I needed a masculine birthday card to celebrate a family member’s 70th birthday. This birthday is a milestone, so I wanted the card to be special. He is an avid fisherman, so I knew that the Bill The Bear Stamp Set would be a perfect match. There are so many fun pieces in this set…I wanted to use them all! When I don’t know where to start I find it easiest to stamp and watercolor multiple images and then figure out the layout. Leftover pieces can always be used on another card. I loved how it turned out but I was struggling with how to post it. It is almost two cards in one and I didn’t want to overwhelm you with double the pictures and instructions. So…I decided to break it into two blogs. I will post Part Two (the inside) next Sunday.
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I stamped multiple images, from the Bill The Bear Stamp Set, onto Tim Holtz Watercolor Cardstock, using Ranger Black Archival Ink. All the images were watercolored using Distress Inks and a DaVinci Cosmotop Spin watercolor brush. They were die cut, using the coordinating Bill The Bear Die Set, and my favorite Purple Tape. You can see some of them below.

The inside of the card is intricate so I wanted the card front to be quick and simple. I chose the campfire, hot dog on a stick, and a firefly to go on the front.

The recipient is a retired sheriff so I wanted to incorporate a star into the design. I taped together two stars, using the Stacking Stars Die Set. I dusted the inside of the tape with an Embossing Powder Bag to cut down on the stickiness. I cut multiple pieces of Khaki cardstock. I had planned to stack them but only ended up using one piece. I also cut one star from black cardstock.

The star was stamped using the plaid pattern, from the Bitty Patterns Stamp Set, and Peeled Paint Distress Ink. 

All the pieces were glued down, using a Lawn Fawn Glue Pen, onto a rectangular piece of #80 Neenah cardstock and layered onto a piece of black cardstock. It was then glued onto a piece of #110 Neenah cardstock using a tape runner. The sentiment is from the Foxy Sentiments Stamp Set. 

This card could easily stand on it’s own…but like I said, I wanted it to be special! Want to see a sneak peek of the inside? Be sure to check back next Sunday to see the rest of it!!

As always, thank you for sharing a bit of your time with me today on another creative journey.

Joyfully, Jo Ann

Supplies used:
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