Happy chuffing birthday you old bugger

On Tuesday it is my father in laws 50th birthday. I love Chris to bits, he's my best friend, I'd walk over hot coals for him but I will NEVER custom make decoupage for a card for him again....

I spent an hour on my hands and knees with a surgically sharp scalpel cutting out this chuffing tank! Then because the base image is curly the whole card looks squiffy! I'm content enough that he will be over the moon though. It's a tank, with cogs. What could be better?

Shopping list: 

Papermania urban stamp Chronology cogs

Chronology toppers 

Chronology Gears

Chronology 8x8 papers (grey gears and orange cogs and text) 

Dark green (sort of dark sage/military type colour) 

Vintage photo distress ink

Black embossing powder (I have a papermania one) 

Sentiment stamp (I used the Martha Stewart "self-inking stamp designer starter set" to. Create a custom sentiment)  

Rectangular labels dies (I used Xcut Large Dies) 

A4 cream card blank

To begin with I spent about 35 minutes finding all of the correct letters and positioning them on the stamp. This will be easier for most people as I found dyslexia to be a mild hindrance... Then after a few practice stamps I made the final impression on the grey patterned paper. I waited for the ink to dry and cut two matching label shapes (one small and one big) the larger one was sized by the topper I wanted to use as part of the sentiment plaque.

Following this, all hell broke loose. It took me about 55 minutes of swearing, perspiring and shaking to cut out the decoupage. I've never cut out decoupage before, let alone one where I was choosing were to cut and never again 350 gsm... I could have sworn I was just cutting through board... 

Next some fun. I repeatedly stamped my favourite background stamp in vintage photo and threw some black embossing powder at it vaguely before heat embossing to create a textured background paper. 

The rest was a sort of mouse induced rage (I can hear the little buggers scratching and squeaking in my kitchen!!!!!) I used torn paper with inked edges and a layered paper ribbon made from off cuts of the background to frame the tank before mounting up a sentiment for the front. I know it's sideways. I'm just zany like that. I layered up the tank pieces and heaved a sigh of relief. 

Now I need to relax, possibly knit, definitely cry and hope that the mice find the Creme Egg baited in-humane traps. (I'm not ashamed, Hull has a real problem with mice and the council recommend that if you have a recurring mouse problem that you use lethal means of removal. I don't like dealing with dead mice personally but I don't want my daughter wading around in mouse poop so I don't have much choice) 

Some very sleepy crafty hugs x