nostalgia baby

I've been into the idea of unconventional cards lately, and I like little surprises.

I also love the look of a sort of portfolio- things laid out all neatly with little envelope pockets, but in a scrapbook sort of way. So that was my concept for this card.

I started out with two nice pieces of thin cardboard then rummaged through all my old postcards, photos, and scraps of paper until I found some that I knew my friend, Mukta, would love.

Some decorative tape made a perfect binding, and I threw in some ribbon to tie it shut. (I always like making cards that you actually have to open, like a gift. I also realized that I've been putting the birthday message on the outside; usually "happy birthday" is the message you save for later. But by throwing that out there first, I feel like the rest of the card is meant to tell a story, and for good friends, I usually want to say more than "happy birthday" anyway)

...and for the inside:
Have you noticed how much I LOVE mixed media? Paper, photos, watercolor, thread, fabric, typewrite...
Click to enlarge if you please

I stitched an old envelope for a pocket with a little secret note. I love the texture and feeling of thread and paper together- I'm not sure what it is.


I found a couple of great underexposed photos from a long-passed birthday party at an estate sale. Perfect for a super nostalgic birthday card! Nostalgia is one of my big-time inspirations. When it comes from articles from the past,
it's precious
it's heartbreaking
it's spooky
it's romantic
it's dreamy
and it can make you miss something
that you never even had.