Monday, November 22, 2010

Hippo Bithday, Shiraz!

I am so excited to show you this next card.  I actually thought of it while I was making this card back in February knowing full well who I would make it for.  I sketched it out on some scrap paper and basically waited until this week to make it.  It was hard to wait that long, but I think that makes me all the more excited to give this to the little boy it was meant for. My BIL scoffed when he found out there were no moving parts (LOL) so I hope this one doesn't disappoint.  :)

Shiraz turns 2 this month.  He's a pretty amazing little guy, a lot of which stems from the fact that he has pretty amazing parents. Shiraz's father is sort of the older brother Mr. Bean never had.  Mr. B looks up to him and respects him and loves working for him.  Shiraz's mother is a fascinating woman.  She is from Tanzania, fluent in like 5 different languages (I don't think I'm exaggerating here), operates Journey to Africa, a company that specializes in customized safaris to Tanzania and Kenya (please check it out even if you aren't considering a trip to Africa...it'll make you want to go, like now), is an awesome mother, baker and, of course, crafter.  She is the one who inspired me to actually sit and learn to sew and is a huge supporter of my addiction to paper.  So, needless to say, I always try to make something special for Shiraz.  Because I know whatever it is I create, it will be appreciated.  And that is like icing on the cake for a craft addict, isn't it? 

The inspiration for this card was a combination of the Elephant Baby card and Jenn Ski's alphabet cards.  While I was making that card, I thought how cute it would be to have a diorama-esque card that showed animals and numbers instead of letters.


I went with hippos because, well, there aren't many animals that are cuter than hippos.  Since Shiraz was turning two, I wanted two hippos sitting in a body of water - much like the grassy waters you see on any nature show. Everything was sketched out and hand cut except, of course, the Thickers and mini alpha stickers.  I am really upset with myself because I actually made little party hats for the hippos and then forgot to glue them down. UGH. 


For the water, I used two different tones of blue cardstock.  One textured.  One flat. I tried to keep it from looking like an ocean. The jury is still out on whether I was successful or not, but I think we can all use our imaginations here.  

For the grass, I used two different papers.  One was a light green patterned paper.  The other was Bazzill Bling, but I used both the bling side and the reverse (matte) side of it.  Each blade was hand cut and glued down in a pretty ugly manner to a piece of cardstock, which is one reason why I had to change my original plan to have grass along the bottom of the card. 


For the sun, I used a circle punch on some scraps and just clipped it to look like rays.  I added a button for more color from a huge jar that my grandmother gave me of her leftover buttons.  Gotta love Grandma.  The clouds were freehanded on the reverse side of the cardstock and hand cut. 


I didn't originally include the pennant banner, but what says 'birthday' better than a banner?  So, I used some twine to make it look like the hippos where holding up a banner just for Shiraz.  I literally tied the twine in a bow around the hippos' tail and prayed it didn't rip the tails off.  That's what you call livin' la crafty vida loca, my friends.  


I used Thickers for Shiraz's name and placed it on a little name plate I created with blue cardstock.  OK, I'm lying.  I didn't do that on purpose, but don't you love when stuff works out like that??  :)  What I did do on purpose was place the letters in a way that made it look like they were each floating in water.   And, finally, I think it goes without saying that I used a ton of pop up dots to piece this card together. 

If you are still reading, that was about it!  I think with every card you make, you think of all these things you could have done differently or other things you could have added - and even things you forgot to add - but one aspect of card making that I enjoy is the problem solving part of it.  You start out with a one dimensional sketch and figure out how to make it two dimensional.  I love how it came out and I know Shiraz and his parents will love it, too.

Happy Birthday, Shiraz!  It's been such a pleasure to watch you grow up.  I hope you love your card, because I think I already know what I want to do next year. :) 

9 comments:

Anita said...

Ummmm I'm like speechless here. (and you know this doesn't happen to me) If I didn't already looooooove my card so much, I would be tackling you for this one. It. is. so. AMAZING.

Seester said...

Cutest card ever!

Unknown said...

SO CUTE! That's it... I'm ordering from you!!! :)

Unknown said...

Btw, I can't wait to craft i.e. crochet whenever I see some new pattern. So... kudos to your patience in making this card! :) Really paid off!

poo kah loo said...

shiraz's parents absolutely LOVE this card. we are so lucky to have a 'couture' card from you. it will be framed for his room.

pintobean said...

wildfleur, haha! well, we'll see what my new silu can do for you next year! ;)

seester, thanks. :")

lilian, ha! let me know when you guys have a special delivery on the way and i will make sure i send you a special delivery. ;)

poo kah loo, so glad you guys liked it! i feel like a rock star with all the comments!!

Sarah said...

Sheesh!! These cards just keep getting better and better. This is so adorable!

Shari Thurman said...

That is the cutest freaking birthday card I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm shocked that someone hasn't contacted you to publish it. You need to submit it to card trends magazine! Great job!

pintobean said...

sarah, thanks! your opinion means a lot to me. :)

shari, thanks! what a HUGE compliment! i honestly know nothing about submitting cards, but you've peaked my interest and boosted my self esteem. ;) i am going to look into it. do people really contact you directly to publish stuff?? i never knew that! big thanks for the info and for hopping over and checking out my blog!