Today is a special day and to celebrate this special day, four of us are participating in a blog hop. What’s so special about today you ask? Well, it’s Brian King’s birthday! Brian is our Stampin’ Up! upline and “King” of our “InKing Royalty Team”. We hope that you enjoy our little blog hop dedicated to Brian as he celebrates his special day. I’m number 3 in the list; the full blog line up with links to all of our blogs is listed at the bottom of this post. I hope you’ll click on each link to see the special cards that we’ve made for Brian. And, when you’re done, you may want to check out Brian’s blog. He always has something amusing to share with his readers.
When I set out to make a card for Brian, I knew a couple of things I wanted to do with it. I wanted it to reflect things that I have learned from Brian over the last year. I wanted it to be Brian-worthy, no small feat there. And I wanted him to like, ok, LOVE it.
1. It couldn’t be a standard size card. Brian is always showing us how to use cards of varying sizes. My card today is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2. Check
2. I wanted to use brighter colors, specifically something in the orange family and Island Indigo. He and I had a phone conversation several months ago where he told me I absolutely had to get some Island Indigo paper because it is gorgeous. He was right. I have a stash of Island Indigo now and used it as my card base. That was another Brian thing, the darkest color should be the base of the card, to ground everything else. Check.
3. I wanted it to be fun. Not Christmas-y in the least. Having a birthday 9 days before Christmas is something I’m familiar with. My daughter was also born on Dec 16 and I did my best to make sure she had birthday presents and birthday cards separate from the looming Christmas holiday. The paper I used today is from the new Watercolor Wonder DSP, available Jan 2. I saw this paper and it just looked like a Brian kind of thing and not in the least like a holiday print. And did you see how I lined up the colored chevrons on both pieces of DSP. Another Brian-ism. Check.
4. This is where I then just got stumped. I was trying to use a different stamp from the new Another Great Year stamp set available Jan 2, but it just wasn’t working. That was when I realized I needed to revisit the other stamps in the set. The little Wish Big stamp was perfect, and I could watercolor in the image to match the paper.
5. Final touches. I thought I was finished. I had the paper, the candy dots, the sentiment, the ribbon on the sides….but it just looked like it needed something else. I already had candy dots, sentiment, ribbon. What else could I possibly add to the top portion. Then I saw it, thrown on my stamping table amongst all the scraps from my disasters (see above), another new stamp set, Banner Blast with a coordinating banner punch. Stamped in all the colors from the paper, punch, string and hang across the top and I’ve got the perfect addition. Check and Whew.
Brian, it’s in the mail on it’s way to you as you read. Promise!
I hope you enjoyed our blog hop today and will stop on over at Brian King’s own Stamp With Brian blog site and wish him a very happy birthday 🙂
- Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly’s Creative Corner
- Katie Ferguson at Cottage Paper
- Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery’s Owlery You Are Here
- Brian King at Stamp with Brian — Don’t forget to leave him a comment to wish him a happy birthday
Lynn, This is the coolest post ever! I could not love this card more than I do, and I appreciate all the points you make about it (so fun to see “my” techniques in action by others). Y’all are such a sweet group, and I really appreciate all of you. Thanks!
Brian
you are so worth it, Brian. It was a really fun thing to put together. Katie deserves all the credit for the idea. Hugs to Katie!!
Pingback: Happy Birthday to Me: Post #2 for Today | stampwithbrian.com
Love it , what nice friends you have Brian !! Your special !!!!!
Hugs F,
Bravo! What an amazing card for an amazing guy! You all mean the world to Brian and it know he is thrilled beyond belief at his Birthday hop!
I LOVE your card! I love the colors and the DSP is perfect for this layout! The little banners just really topped it off! Such a colorful, happy card!!! I have no doubt Brian just loved this card as well!! 🙂
Tonya, so glad you liked it. It was so fun to do.
Lynn
Oh I really do LOVE this card. That DSP is to dye for. I actually thought you drew those chevrons! and I did notice how they lined up. Love how you all wrote about what you have learned from Brian. 🙂
Nancy, you will definetly need to put that paper and the Banner Blast and punch bundle on your wish list. It is just so cute and easy to create a perfect little touch. So glad you liked it.
I spot those new little banners. So cute. Love all the new goodies and what a sweet way to wish Brian a happy birthday!
Thanks so much Mary. I was so glad I had those little banners to top everything off!!
Lynn
Ohhh, the sweet banner really makes this card extra-special!
WOWWEE and double WOWWEE! Clever and beautiful. One of the best cards. What a special treat for Brian.
Its my first time at your blog but I will now be a faithful follower–after I read Brian’s.
Oh thank you, Marsha! Yup I would read his first, too.
L
I love, love, love your card! The fact that it is for Brian makes it so much more special. I like the way you gave the details a la Brian’s style. He’s a great teacher and a very special person. Thanks for sharing! Nancy B
So glad you liked it Nancy!!
LOVE LOVE this card! I am in love with the new Watercolor DSP and this card is perfect! Love the banner on top too! Totally a Brian card! Thanks for sharing…. I will continue to follow you… I love your style!
Aww Bobbi, thanks so much.
Lynn
What a great card! Love all the colors in that Watercolor Wonder DSP and love your use of the Banner Blast Stamp Set and Banner punch. Very cute! I have the punch but think I may “need” that set too!
Wow, this is fabulous! I love everything about it.