Wishing Happiest Birthday Card

We were one of the fortunate almost half of the Rochester NY area residents with power today, after 81 mile per hour winds tore through upstate New York yesterday.  Prayers go out for all those who did not fare so well.

I walked around the neighborhood to survey the damage, then came home and decided to watercolor.  I made this birthday card....

The stamp is from Altenew's Best Mom clear set.  I watercolored it using Tim Holtz distress inks, then fussy-cut the edge and foam mounted it to the background.  I created the background on a matte coated card stock panel.  I rubbed some distress inks onto my craft mat, using spun sugar, picked raspberry, tumbled glass and salty ocean.  Next, I spritzed the mat with water, and rolled my acrylic brayer through, then onto the matte card stock.  I repeated until I achieved the look I desired.  Then I cleaned off my craft mat, and applied some gold pigment from my Fine Tec metallic watercolor paints, and rolled that onto the panel.  It shows up far more in real life.  When dry, I stamped some Penny Black images (letter background and twirls) on it, then spattered with the picked raspberry.  
Some strips of patterned paper and a narrow strip of white dyed with my ink pad to match the card along the left edge balance the composition.  The 'wishing' dye is Simon Says Stamp, and the birthday phrase is from their coordinating set Sending and Wishing.
I am adding my card to these challenges:

The Daily Marker - 30 day color challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Make your own background

The Flower Challenge - Anything goes

Allsorts Challenge - Spring inspiration 

Thanks so much for stopping in today.  Stay warm and safe.  Hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Blessings,

lynda