Heard it's been ruff

A friend's husband is recuperating from a hip replacement and fractured pelvis after a work related accident. I'm wincing just typing that. Sometimes a card for a man can be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, this man is an animal lover and the dogs in Art Impressions Doggy Kisses Set were perfect for this card. Sentiments are from the same set.

Ahoy, Matey!

Another family birthday party for a young boy was held yesterday. I give my great nephews and great niece money on their birthdays, not because I am lazy but because cash can be used for whatever their hearts desire. No duplicate games that require an exchange or refund, no incorrect clothing sizes, and no what-was-she-thinking-when-she-bought-this looks!

I've had Lawn Fawn's Ahoy, Matey stamp and die set for a while but hadn't used it yet. My design idea is not original, I've seen many variations of this all over Pinterest.

I used black ink on Kraft cardstock, aged a bit with Distress Inks in a few shades of brown. The flaps were made with a Lawn Fawn's Lift The Flap die set. The dotted lines were done with a Copic multiliner.

The die cut images under the flaps and on the inside were colored with Copic markers. 

I don't have a better view of the cash slot but I will explain what I did to create it. The image that you see above is one piece of cardstock with the largest flap from the die set used. I used another piece of paper under this flap to make the cash pocket. I used an oval die (Oval Word Frame from Die-Namics) to cut the opening. I glued this under the Happy Birthday flap piece, then used a tape runner to glue this assembly inside the card. I was careful to make the line of adhesive narrow on the bottom edge to allow the cash to be tucked inside, a line of tape along both short sides, and a double row of tape over the top opening so that it wouldn't pull off the card base when the cash was removed. 

The card was well received by the 8-year-old recipient who felt the envelope before opening the card and announced that it felt like money. He knows me well!