More Than a Challenge Card

Have you ever checked out the size of a receiving blanket that you buy at the store? It's only big enough to wrap around the baby about the first week of life. It exasperated my Mama so much, that she started making flannel blankets when her grandkids were babies. However she went one step farther than just making them bigger, she doubled them and made them at least a 45" square. Some were longer than 45".  She started out making them for the grandkids, but pretty soon it became her signature gift to new babies. The mothers loved them, because they'll cover a child until they're at least 5, if not longer. I took up the tradition before she passed away, and I never make a blanket that I don't think of my Mama and remember the way that she loved to do for people. I've found she was on the right track with this gift. Friends to whom I gifted their grandbabies with the blankets, tell me how they're still be used. In the last year, I started adding a crocheted edging. It takes a little longer, but it adds a nice touch.

So you're sitting here wondering what all this has to do with the price of eggs and card challenges aren't you? It's simple, I recently finished a blanket for a friend's first grandchild, and I needed a card to go with the gift. Phindy's Place image, Brand New with  that sweet, sweet baby sleeping on her blanket was perfect for the card and for the Die Cut Challenge over on the Phindy's Place Challenge Blog this week. I hope that Phindy doesn't mind that I took the stars out of the blanket in her image, so that I could paper piece a butterfly blanket to match the blanket I made(card is on the blanket).

I created the butterfly paper in Photoshop along with the Word Art(grab it below). The purple background paper is embossed with a Spellbinders embossing plate called Butterflies(you know I am a theme type person). I created  a Pink Eyelet strip with a Martha Stewart edge punch , added some lace and topped with some ribbon and a bow. A few pearls to finish it off and voila, a baby card.

I can never say enough about how wonderful all of Phindy's images are, but I am especially drawn to the way she so realistically displays children. Be sure to check out all of her images over at Phindy's Place. You still have time to enter the challenge, and remember, if you use a Phindy's image(and isn't that the nice thing to do for a challenge she sponsors), you get two entries instead of one.

Just a note. The Word Art is in png format. If there's a problem with using it, I can send it to you in jpg format, just send me an e-mail and include Blog Word Art in the Subject line.