50th Anniversary Card for my Parents!

Hello, my dear friends! I hope your week is off to a beautiful start. :o)

There is an incredible event this weekend within my family: my parents' 50th wedding anniversary! It gives me warm fuzzies. They've been together since high school and have been through so much over the years... when the storms come, they persevere. I have no doubt there will be some happy tears from me on Saturday! Being the youngest of five kids, they still refer to me as their little girl. :o)

The inspiration for this card stems around the sweet swans... my dad has swan decor throughout his backyard and he *always* pairs them up just like this! (He's beyond precious.) I thought they would make a wonderful anniversary card. I aimed for sweet and (relatively) streamlined, with touches of whimsy and elegance. My parents make my heart sparkle. :o)

My first card using my Cameo. :o) How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I fell in love with this flourished hearts background and so badly wanted to use it for this card. The flourishes make me think of waves and with the hearts sprinkled throughout, I just kept thinking "waves of love!" I knew this would be gorgeous for a scrapbook LO or home decor, but I felt I would be pushing it as a card base. There are so many ultra thin parts, especially when scaled down. Since I couldn't stop thinking about it, I gave it a whirl... and the amazing Cameo cut it beautifully as a 5.5-inch square! I was elated! I used Core Couture burgundy paper to replicate sunbeam reflections dancing atop the waves. :o)

The pretty swans:

The gorgeous Sarah Bailey swan file is actually just a silhouette, so I originally planned to hand-cut some feathery wings since I wanted them dimensional. However, I stumbled upon the talented Lisa Barrie who had also used this swan cut. She brilliantly paired it with a file that contains wings, so I happy-danced and did the same. So much quicker than hand-carving! To make these Trumpeter swans, I made them black beaks and used teeny black pearls for their eyes. Since my mom adores pearls, I couldn't resist making a pearly necklace for one. :o) To add a few more 'waves' beneath the swans, I used three from this file since they matched my background perfectly. I lined the thinnest one with tiny sparkles for extra sunbeams. :o) Lastly, I added a Recollections flourish.

The pearlescent white background is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder. The hearts are from the Cheery Lynn Designs Two of Hearts set, which I accented with pearls and layered with pop-dots for dimension. A flower was a must for this card, so I sprayed a white Wild Orchid Crafts rose with Candy Apple Red glimmer mist for color and sparkle. It centers a little bow made with Snow White crinkle ribbon from My Craft Spot.

The pretty Pink Gem Designs digi sentiment is from their Vintage Occasion set, which I already love. It will get a lot of use. :o) I accented it with three pearls to match the heart and swan. This card was a joy to create as I thought of the extra special celebration... I pray they love it as much as I do. :o) I could wax poetic about the love that went into this card, but I think I'll save it for when I post the gift I'm making them next. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *A Gem of a Challenge~ Emboss It (dry embossing on white base)
 *Card Mania~ Oh, So Girly (hearts, sparkle, flower)
 *Cheery Lynn Designs~ Sweethearts
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Love/Romance/Anniversary
 *Cute Card Thursday~ Diamonds are Forever!
 *DL.Art~ Linky Party
 *Joanna Sheen~ New Beginnings (anniversary)
 *Little Scrap Pieces Fun Friday~ Use a Flower
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *My Craft Spot~ Bling it Up!
 *Really Reasonable Ribbon~ Valentine's Day/Love, plus Ribbon
 *The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog~ Use Three Different Textures

Thank you for floating on by! (hehe) I wish you a lovely week of blessings and joy! :o)