Mini Composition Book Birthday Card

I just received a new My Favorite Things stamp set and I was anxious to ink it up.  I also wanted to come up with an original birthday card that wouldn't be thrown in the trash after a few weeks.  (Can you believe that some people discard lovingly handmade cards?)  Mini composition tablets (3 in a pack for $1 at the dollar store) were just sitting on my shelf hoping that I would give them a new look so I thought, "Why not?" I started by stamping the girl image on a piece of watercolor paper (large enough to cover the tablet) and coloring it in with Copic pens.  Next I made a mask from some no design washi tape.  Since I didn't have any no print tape that was wide enough, I overlapped three strips on a piece of computer paper and then stamped the image with waterproof ink.  After cutting out the image, I ran the piece under water and rubbed off the computer paper on the back of the cut out tape image. This then became the mask used to protect the image from watercolors or inks applied for the background.

Before the back was colored with ink splatters, I stamped the 'happy birthday' in white ink and then applied white detail embossing powder. This was then heat embossed before the distress ink splatters were applied.  If not all the words are stamped clearly, you can brush off the powder and start again. Also after heat embossing, blank spots can be filled in with a white gel pen. I like the artsy look of the embossed words (Stampendous) and by stamping them sidewards,I think they really add to the overall free-spirit look of the birthday card.  After stamping on the Eiffel Tower and French words, the finished watercolor paper cover was lightly sprayed with a matte finish (to protect the design from damp hands) before it was glued to the tablet with Beacon 3 in 1 glue.  A craft knife and scissors were used to trim off the excess paper.

I plan to write a message inside the composition book to wish the recipient a 'happy birthday'.  I hope the birthday girl will keep this notebook card in her purse for those times when she needs a piece of paper and the cell phone won't do.  It is also my hope that she will look at the composition book card often and see every day as one for celebrating her life.  No one would throw this card away....would they?