Beachy Themed Birthday Card

Hello, hope you all are having a great day!  The weather here is thankfully not so darn hot and muggy, which means that we can have the a/c off, and the windows wide open!  I just love to hear the birds singing, and the wind blowing in the trees.  Don't get me wrong, I love air conditioning on those hot and steamy days!

I wanted to share a fun card project I made for a girl friends birthday card.  She loves anything beach related (so do I!), so I thought this fun vintage graphic of a bathing beauty would be perfect. Of course, I got it over at the Graphics Fairy, love, love, love her site!  And I also found the neat vintage sheet music over there, which I thought was especially appropriate, as it was titled "By the Crystal Sea".

I began with a brown cardstock card, then I attached the copy of sheet music (which I tore some of the edges of, love that look!), and lightly inked the edges. I then cut out the image of the woman with decorative scissors, and mounted it on blue textured cardstock cut in the same scalloped edge design.  I used used an ordinary glue stick for the adhesive.

I used "zots" to attach this really neat braided raffia type trim, that I found at an amazing scrapbooking shop while on vacation in Maui last winter.  I absolutely love shells, and so does my friend, so I thought they would be the perfect adornment on the card.  I used those thick foam adhesive squares (can't think of the name right now, and I am too lazy to run down to my craft room & check!) to stick the shells on the braided trim.

The card still needed a little something else, so I glued on a small piece of this neat seaweed type thingy that I found at the beach.  (notice that when I can't think of the name of something, I just refer to it as a "thingy"?!  I hope I'm not the only one who does this!)   Of course, I can't make a card without using some Martha Stewart glitter!  I used a lot on this card, including a bit on the shells!

As one last bit of embellishment, I added this pretty dimensional orchid sticker.  I found a bunch of these, from Martha Stewart, at that same scrapbooking store in Maui.  We have lots of Martha's crafting items here in Michigan, but I have never seen the orchid stickers here.  They even came pre-glittered! 

Here's one last look.  I wouldn't make a card like this and send it in an envelope, as the shells can be fragile.  I mailed it in my friends birthday package, so it was well cushioned.  If you need some inspiration for card making, be sure to head on over to The Graphics Fairy  Karen has a ton of gorgeous graphics to share!
I am linking this project up with Brag Monday over at The Graphics Fairy.  Be sure to check it out!