Ruby Wedding ❤️🌅🦢

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a very special card that I made recently for my darling husband - a card for our ruby wedding anniversary (40 years). ❤️

Earlier in the year I bought the Lavinia swan stamps with a view to using them for this occasion - I thought they would be particularly appropriate as they do say swans mate for life! However I spent quite a while racking my brain as all my ideas for romantic layouts involving hearts seemed to be very similar to previous cards I have made (he has in the past received several romantic moonlit scenes!!). Then suddenly, and quite rarely for me, I had a burst of inspiration … our favourite romantic holiday destination is Santorini which is famous for its sunsets, so I decided to make a water scene with the sun setting behind the hills. 🌅 It also gave me opportunity to incorporate the colour red in a natural way, as that is a colour my husband normally hates! I have called this one “Sunset over the Caldera”…. I’m aware that this scene is really a lake rather than the ocean, but in the magical world of Lavinia anything is possible!! 

I cut a 16.5cm square of stamping card and masked off a square using masking sheet. I used a paper mask to create a horizon and a circle mask for the setting sun, then blended Sundance, Russet Orange and Paprika Elements inks and Bordeaux Spectrum Noir ink to form my sky. I then removed the masks and blended the same colours on the bottom half of the image panel for the lake, but without the circle mask so the reflection of the sun was not defined. I defined the horizon with the straight edge of a hill mask and Nocturne Versafine Clair, then added hills and their reflections using my Mini Hill masks and blended VFC. 

I stamped the bulrushes in the bottom corners then stamped my two swans and a cascade of red hearts. I added some leafy foliage in the top corners, then added some depth to the scene by blending Graphite Elements around the edges. I removed the masking sheet and highlighted the scene with Sakura Stardust pens and white Posca pen; I also added ripples to the water and highlighted them with Wink of Stella. 

I matted the finished scene onto a black border and then an 8” square card, and to finish added stamped sentiments and die cut numbers to show it is our 40th anniversary, plus a teeny “ruby” heart gem. 

Here is angled picture to show the sparkle.

As this is a special card I also added a bit of decoration to the inside of the card and the envelope too.

Stamps: Lavinia Swans, Bulrushes, Silhouette Foliage Set, Vine Flourish, Group of Hearts Mini; Woodware Happy Anniversary; Me to You (husband wording);

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Sundance, Russet Orange, Paprika, Graphite); Spectrum Noir Harmony ink (Bordeaux); Versafine Clair (Nocturne);  Sakura Stardust pens (Orange, clear); Posca pen (white); Wink of Stella;

Tools: Provocraft Hippie Chick number dies; Lavinia Hill, Mini Hill and Circle acetate masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #798 - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge - L is for Landscape (2nd entry)

Colourful Options (September) - Be Bold - TOP 3

Country View Challenges (September) - Autumn Richness (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore (September) - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #678 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations (September) - Anything Goes

A Cut Above (September) - Use a Die Cut

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday (September) - Anything Goes - TOP PICK

Fab ‘n’ Funky #600 - Anniversaries

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #9 - Anniversary - WINNER

Love to Craft #82 - Anything Goes

Mix It Up #73 - Anything Goes

NBUS #66 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff

(Swan and bulrushes stamps)

Stamping Sensations (September) - Anything Goes with option Animal Magic (2nd entry)

Paper Funday #69 - Anything Goes with option Create Your Own Background

Simon Says (Monday) - Stamp It

Triple B (September) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Try It On Tuesday - Make It Colourful - END OF YEAR SPOTLIGHT

We Love 2 Create #8 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #665/666 - Anything Goes

Here is the original image panel without sentiments, which I am entering into Lavinia Creative Challenge (September) - Autumn Hues (2nd entry)

I must say that for once I’m very pleased with how this turned out - indeed it was a labour of love! ❤️❤️🦢

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Ruby Wedding

Quite a few weeks ago now I received a lovely email from a lady who was new to blogging, and who was looking for a few hints and tips as she  had "dipped her toe" in the water and wanted to start entering challenges ... specifically the Penny Black Saturday Challenge :-) We got to chatting by email and soon we were getting on like a house on fire and chatting away for England ....or even Australia!!

I'm talking about the lovely Jennifer who lives near Sydney, Australia ... , and I'm pleased to say that she was soon well into the swing with her blog. Although new to blogging Jennifer wasn't new to cardmaking and I have loved looking at her gorgeous creations.

Anyhoo, Jennifer has been having a little bit of a tough time recently and has had to suspend her blog temporarily due to health issues .. but in the meantime she has also been busy preparing to celebrate her Ruby Wedding anniversary - woo hoo and many congratulations to Jennifer and her husband John!  

Here's the card I have sent to mark the occasion - being as I have been working late so often the past few weeks I didn't make and send this as early as I would have liked so I'm not sure whether it will arrive in time; but I told Jennifer in an email that I would publish it today, which is the day of her celebration party!!  Given that Sydney is 9 hours ahead of the UK I am publishing this just after midnight so it will be online Sunday morning in Australia, before Jennifer gets into the whirlwind of the day's preparations!

This is one of my favourite romantic images, but I also thought it was particularly apt as it was a shared love of Penny Black stamps which got our friendship started!

Stamp: Penny Black "You're A Treasure" (1589F);

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Paper: Best Creations Inc. "Mr & Mrs" collection;

Supplies: large rose from Hobbycraft; other flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts; Papermania heart gems; ribbon and peel offs from my stash;

Tools: classic heart nestabilities; Marianne Design heart die; numbers cut using Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" alphabet dies.

Here's the inside ....

Challenges

Wild Orchid #53 - Punch It Out 

(punches or dies - I have used dies)

J&C Creations #2 - Animal Antics (2nd entry)

Marianne's Design Divas #11 - Animal Antics (2nd entry)

So many congratulations Jennifer and John - hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your party.