Birthday Blessings To You

Hello crafters!  Here is one you can use for the guys in your life as it has a rather masculine feel to it.  I started by embossing black card with my Basketweave embossing folder.  I cut it into strips and matted them with soft gold card.  Using the Enchanted gold gilding wax, I rubbed it along the embossed card to give it a gilded look.  I love the way it really brings out the embossed pattern too.  I arranged the strips in a sort of woven look with two strips going horizontally and two strips going vertically down the card.  I taped them in to place from the back and then attached them to a piece of taupe coloured card to create my background.  I cut a large Gold Labels Four die out of soft gold card.  I used a smaller size to cut the inside out to create a frame.  I used the median die in that set and added it in during the embossing phase only to add a lovely textural look to the frame.  I stamped a piece of black card using the Floral Lace stamp from my Stamps To Die For Range from Creative Expressions.  I embossed it with black powder and added it behind my frame with mounting foam.  I stamped my sentiment on taupe card and cut it out with the Stately Circle die.  I lightly inked it with Black Soot while still in the die, then added it to the centre of my frame with mounting foam.  I finished the card with a double pierced mat of taupe card and some flatback black pearls in the lower corner.  Finished dimensions are 8" x 9" in size.  All for now, Sue x