Simple and (slightly) stepped up

Merry Christmas (a day late)! I made it through the holiday, although I feel completely exhausted. I didn't finish all the cards I wanted to make for my uncle, but I wrapped up what I had and told him I owed him the rest. I'm hoping to get started on those tomorrow. But for today I'm going to check a blog post off my to-do list.

The two cards I'm sharing here are very similar. The first one is a simple birthday card, and the second one is a stepped-up version of that card -- although it's not a very big step up; it's more like a little baby step up.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps:Yippee Critters stamp & die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Soft Sky, Basic Black card stock; Mirri sparkle paper variety pack (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Balloon Bouquet punch, Sentimental dies (Avery Elle), Viola sequin assortment (Craft Medley), Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

For this card I started by stamping the three balloon strings on a Soft Sky card base. I punched three balloons out of sparkly paper and added them to the card, using Dimensionals for two of them to add some depth.

Instead of stamping a sentiment, I die-cut the word "celebrate" out of Basic Black card stock and adhered it along the bottom of the card. I added three purple sequins for embellishment, and rounded the corners of the card base to finish it off.

This would be a great layout for a beginning card maker (or an experienced one who is short on time!). It uses just a few supplies, but the touches of sparkle keep it from being boring. And if you don't have a die-cutting machine, just use a stamped sentiment or omit it altogether and let the balloons shine.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps:Yippee Critters stamp & die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Soft Sky, Basic Black card stock; Mirri sparkle paper variety pack (The Paper Cut)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Balloon Bouquet punch, Sentimental dies (Avery Elle), Skinny Mini Party Borders dies (Taylored Expressions), Mermaid Mix sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

For this slightly stepped-up version of the card, I created a little more of a party feel. I die cut a few banners and adhered them to the card base to add a little oomph to the background. I decided to use the same color card stock for the banners as the card base so they didn't complete with the balloons. I also used more sequins in two different sizes and colors (although they were part of the same sequin mix) so they look more like falling confetti.

The only other change with this card is that I didn't round the corners. Since the die-cut banners go right to the corners I wanted to keep the straight edges to look like a wall.

I like both versions of this card, but it's fun to see how even a couple of small changes can give a card a little boost. Thanks for stopping by!