A birthday card for sketch Saturday!!!!

Amongst all the Christmas preparations I managed to find time to make a birthday card which is a refreshing change!! (had no choice really, it was hubby's birthday on Monday!). This is the card I made him with the wonderful Claude celebrating giraffe from Whiff of Joy to the wonderful sketch over at Sketch Saturday. I love his hat and waistcoat and the expression on his face don't you!? I love giraffes, they're so graceful in real life. We went to a zoo this year in France and I wasn't sure about going as I'm not really a fan of zoos, as if they're not nice it is upsetting to think of those poor animals, but this was the most gorgeous zoo I've seen with wonderful large spaces for the animals, and when we turned a leafy corner and saw four giraffes' heads poking up through the leaves it brought me to tears they were so beautiful! Sorry, back to the card....the papers are from a K&Co pad and I have distressed the edges with scissors and brushed cordoruy distress ink.

Claude is coloured with copics and I have then sponged around the image edges with brushed cordoruy distress ink. The sentiment I have written with a gold gel pen and distressed the edges of that too.

At the moment I only have the MS doiley lace edge punch which I didn't really feel was suitable for my husband's card LOL so I improvised and punched out a kind of reverse scallop edge using one petal of an EK success flower punch! I have added a couple of strands of jute cord from my stash.

On the bottom of the easel card I used the same papers and framed a sentiment with a grungeboard frame from Tim Holtz. I coloured the frame with a copic, distressed with brushed cordoruy ink and rubbed bronze metallic rub onto it for an antiqued looking frame before adding a couple of black brads.

Hope you like it and thanks for looking! x