Sweet Birthday Wishes

Today I have two cards to share. I often pick a stamp or a card layout and make more than one similar card with variations. In this case, though I was using the same stamp, the cards look completely different. 

Both cards use the large cupcake stamp by Inkadinkado. The sentiment for the first card is by Studio G. The patterned paper is by DCWV and was the inspiration for the color scheme. The ribbon and jewel were in my stash, so I'm not sure where they came from, but the ribbon most likely came from Michael's. The little flower is Heidi Grace Designs with a small brad added to the center. I used the Polka Dots embossing folder for the background.  

I don't have any of the fancy Copic Markers...just haven't made the investment yet. So I color with other markers and colored pencils. The problem with colored pencils is that you can see the pencil strokes. But I saw a great tip on Pinterest where you take a cotton swab dipped in some rubbing alcohol and rub it over your colored image. I gave it a try and I am very pleased with the results! It really did blend my pencil strokes for the most part and it's not so obvious I used colored pencils! I'll be using this technique a lot...until one day I make that investment for the "good" markers! :)

For the second card the sentiment is also from Inkadinkado. No clue who the paper is by...like most of the paper in my stash! And again, the ribbon is probably from Michael's. On this cupcake, I used Studio G glitter glue to highlight the sprinkles, and a small gem for the "cherry" on top. 

There is a similar card buried deep in my files that I saved forever ago where I drew my inspiration. I wish I knew who the original card belonged to so I could give credit, but I saved it long before I knew to keep up with that sort of thing. But to whoever designed the original card...thank you for your inspiration!