Bright birthday cards

It's been a rainy, windy, chilly few days around here -- fall is definitely in the air. I don't mind the cooler temps, but I do wish the sun were out. Since that's not in the forecast for today, I thought these birthday cards might help bring a little brightness to the day.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Balloons (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Whisper White,Basic Black card stock; Neutrals Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Gorgeous Grape, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Wreath Builder Template (Gina K Designs), white crochet thread (DMC), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I should apologize for the less-than-great pictures of these cards. I took them on a really sunny day (just the opposite of today!) so there are some shadows on the cards. I hope it's not too distracting.

As it turns out, I only used two stamp sets for all of the cards in today's post: the Birthday Balloons stamp set for this card and the next one, and the set And Many More for the last two cards.

I also used the Wreath Builder Template from Gina K Designs for the first two cards. I wanted to try using it to make something other than an actual wreath, so I opted for a ring of rainbow balloons. I kept the rest of the card black and white, with a black card base, polka dot paper, and white thread. A few clear sequins and a little sparkle without distracting from the balloons.

For the inside of the card I used the balloon stamp in a more traditional way. I cut a panel of white card stock and stamped a sentiment in black near the top of the panel. Then I stamped three balloons in different colors, positioning one so the top portion is off the card stock. I used a ruler and fine-point marker to hand-draw the balloon strings.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Balloons (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Whisper White, Poppy Parade card stock; Oh My Stars Collection Kit (Bella Blvd)
Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay, Gorgeous Grape
Accessories: Wreath Builder Template (Gina K Designs), gold star embellishment (Paper Pumpkin leftover), double-stitched Daffodil Delight ribbon, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Since I used the same stamp set for this card, I also decided to stick with the Wreath Builder Template.

Using the four different star images in the stamp set and four different ink colors, I made a bright starry wreath to surround the sentiment on the focal panel. It's a little on the wild and crazy side, but I decided to go with it and add even more stars! I placed a piece of starry patterned paper  below the stamped panel and a single gold star near the lower right corner. To finish it off I adhered a piece of Daffodil Delight ribbon across the front of the card to cover the edge of the patterned paper.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: And many More (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist card stock
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Pineapple Punch
Accessories: It's Your Day die (Simon Says Stamp), Frame in Frame 2 Cutting Plate (Taylored Expressions), Glitter Enamel Dots

For this card I focused on the "filler" images from the And Many More stamp set. Using a white card base, I stamped the speckles using Lemon Lime Twist and the stars/confetti using Pineapple Punch. Once I had those sprinkled around the card front, I layered on a die-cut frame and sentiment, both from Lemon Lime Twist card stock. For a little bit of sparkle I added three green Glitter Enamel Dots.

This would be a fun design to try with different color combinations. Or you could adhere a layer of patterned paper -- or a watercolor wash or alcohol ink background -- on the card front instead of stamping the background.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: And Many More (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White
Ink: Berry Burst, Crushed Curry, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Stars dies, Layering Circles dies, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

For this card, I made a window that lets you peek through to the inside of the card. I started with a white card base and stamped the circular sentiment slightly above the middle of the card and cut out the center with a circle die. On the rest of the card front I randomly stamped the circles in Crushed Curry and the stars/confetti in Berry Burst.

To embellish the card front, I die cut three stars out of Berry Burst card stock and covered them with clear Wink of Stella glitter. I placed one of the stars over part of the sentiment -- it reads "Happy birthday dear friend," and I wanted something less specific -- and the other two near the left side of the card.

Inside the card I stamped a birthday cake that peeks through the window on the front. To make the cake layers I inked the solid bar image with Berry Burst ink and stamped it three times, one above the other, without re-inking. Then I stamped the scalloped image on the top layer to look like icing. I stamped the candle image in Crushed Curry ink and added a touch of glitter to the tops of the candles.

I also stamped a sentiment below the cake, making sure it was low enough that you can't see it through the window on the front of the card. The sentiment also acts as a visual cue for where to sign the card or write a note; as long as it's below the sentiment, you won't be able to see it when the card is closed.




Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have some brightness in your day!