Birthday Boy

My son's birthday is coming up, and he's been overseas for some years now, so I wanted to make a card that evoked home. I used CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge #210 as a starter:

I've experimented with a couple of things on this card. First, I'm very tentatively trying Copic markers, so used these on the vertical panel. Second, I tried embossing over black stamped images - I didn't want a totally embossed image, but a kind of fill in look. I'm pleased with the results.

The images themselves are New Zealand flora: a ponga koru (the ponga fern is the source of our national symbol, the silver fern, and the koru, or spiral shape has many meanings, among them harmony and new life); the pohutukawa tree (about which I've previously posted) and a kowhai (pronounced caw-fie) blossom. The last will remind my son, I hope, of his sister - they both got a two-blossom kowhai tattoo to represent their relationship before he left.
Made using:
Paper: Stampin' Up's Whisper White, Pacific Point. Kraft paper also - can't remember whose.
Ink: Stampin' Up's Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Real Red.
Embossing: Stampin' Up Gold and Real Red, American Crafts Green Glitter Finish.
Stamps: Stampin' Up Sassy Salutations and Crazy about You (both for sentiments) and craft creations Kiwiana Christmas stamps.
Other - Copic Markers: Robin's Egg Blue, Process Blue and Lapis Lazuli.; washi tape which may be Stampin' Up but I'm not sure.

Merry and Bright

It's been a while since I had time to make a card for a challenge - very annoying when your job gets in the way of making cards!
I thought CAS(E) this Sketch's challenge #196 was great, and suited a very simple colour scheme, which I'd been wanting to try. As I did once before here, I used New Zealand's Christmas-blooming pohutukawa blossom, both as the main image and embossed into the lower half of the card.

Made using:
Stampin' Up Whisper White and Real Red paper
Craft Creations Pohutukawa Dies and Kiwiana Christmas Pohutukawa embossing folder
Rosies baker's twine
Simon Says Stamp Christmas Greetings

CASology Challenge: Beach, Just Add Ink Challenge: Just add...'P'

So I know this probably seems, to non-New Zealanders, like a very un-beachy card with a pretty tenuous connection to the letter 'P'. However, the flower is from the beautiful pohutukawa tree, which graces many of our beaches, particularly in the north, and blooms at Christmas (which as you all know is in the summer for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere). By way of proof, here's a photo I took a couple of years ago, on Christmas Eve, at Raglan in the North Island:

I hope this has convinced you! Anyway, here's the card. The sentiment is a Maori greeting which is commonly used by New Zealanders:

Made using:

Card: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red, Emerald Envy

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Die: Craft Creations Pohutukawa Flower (From the Iconic New Zealand Dies Collection)

Stamp: Kia Ora (EK406K) from Rubbadubbadoo