Friday, March 25, 2011

Happy Birthday To Me!





Hola, mis amigos!  Today is a special day for me.  44 years ago today, at exactly 4:19am I entered this world...kicking and screaming, and certainly unaware that my future was going to be filled to the brim with absurd amounts of paper, inks, and rubber stamps.  And the lovely woman responsible for my reality?  My wonderful mother.  Oh, dad played a part too, but mom did all the heavy lifting...literally.

Mom and I are tight.  We can crack each other up in a nanosecond, sharing a good, hearty guffaw until it escalates into fits of laughter with tears streaming down our faces.  Best of all, we share a crazy insane passion for paper crafting.  I started to draft the story of how we got into this obsessive hobby as part of this post, but as I progressed deeper into the our personal journey through stamping nirvana, the details started sounding all too familiar.  I did a bit of scouring through my older blog posts and sure enough, there's the story in black and white.  No need to tell it again.  If you're interested in knowing our humble beginnings, click here.  It's fairly entertaining ;D

The real reason for this post today is to share a fabulous art piece that mom created especially for me :)  The woman is super artsy, ridiculously crafty, and just plain talented.  The pictures do not even come close to capturing the awesomeness of mom's project, but let's see if I can assist in filling that gap with a bit descriptive prose.  The base begins with a small, but mighty painted canvas that serves as the stage for her artfully crafted vignette.  A layer of distressed grunge paper adorns the canvas and provides the first layer of vintage charm.  Corrugated cardboard is transformed from something normally discarded into a textural element, with a bit of strategic tearing and whitewashing, to highlight the raised ridges that take on the appearance of a picket fence.  Grunge paper/board images are brought to life with glorious inks and stamped designs to provide the nature inspired "cherry on the cake" so to speak.  A gift from the heart that I will cherish always.  I love you, mom :)

I probably will not post tomorrow...gonna take a little break to do some celebrating ;D  I will, however, see you on Sunday with a new challenge from Kenny K.  There are a few new images to introduce and, of course, they are fabulous!  See you then and be sure to stay crafty!          

24 comments:

  1. Congratulations sheryl hope you have a wonderful time today with lots of surprizes.

    beautiful card love the sketch and your little birdies.
    great papers and colors.

    greetings karin

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  2. This is one fantastic card ! great job,
    greetings, martina
    x

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  3. Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Cheryl, Happy Birthday to you!!!!

    Have an absolutely wonderful day!

    I love that I share this hobby with my Mum too.

    You Mum's canvas creation is an absolutely gorgeous work of art.

    Hugz
    Michelle :-)

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  4. Ohh Cheryl!! Congratulations!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and get spoiled rotten!
    If I obly knew...I could have send you a card,if you still like one ,please send me your address details...
    I wish you many happy returns!

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  5. Congratulations on your birthday!

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  6. Happy birthday! I wish you a lovely day with and hope you can celebrate it with your loved ones.

    Marie-Anne

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  7. Happy happy birthday, Cheryl!!! And that art piece that your mom made is incredible :)

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  8. Happy Birthday to you!!!!Have a nice day......

    Hugs
    Judith

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  9. Happy Birthday Cheryl! Tell your MOM WOW this is just beautiful, I can't stop staring at it.
    Have a great b-day!
    xxx Rosa

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  10. Happy Birthday Cheryl. I love your mums canvas it is stunning xx

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  11. Happy birthday baby girl!!! Wish I could be there, but we did the birthday thing a coupla weeks ago, and had the best time ever. It was non-stop on the go, with the big stamp convention, high tea at the St. James Tea Room, and shopping till we dropped thing! Love you, and have a beautiful day!
    Hugs, Mom

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  12. Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Cherylllllllllllllllllll, Happy Birthday to you.
    I see you are already having a fabulous birthday, hope it continues long into the night my friend
    hugs
    Donna xx

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  13. Happy Birthday. What a lovely present. Would you mom like to adopt me?

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  14. Wishing you the happiest Birthday, that's so wonderful that you and your Mom can share a passion for making these beautiful things.

    Blessings, Lori m

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  15. OMGosh Cheryl this is gorgeous!! I love it!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday to you!! Have a wonderfully fantastic Birthday! Is that little bird the Stampin' Up punch? I am SU Demonstrator and love how you stamped it!!
    Your flower is gorgeous! Did you make it too?
    Big Hugs!

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  16. OOPs just read that your mom created this! It is absolutely gorgeous! You are right she is very talented! But as are you Girlfriend! Have a Great Birthday!
    Big Hugs!

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  17. Hi cheryl,
    Have a verry happy birthday.
    it must feel awsome to see so many friends on your blog.
    Your mother did a great job on that beautiful canvas.
    And you are so rite, she is so talented, as ar you to.
    Hugs from holland, Riet.

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  18. Happy Birthday Cheryl. have an absolutely awesome Day !!!!!!!!
    Liane :-)

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  19. Happy Birthday Sheryl!! Hope it's a fun and exciting day for you!!! Thanks for being my blogger Friend!! Very Pretty card!!

    http://ibecircled.blogspot.com
    ilovetonkinese2 at hotmail dot com
    Rexann

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  20. Happy Birthday and your moms card is totally amazing!!! I love the brads she used that look like screws. I am so glad you highlighted some of the finer details because I might've missed them! Enjoy the rest of your weekend ; )
    Hugs~
    Dana

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  21. I like the card great job. Thank you for sharing.
    Have a great day :)
    Delama

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  22. Oh my, I totally missed your Birthday...I hope it was amazing and full of fun and happiness!! It is way cool that you and your mom share the love of crafting, and this gift she made is beautiful!!! {{hugs}}
    Jami

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  23. Happy Birthday! You're 44?! Wow, you look no more than 34 (no joke....I don't joke about looks ;) ). Gorgeous creation! she sure is talented!

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  24. Belated birthday wishes on your blog for you. Your mother's gift is fabulous. It's clear that you both have the gift of talent!

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Thank you for your lovely comments! They are greatly appreciated :D