature - hence my inspiration.

The A2 card is white cardstock.  I ran the vellum layer through a Provocraft embossing folder (Happy Birthday).  To prevent the vellum from cracking I used a premium crease pad instead of the top clear plate.

Happy 60th birthday!

Sizzix Typo Upper 661198
Ranger:  Black Enamel Accents, archival ink (Black Soot, Jet Black)
EKSuccess:  Scrabble stamp set
black, white, kraft cardstocks

Unknown border punch
Sizzix: Tattered Florals, Tattered Greens
white, black cardstocks
distress ink: yellow, brown, green (whatever was on foam applicator)

 My sister's faith is very important to her.  I used this photo of her church to recreate a version she could have at home.

Sizzix:  Village Bell Tower 660987, Village Dwelling 660992, Village Brownstone 661205, Village Rooftops 661197; TMS038 mini brick stencil

Ranger:  embossing powder (clear, Pumice Stone, Red Geranium, Frosted Crystal, Orange Blossom, Watering Can, Cement, Bottle, Moss); clear embossing ink; distress ink (Ground Espresso, Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke); distress paint (Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone); alcohol ink (Stonewashed, Butterscotch, Raisin, Meadow)

miscellaneous:  white cardstock, chipboard, washi tape, Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi embossing powder, bell, was

I made up my own recipe for the bricks, roof and grass based on a recipe Wendy Vecchi shared on her blog.  Do make a test run on a scrap piece of cardstock to make sure you get the look you want.  I did wipe some Pumice Stone distress ink over most of the surfaces to tone down some of the color.

If you have these dies you can see I made some alterations to the roofs (cut narrow edges off each one) and walls.  All the dies were first cut from white cardstock then cut or traced and cut around a 2nd set on white cardstock.  The second set had any tabs removed and were cut apart before altering.  When needing just a trim piece I cut out the appropriate wall, marked the piece I wanted to use, turned it over and embossed with appropriate color, heat set, then cut out and adhered.

Unbeknownst to me my niece had made an entire putz house village for the dining room table and put tea lights under each one.  They are scaled perfectly for this so now it's as if the entire congregation can reside in her home!  Toooo funny!

Tranquility

Dark blue Bazzill cardstock is the base for my A2 card.  Using Royal & Langnickel 119# watercolor cardstock (love the off-white color for vintage types of cards!) and stamped the main image (Scribble Woodland) in dark blue permanent ink.  In the upper left hand corner I stamped the tranquility image from Kanji (Stampin' Up).

Around the image I stamped the marbled image (Stampendous Marble Cube TC01---years old but very useful) in Brushed Cordury distress ink.  Not wanting to lose all the lines I took a large stencil brush dipped in water and splotched over them carefully.  While the cardstock was still damp I roughed up the edges with the blade of my scissors.

Snowy scenes always bring a bit of peace to my chaotic world.  I love hearing the snow fall and take joy in the quietness it brings.