Curtain Call Challenge - Feeling Nautical

I love it when new card making inspiration challenges start up and today I am playing along with the very first challenge for Curtain Call.  The theme is Feeling Nautical and fits in perfectly on a very hot Summer day.  Here's the inspiration photo which has all kinds of Nautical elements.

I went with very traditional nautical colors on my card.

I have been challenging myself to use every single "new" stamp and die set I have before I order anything new...I know I better hurry up because I can never pass up a new release.   I have been using lots of my new Lil Inker stamps and dies lately and today I used quite a few.  I used my Cover Up Pieced Chevron Die to make a nautical border on my card.  That is a super fun die to use, like making a puzzle coming up with all the different color combinations.  I wanted to add some hand stitching to my card and it occurred to me that I could get nice straight, even stitches by using Lil Inker's Stitched Mat rectangle die as a guide.  I didn't even have to poke the holes and think it gave a nice touch to this card.  I wish I was so brilliant that I had thought up the idea to use the Stitched Mat Circles to make a life preserver, but I had pinned a card made by Alyssa Scritchfield (Alyssa's card) during the Lil Inker release where she created the cutest ocean themed card and I cased that idea.  I used twine and added a gold anchor I cut on my cameo.

Now, for my secret.  This card did not start out to be a card for Dad.  Right when I was getting ready to adhere the last piece on my card base, I got a splotch of navy ink on it and had to shift all my elements around.  It left a big blank space along the bottom that just looked naked without anything in it.  I decided to add the cute Dad Word die and a sentiment from Mom and Dad Sentiments from Lil Inkers to it and it now looks like my dad will be getting a nautical birthday card come this October!

Today is a special day at my house.  It's my son Matt's 31st birthday and we are all going out to dinner to celebrate.  I can hardly believe my little, premature baby is 31.  It seems like just yesterday that I was telling my husband I couldn't possibly be in labor, it is way too soon...I'm not ready yet!