60th "Diamond White" Anniversary

 

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we have had to do things--including celebrating my parents' 60th wedding anniversary.

Since we are on an extended lockdown, we couldn't have a gathering of any kind.  What do you gift to two people who have been married this long?  They don't need or want anything.  So, I decided to make them a card to commemorate the occasion.  I had this gorgeous pearlized tri-fold card which was perfect for a "diamond white" anniversary card base.  I cut out two hearts from the same pearlized cardstock and embossed them with musical notes.  I embellished the pocket with acrylic "diamonds" and added a greeting that reads "Two heart making beautiful music together for sixty years!"  

I was able to order a small cake decorated with simple, elegant white roses.  To that, we added 60 white roses--one for every year of marriage.  My parents loved the card, the cake and the roses (which needed two vases)! 

Fika

 

I guess I have always had a fascination with words--unique, unusual words.  I started gathering them on a Pinterest board so that I could keep my favorites in one place.  The inspiration for my September Artfirmation card came from that list.

"Fika" is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude that is an important part of Swedish culture. Swedish people consider it an essential part of every day. Fika is a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life...coffee or tea with friends.  I loved this idea.  We all tend to get caught up in the frenzy of the day, trying to cram a million different things into a 24-hour period.  The pace is dizzying, exhausting and prevents us from being able to connect in a meaningful way.  Taking a break to sit and have a cup of coffee or tea with a friend is a beautiful ritual that allows us to stop, breathe, connect and express gratitude.

A few months ago, I signed up for Jenny Grant's "Story Flow" class on the Art is Magic website.  Jenny's process is very fluid (hence, "flow"), intuitive and I found it very relaxing.  She taught us how to create an interesting layered background with a collage of torn papers, mark making with pens/pencils and applying acrylic inks and paints with a palette knife.  I made several background pages experimenting with this process, trying different color palettes.

The background of my Fika page was one of those background pages.  The sepia, pastel blue and antique white tones gave a bit of a vintage vibe.  I began to picture coffee cups and chintz tea cups and saucers with crocheted doilies.  I used the coffee cup Movers & Shapers Sizzix die and then decorated the die cuts with washi tape.  I tea-dyed a crocheted doily that I cut up to embellish my "table."  I added the spoon from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology mini silverware set for the finishing touch.

Here's hoping we all find time for a little "fika" in our day!

Retirement card for a friend

 I am slowing working my way through the different mixed media techniques and ideas I gained from taking an on-line art journaling course last month.  I loved this lay-out and personalize the message to serve as a retirement card for a friend of mine.

The recipient of this card draws great strength from her faith.  She is also a very talented singer.  I thought I would use a page torn from hymnal for my background.  I added a layer of texture by stenciling just a hint of a cathedral archway and designs that look like ancient stonework onto the church hymnal page.  I kept to a neutral palette applying distress ink (Vintage Photo) through the stencils.

The decorative die-cut on the left side is actually from a strip die that I cut into thirds to form a single chain of circles.  For the finishing embellishment, I selected this quote from St. Augustine "To sing is to pray twice" which was the perfect sentiment for this card.  The quote is framed in a brass-toned label holder secured to the card by mini brads.