A Southwestern Birthday Card

Finally, my husband has been after me to make a southwestern card since we live in the Southwest.  I had bought this Paper Wishes background paper with the intention to make just such a card and I have had the Stampin Up set for years so it all worked together well.  The card also works for a couple of challenges.  It is built around one of the sketches this week for RAQs Challenge on the Cricut message board.  

I made this card for my older brothers birthday coming up later this month.  He lives in California and just loves to come here and visit our desert so I made this with him in mind.  So with that said it fits into the theme of the Cricut Couple's  Anniversary challenge.  You were to make a card for someone you love (yeah I guess I love my older brother)he teased the heck out of me when we were little and he STILL does when he comes to visit! LOL
The Happy Birthday is cut and shadowed from Martha Stewart Cake Art Cartridge, I love her Cake Art cartridges great images.  Although the bottom border is on one of the cartridges I used the punch to cut it out.  I stamped the "characters" with Versamark watermark on brown paper and then heat embossed them with clear powder and cut them out.  A couple of them are pop dotted.  Here is a close up

I just love the colors of this together, the turquoise on the back is Core'Dinations paper And the pattern on the background paper makes it look 3 dimensional.  Thanks for looking and would love to hear your comments.