Balloon-shaped card

A few weeks ago I was making a bunch of birthday cards to give to my uncle. I wanted to do something a little different, so I pulled out my set of Balloons dies from Simon Says Stamp and made a fun balloon-shaped card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Party with Cake
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, Foil Frenzy Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP), silver foil sheets
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Balloons dies (Simon Says Stamp), Scribbled Happy Birthday die (Poppy Stamps), silver sequins (unknown), silver cord, Mono Multi liquid glue, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

Sorry this isn't a better photo. It was hard to get a good shot with all that shine!

All in all, this is a pretty simple card. I used the Foil Frenzy Specialty DSP for the balloon and silver foil to die cut the birthday sentiment. Then I added a few more silver accents with sequins and a bow around the bottom of the balloon. What make this card stand out is its shape.

The first step in making a shaped card is to find a good shape. The ones that work best are more "open" and don't have too much detail around the edges, such as circles, hearts, balloons and basic flowers.

Once you choose your shape, there are a couple of different options for making the card:

1. Fold a piece of card stock in half to create the card size you want. (If you want to make a card that will fit in an A2 envelope, start with that size card base and use a die that will fit on the card.) Decide whether you want the fold to be on the top or side of the card. Place the die so it hangs just over the fold and die cut your shape. Now you have a shaped card base that will open and close because you left some of the fold intact, although the shape will be flat along the fold. Finish your card as desired. Note: I don't have a problem die cutting through two layers of card stock with a thin die. If your die-cutting machine is very "tight" or the card stock is very thick, you may need to experiment with the "sandwich" you use to die cut.
2. Create a card base using the process described above. Die cut the shape a second time from the card stock or DSP you want on the front of your card (use a single piece for this one). Glue the second shape onto the shaped card base. Now your card front has the complete shape without any flat spots, and the card still opens and closes. In the photo below you can see the Foil Frenzy DSP balloon sticking up just past the white card base. Finish your card as desired.

Here is the inside of my card with a simple stamped sentiment. You can see the flat portion along the top of the balloon. If I hadn't added the Foil Frenzy balloon shape, the front of my card also would have looked like this. But honestly, I think that's fine, too. I've made cards like that before, and the fold in the shape doesn't really bother me; it just wasn't what I wanted for this card.

One benefit of adding the extra layer to a shaped card is that the front of your card can feature a lightweight paper, such as DSP or handmade paper, that wouldn't be sturdy enough for the card base. It also helps you to conserve your "fancy" papers by using a basic card stock for the card base.

I just realized I should have shared a green card today in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Oh, well. If you're Irish (or Irish at heart) I hope you have a festive and safe Paddy's Day!

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Streamers to celebrate

I make a lot of birthday cards, both for myself and to give as sets to family members, so I'm always looking for new birthday-themed stamps and embellishments. The Skinny Mini Party Borders dies from Taylored Expressions fit that bill perfectly.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Packed for Birthday, It's Your Birthday
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Skinny Mini Party Borders dies (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

I love that these dies have four different streamer shapes, and they're the perfect size to fit across an A2-sized card.

For this card I went with a bold, bright color scheme. I cut all of the streamers out of Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Bermuda Bay and Lemon Lime Twist card stock and glued two of each color on the front of a Daffodil Delight card base.

I stamped and colored the Packed for Birthday image and then cut it out with the Stitched Shapes Framelits dies. (Tip: You can use a square die to cut a rectangle. Align the die on one side of your image and run it through your die-cutting machine. Then reposition the die along the opposite side of the image and run it through your die-cutting machine just enough to trim that side. The faux stitching may overlap a bit, but it shouldn't be too noticeable.) I layered the image on black card stock and adhered it to the card base with Dimesionals.

The bright colors needed a little sparkle, so I used a Stardust Gelly Roll pen to color some of the details in the stamped image.

Inside the card I added a layer of white card stock stamped with the sentiment. I glued two streamers above the greeting to carry over the theme from the card front.

I used ten of the sixteen die-cut streamers on this card, so while I was at it I used the remaining six streamers to create another card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Celebrations
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Skinny Mini Party Borders dies (Taylored Expressions), Everyday Label punch, metallic foil doilies, silver 3mm nailhead stickers (Mark Richards), silver sequins (unknown), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

For the focal point on this card, I used markers to apply ink directly to the rubber stamp, which allowed me to create a multi-colored image. I punched out the image with the Everyday Label punch and added a silver nailhead sticker to the tab on either side. Then I cut a small silver doily in half and glued the two pieces behind the top and bottom edges of the punched shape.

I used Dimensionals to adhere the focal piece to a white card base embellished with the six die-cut streamers. Three silver sequins finish off the card.



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Golden cake for a golden birthday

A couple of weeks ago my extended family celebrated my cousin's twenty-fifth birthday, which also happened to be her golden birthday. The occasion called for a fancy birthday card with plenty of gold, and this one seemed to fit the bill:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Distressed Dots
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, gold foil sheets, Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Accessories: Bake Me a Cake dies (Taylored Expressions), gold mini sequin trim, pearls, delicate white doily, Frost White shimmer paint, sponge dauber, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), sequins (Paper Pumpkin leftovers), Dimensionals

Pretty fancy, right? It's definitely more elaborate than the cards I usually make, and all the layering was a little challenging for me. And while I like the end result, it's not my favorite card.

Anyway, I started with a thick white card base and stamped the Distress Dots background stamp using Frost White shimmer paint. I love stamping with shimmer paint, and it's easy to do. Just use a sponge dauber to apply paint to the stamp, then stamp the image and clean off the paint. It creates a subtle pattern that shimmers in the light. I added a narrow strip of gold foil and a row of pearls along the bottom edge of the card.

For the focal image, I cut the cake and pedestal out of white card stock and out of a piece of Succulent Garden DSP. I chose a subtle, monotone pattern to add a bit of color but not be too distracting. I trimmed off the pedestal portion from the DSP cake and then glued the cake part onto the white die cut. I cut the accents out of gold foil, adhered them to the cake and added some tiny pearl accents. I also added shimmer paint to the bottom of the pedestal to make it make it look a little fancier.

Behind the cake I added a white doily (which I first crumpled a bit and then flattened to add a little dimension) and a few loops of mini gold sequin trim. (I think it's the sequin trim that keeps me from really liking this card. Even though it's tiny sequins, it seems too heavy. Maybe I should have put the trim behind the doily. I also think I should have added something on the top of the cake.) I finished off the card with a few sequins to match the cake.

While I had these dies out I decided to make one more birthday cake card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Mint Macaron, Whisper White card stock; Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP; gold foil.sheets
Ink: Mint Macaron
Accessories: Bake Me a Cake dies (Taylored Expressions), Party Punch pack, pearls, metallics sequin assortment, Streamers embossing folder, iridescent shreds (unknown), sponge, Sticky Strip, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

I used the same color scheme for this card: Mint Macaron, white and gold. For the cake I used DSP that's all white with an embossed white scallop pattern. I sponged on Mint Macaron ink to add the color and white excess ink off the embossing. To embellish the cake I added two mint scallops with pearls, three gold candles and gold accents on the pedestals.

To make the background I embossed a piece of white card stock with streamers and mounted it on a Mint Macaron card base. I added iridescent shreds behind the cake and finished the card with three gold sequins.



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Friendship, love and hugs

I don't know about you and your neck of the woods, but I am sooo done with winter. We're at the stage now where it's warm enough during the day that the snow is starting to melt. Nice! But then it cools off again at night and everything refreezes, leaving the sidewalks covered with ice. Blech! And March is typically our snowiest month, so I'm sure we're not out of the woods yet.

But today I'm (finally!) going to share the rest of my Valentines Day / all-year love-and-friendship cards that will bring warm fuzzies to your loved ones, even if it's still cold outside.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Quick Critters stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Florence sequins (Close to My Heart), Wonky Stitched Circle dies (My Favorite Things), Small Stitched Rectangle Stackable dies (Lawn Fawn), Dimensionals

The first three cards use the same stamp and die combo from Taylored Expressions as well as the same pad of patterned paper. And of course I used my favorite note cards and envelopes.

For this card I die cut two owls, using a patterned paper that reminded me of feathers. I stamped their faces, adhered them to a circle of woodgrain-style paper and added a banner stamped with a sentiment. For the background I used a die-cut stitched rectangle of the same paper I used for the owls. I used Dimensionals to adhere the focal piece to the card base and then added a few sequins for embellishment.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Quick Critters stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Blushing Bride card stock, The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Early Espresso, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Coral Reef sequins (Close to My Heart), Mini Dimensionals

I had lots of little scraps from the paper pad, so I decided to use some of them to make a background panel for this card. I cut a piece of white card stock to the size I wanted for the panel and then glued the strips to the card stock, trimming the ends along the edge of the card stock.

I die cut a pink pig for the focal image -- I love her cute little curly tail! -- and stamped her face. I attached the pig to the panel with Dimensionals and (surprise!) added three sequins. I stamped the sentiment below the panel to finish the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Quick Critters stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Triple heart punch, Subtles enamel shapes, Mini Dimensionals

For this card I used one of the stamps from the stamp and die combo, but not the dies. Instead I punched small hearts from a few different patterned sheets from the paper pad. I adhered the hearts in a line about one-third of the way up the card, using Mini Dimensionals to overlap some of the hearts.

I stamped the sentiment just above the middle of the card base and stamped it again on a scrap of light blue gingham paper. I cut the "hugs" banner out of the paper and used Mini Dimensionals to adhere it over the image on the card base. I finished the card with one more punched heart and two enamel hearts just off the upper right corner of the sentiment.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Pocketful of Sunshine stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Whisper White card stock, Th Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Basic Gray, Poppy Parade, Warm Gray No. 3 marker (Copic)
Accessories: Dimensionals

The next three cards are all variations of the same layout. I stuck with the note cards and same patterned paper pad, but I switched to a different stamp and die combo. And I kept them very clean and simple by not using any embellishments.

For these cards I used two patterns from the paper pad: a woodgrain print and a red/white polka dot. One of the patterns was the background, and the other was the pocket. I stamped the letters on white card stock, shaded them with a light gray alcohol marker, cut them out and glued them to the back of the die-cut pocket. Then I used Dimensionals to adhere them to the background panel.

For two of the cards I stamped the sentiment on a strip of white card stock and added it as a banner. For the third card, I stamped the sentiment directly on the card base below the background panel. Which layout do you like better?


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Message in a Bottle valentines

After a short break for my Christmas card post yesterday, I'm back to share a couple more of my Valentine's Day cards from this year. These two designs feature the stamp set Message in a Bottle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Message in a Bottle
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Basic Gray, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Pool Party baker's twine, Brights enamel shapes, Dimensionals

If you follow my blog, you've probably noticed that I like to make clean and simple cards. This card definitely fits that bill.

I stamped the bottle, waves, octopus and cork on Whisper White card stock and then cut out the bottle by hand. It needed a little embellishment, so I tied a baker's twine bow around the neck and then adhered the bottle to a white note card using Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment on the card front below the bottle and added a small enamel near the top of the bottle.

This card would be great for a thinking-of-you note any time of year.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Message in a Bottle
Paper: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Whisper White card stock, red foil sheets, Neutrals Designer Series Paper (DSP) stack
Ink: Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, black journaling pen, Crumb Cake Blends markers, C1 marker (Copic)
Accessories: Heart Border punch, Dimensionals

As with the previous card, I started this one by stamping the bottle, messages and cork on Whisper White card stock and then cutting out the bottle by hand. To give the messages an aged look, I used my Crumb Cake Blends alcohol markers to color them.

I wanted to add a pop of color to all the neutrals, so I punched a tiny heart out of red foil and adhered it to the bottle. I also cut a strip of red foil to adhere to the card base just below a small piece of Crumb Cake DSP with a pattern of hand-written words. I stamped the sentiment above the DSP and attached the bottle to the card base using Dimensionals. The last detail was to doodle a border around the edges of the card base. I haven't used that technique in a while, but I really like how it looks.

Thanks for stopping by!