Sparkle and shake

Goodness, I can't believe it's been a week and a half since my last blog post. I worked overnight shifts on Monday and Tuesday last week, and I just couldn't get back into the swing of things the rest of the week. (And I've been staying up later than I should watching the Olympics.) I'll try to get back on track this week!

At the end of January, one of my team leads at work celebrated his fortieth birthday, and naturally he needed a card. I thought the occasion called for something a little more elaborate than my clean and simple style, so I went with a little sparkle and shake.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Inside & Out: Birthday (Papertrey Ink), In My Thoughts
Paper: Basic Black, Shimmery White, Pear Pizzazz, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise card stock; window sheets; Oreo Stars paper (Bella Blvd); Absinthe, Sea Glass, Harborside Mirri sparkle glitter paper (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, journaling pen
Accessories: Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits dies, Balloon Bouquet punch, Party Punch Pack, silver glass glitter, Rhythm 'N Blues and Go Green sequins (Craft Medley), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), foam adhesive strips

What do you think? I know a lot of people don't like black as the main color for cards, but I think it can look elegant, and it really helps the bright balloons stand out on this card.

To make the shaker element, I die cut a piece of Shimmery White card stock with the Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits dies and then trimmed the panel to create an even border around the opening. I stamped a sentiment on the banner and adhered the panel to a window sheet.

To decorate the panel, I used the Balloon Bouquet punch to punch out the solid balloon shapes from colored card stock. Using the decorative dies in the Thinlits set, I cut the stripe and polka dot details and the little bow out of sparkle paper. I glued the layers together and then glued the balloons and bow to the focal panel.

For assembly, I cut a piece of patterned paper to the size of the focal panel and centered it on a Basic Black card base. (I think this card was a bit narrower than a traditional A2 card. I trimmed the card base so there was an even border around the focal panel.) I glued a few scattered sequins onto the patterned paper and then added a little pile of loose sequins and silver glass glitter. I put foam strips on the back of the focal panel and adhered it over the patterned paper.

Inside the card I adhered a layer of Shimmery White card stock stamped with a sentiment. I also  wanted to add a little bit of color, so I punched tiny balloons out of the three colors of sparkle paper, glued them around the sentiment and drew the balloon strings.

I spent a lot more time than usual making this card -- I couldn't decide on colors, background paper, etc. -- but I really like the end result. I may have to use this layout as inspiration for a few more cards. Thanks for stopping by!