Three birthday cards to finish the year

For my last post of 2018, I have -- surprise! -- more birthday cards to share. I feel like I post a lot of birthday cards, so I hope that doesn't get boring. But to be honest, that is the type of card I make and use the most, especially since I've also been making birthday cards for my mom and my uncle to use. All three of us give cards to many of the same relatives, so the cards have to be different.

But many of the birthday cards I make don't necessarily have to be for birthdays. Just change or omit the sentiment, and the card design could be used for almost any occasion. That's the case for the first two cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Backgrounds, You're My Type
Paper: Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Whisper White, textured Bermuda Bay
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Memento Tuxedo Black, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Rounded Nesting Squares Quickutz (We R Memory Keepers), 3/4" circle punch, aqua dots (Close to My Heart), Dimensionals

I love the color scheme on this card - black and gray with pops of teal. You could make multiple versions of this card with different accent colors and sentiments for a great little card set.

To do something a little different with the sentiment, I inked the stamp once with Bermuda Bay and then stamped it three times, moving the stamp down just a bit each time.

The scallops blow the focal image are three 3/4" circles punched from Bermuda Bay card stock, and I repeated the theme of three teal circles with enamel dots in the upper left corner.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Elementary Elegance
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura); light Pool Party and Smoky Slate Blendabilities markers
Accessories: Pool Party Shimmer Ribbon, vinyl border stckers (Krazy Kreations), sequins, Glue Dots, foam tape (3M)

While this card is more feminine than the previous one, it uses the same color palette.

I stamped the frame in black ink and colored bits of it with Pool Party and Smoky Slate markers. After I colored the crown gray, I went over it again with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen, so it had plenty of sparkle (as any good crown should).

Around the frame I stamped a few blue birds (some of them stamped repeatedly without re-applying ink to create different shades) and added three sequins. I created a border along the bottom of the panel with a piece of ribbon and a strip of a border sticker.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Make a Wish stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, textured Bermuda Bay card stock
Ink: Watermelon Wonder, Bermuda Bay, Tangelo Twist, Cucumber Crush, Crushed Curry, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura), Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: "Wish" die (Taylored Expressions), foam sheets (Taylored Expressions)

Now this card is definitely a birthday card. And it's one that would work for any recipient.

I started by stamping the candles and flames on a piece of Whisper White card stock. I like the single-layer look of this focal panel, but I also could have die cut the candles and attached them to the card to add dimension.

I used a Gelly Roll pen to add sparkly accents to the candles and drew the wicks with a black journaling pen. I die cut the word "wish" out of black card stock, added sparkle to the little star, and adhered it below the candles. I doodled a basic border around the panel and adhered it to a layer of Basic Black card stock. Using foam tape, I attached the entire panel to a card base of textured Bermuda bay card stock.

Thank you for stopping by today, whether it was your first visit or fiftieth. I hope I've given you a little bit of crafty inspiration this year. Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

Bubbling over with happiness

In my last post I shared two versions of a very clean and simple birthday card. Today I have a card that's a little wild and crazy, "bubbling over" with bright colors and pattern.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Bubble Over
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, Whisper White card stock; Bubbles & Fizz Designer Series Paper (DSP); gold foil sheets; alcohol ink card stock (YUPO)
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green; alcohol inks: Honeycomb, Botanical, Aqua (Ranger)
Accessories: Bottles & Bubbles Framelits dies, Merry Minis punch pack, clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), gold washi tape (unknown), sponge, Dimensionals

That's a lot to look at, right? I may have gone a bit overboard, but I think you need to do that every once in a while.

This card started with the background panel in the middle of the card, which I made with alcohol inks, and snowballed from there. I chose three coordinating colors -- Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, and Granny Apple Green -- and decided to add gold accents.

I knew I wanted to add pop bottles, so I die cut them out of Granny Apple Green card stock and sponged ink around the edges. I added gold straws and labels with gold stars and then set them aside.

For the card base I used Bermuda Bay card stock and stamped bubbles all around the edges. I mounted the alcohol ink panel on Coastal Cabana card stock on adhered it in the middle of the card base. Since the background panel was so bold, I needed to break up the color a bit so the bottles were easier to see. I cut a strip of Bermuda Bay DSP patterned with stars and adhered it horizontally across the card. I added a piece of polka dot washi tape to echo the theme of the bubbles and bring in a little more gold. I used Dimensionals to adhere the bottles on the card, and for one final detail I glued several clear droplets around the tops of the bottle.

Inside the card I added a panel of Whisper White card stock and stamped the sentiment with Bermuda Bay ink. Since the front of the card was so busy, I didn't want to leave the inside too stark. I decided to add one more die-cut bottle, this one with a bottle cap instead of a straw.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope all your days bubble over with happiness!

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!

Trying to catch up

I am so behind on my blog posts that all the cards I've been sharing are ones I made months ago. I've still been making cards and other projects -- I have a slew of pictures on my camera to prove it. But I've been so overwhelmed with holiday tasks and preparations that I can't keep up with sharing them.

My end-of-the-year goal is to finish posting the "old" cards -- the pictures I already have on my flash drive -- by Dec. 31. Then I'll start the new year with the photos that are still on my camera. I'll still be behind, but at least not quite so far behind.

Tonight I'm going to share three kid-friendly birthday cards. For the sake of time I'm just going to include the photos and supply lists, so if you have any how-to questions, please post a comment and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Under the Flower stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Granny Apple Green, Whisper White, Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo card stock
Ink: Granny Apple Green, Memento Tuxedo Black; Blends/Blendabilities: Skin Tone Assortment, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green, Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Frame in Frame 2 Cutting Plate (Taylored Expressions), sequins (Craft Medley), Lucky Limeade baker's twine, Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta ribbon, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Yippee Critters stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White card stock; Happy Day paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; alcohol markers: Bronze, Mocha, Smoky Slate, Nude (Blendabilites); Warm Gray No. 3 (Copic)
Accessories: Curly Q Cutting Plate (Taylored Expressions), Party Hat die (Taylored Expressions), Balloon Bouquet punch, crochet thread (DMC), Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight pompom trims, sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Yippee Critters stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Real Red, Pacific Point, Crushed Curry, Garden Green card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; alcohol markers: Bronze, Mocha, Daffodil Delight, Nude (Blendabillities); Warm Gray No. 3, Cool Gray No. 1 (Copic)
Accessories: Build-A-Scene Rolling Clouds dies (Taylored Expressions), Grassy Border Lawn Cuts (Lawn Fawn), Dimensionals

















 Thanks for stopping by!

Lego winter village 2018

It’s been a few years since I put out my Lego winter village (I think 2014 was the last appearance), but this year it’s taking center stage — and the entire coffee table — in the living room. We even expanded the village with a firehouse — just in case Santa gets stuck in a chimney. Here are a few photos of the village:

So far everything has remained intact, and there have been no invasions by abominable snow cats. Fingers crossed that the villagers remain safe for at least another week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Calling all cat lovers

How is it possible that Christmas is only seventeen days away? Last night I stayed up way too late addressing all my Christmas cards so they could go in the mail today. This afternoon we decorated our little Christmas tree and put up a few other decorations. And I worked on a couple of the gifts I'm making. But I still have so much to do! More shopping, all the wrapping, and a lot more crafting. It gets overwhelming if I think about it too much, so I'm taking a quick break to share a fun non-holiday kitty-themed card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper:Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Basic Black, Smoky Slate card stock
Ink: Smoky Slate, Hello Honey, Baked Brown Sugar, Lucky Limeade, Marina Mist, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: FeLINE die (Penny Black), Brick embossing folder (Taylored Expressions), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), crochet thread (DMC), sponge daubers, Dimensionals, Bitty Banner punch, washi tape for masking

The last time I used this die, I cut the cats out of a monotone background I'd made with my gel printing plate. This time I wanted to try making the cats different colors.

I started by simply die cutting white card stock and setting aside the "negative" pieces (the blue and green pieces in my card). I placed a 1/8" wide piece of washi tape over the white strip across the middle of the die cut and then carefully sponged ink onto the cats and their tails. I think they turned out pretty cute! Maybe next time I'll even try adding some stripes or spots.

Once the cats were done, I carefully removed the washi tape to reveal the white ledge. Then I sponged the negative pieces -- blue sky for the top piece and green grass for the bottom. With all the sponging done, I replaced the negative pieces in the die cut and secured everything together by adhering an extra layer of card stock to the back.

For the card base I used thick Whisper White card stock and added a layer of Smoky Slate card stock embossed with a brick pattern. I lightly sponged Smoky Slate ink over the card stock to emphasize the embossing. I used Dimensionals to adhere the focal panel near the top of the card base and added a black banner peaking out from behind the panel. For a little embellishment, I gave one of the cats a white bow (he's fancy now!) and added three clear droplets to the embossed bricks.

Well, I guess that's enough of a break. I've got to go make dinner and then get back to Christmas preparations. Thanks for stopping by!

Framed floral card set

I had typed up this whole post last week, then just as I was getting ready to publish it, something happened and it was gone. Argh. I was too tired that night to redo it all, and I've been too annoyed to do it since then. But I really need to get back to a better blogging schedule, so I decided I should just get this one done.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Somerset Velvet watercolor paper (Marco's Paper)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink pads: Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Twisted Citron, Peacock Feathers, Seedless Preserves (Ranger); gold paint pen (Sharpie); gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen
Accessories: Floral Squares dies (Pinkfresh Studio), metallic washi tape (Hand Made Modern - Target), various sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

To make the focal image for each card, I pressed a Distress Oxide ink pad onto water color paper and then used a slightly damp paintbrush to smooth out the color. I die cut the framed floral shapes out of white card stock, adhered each one over a colored square, and then trimmed off the extra water color paper.

I wanted to add a little sparkle to the framed flowers, so I used a gold paint pen to carefully add gold to just the frame portion of the die cuts. (If I had this to do over, I would add the gold before gluing the frame to the watercolor paper.)

For the card bases, I used Whisper White note cards. I used a gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen to fleck gold sparkles onto the top part of each card, and I added a strip of gold patterned washi tape along the bottom of the card.

I used Dimensionals to add the flower images to the card bases and then added three coordinating sequins to each card.

As a side note, I made it through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I didn't get to the  50,000-word goal (I wrote just over 27,000 words), but I did write at least a little bit every day during November, which is better than I did during my previous attempts. I'll take that as my victory.

Thanks for stopping by!

List of 2018 Christmas cards

We had a pretty good snowfall today, so, as the song goes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. With that in mind, here is a list of all the Christmas cards I made this year. I hope you find something that inspires you, either for your cards this year or to tuck away for next year's cards.

Die-cut "Noel" (January 2018)

Good tidings of great joy (February 2018)

Winter characters (March 2018)

Gold star note cards (April 2018)

Thinking of you at Christmas (May 2018)

Holly jolly snowmen (June 2018)

Tree rings and mistletoe (July 2018)

Oh, Christmas tree (August 2018)

Joyful birds (September 2018)

Winter trio and peace on earth (October 2018)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sailing-themed masculine cards

I know it's not exactly sailing season right now, at least not around here, but it's always a good time for masculine card ideas, right?

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Seas the Day (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Bordering Blue, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (smooth and textured), Whisper White card stock; Wood Textures Designer Series Paper (DSP) stack
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Know the Ropes embossing folder (Taylored Expressions); Sitting Pretty, Sitting Pretty Nautical Accessories, Helm, Life Preserver dies (Taylored Expressions); linen thread; Vintage brads

These weren't necessarily the fastest cards to make, but they definitely were easy. I planned ahead of time to make several cards, so I used two colors for card bases -- Cherry Cobbler and long-retired Bordering Blue (still one of my favorite neutrals) -- and layered each card base with a panel embossed with a rope texture. Then I cut a 6" x 6" piece of Wood Textures DSP into four pieces, and adhered one piece to each card base.

To build the focal layer, I cut the shelf out of textured Soft Suede card stock four times and glued one shelf to each Wood Textures DSP panel. For the rest of the little shapes, I die cut them out of all the card stock colors (Cherry Cobbler, Bordering Blue, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Whisper White) and collected them all in a little plastic container. Then I just dug through the container to choose the pieces I wanted to use on each card.

I wanted a little more texture, on the card so I wrapped a bit of linen thread into a loop and secured it with a knot. Then I attached it to the card front with a brad placed under the shelf, so it looks like rope hanging on a peg. Note: If you don't want the brad prongs to show on the inside of the card, you can do this step before you adhere the embossed panel onto the card base. Just be sure to add the Wood Textures DSP background square first.

After finishing the card fronts, I had quite a few pieces left over. So inside the cards I added a white panel, stamped a sentiment, and glued on a few extra die-cut shapes.

I stamped birthday sentiments inside all the cards, but you could easily use a variety of sentiments -- or omit them altogether -- and give these cards as a great set of masculine cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Usually on Thanksgiving, we head to one of our cousin's houses to have a big meal with all the extended family and lots of children running around. This year my immediate family is having a quiet dinner at our house, and we may visit with the extended family for dessert later in the day. I'm sure tonight and tomorrow morning we'll be busy cleaning and cooking, so I decided to share my Thanksgiving post a day early so I don't forget it completely.

I don't send out too many cards for Thanksgiving because I'm usually already swamped with Christmas projects, but I did make a few this year. I used the fall-themed cards I shared in previous posts ("Happy fall!" and "Fall is coming") for most of them (although it seems like we're about a month into winter already), but I do have one more card to share:

Supplies:
Stamps: Thankful Harvest (Impression Obsession), Thankful (Raisin Boat)
Paper: Very Vanilla card stock (Stampin' Up!), mustard and brown card stock (unknown)
Ink: Chocolate Chip for the wreath and leaves (Stampin' Up!), various shades of brown and yellow for sentiment (unknown)
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, gold baker's twine, burlap ribbon, Hello Honey striped ribbon, Dimensionals (all Stampin' Up!); mini pearls (Doodlebug Designs Inc)

I apologize that my supply list isn't very specific for some items. This card started as a make-and-take project from one of the stamp shows I went to over the summer. Specifically, the cream base, brown layer and yellow strip stamped with the sentiment were from the original project. There was a focal image on the card, too, but when I got home I decided I wasn't crazy about it. So I very carefully pulled it off the card and thought about how else I could use the base and background.

First I stamped some leaves on the brown card stock using Chocolate Chip ink to add some visual interest. Then I stamped a twig wreath on Very Vanilla card stock and die cut it with a stitched circle die. I added a bow with baker's twine and yellow pearl "berries". To add a little more texture I added a piece of burlap trim and a piece of striped ribbon behind the wreath before attaching it to the card base with Dimensionals. I really liked how this altered card turned out.

Whether or not you are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish you a day filled with peace, happiness and blessings. Thanks for stopping by!

His and hers birthday

I still have a backlog of birthday cards to share, so here are two cards featuring die-cut focal images -- one masculine and one feminine.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Backgrounds, coasters kit (Hero Arts)
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip card stock; gold foil paper
Ink: Real Red, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Hipster Icon dies (Hero Arts), metallic washi tape (Handmade Modern), Dimensionals

I kept this card fairly simple, since guys don't usually want anything too frou-frou. For the focal image, I adhered the die cuts to a stitched oval and added the sentiment on a banner at the bottom of the oval. The whole piece is attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

I stamped streamers using Real Red ink on the Real Red card base to create a subtle but festive tone-on-tone background. And I added a little shine with a gold beer mug and a strip of gold washi tape along the bottom of the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Crumb Cake, Powder Pink card stock; scrapbook pocket cards (Close to My Heart)
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Teacup Stack die (Poppy Stamps), crochet trim, corner rounder, pearls, delicate white doilies, Dimensionals

This shabby chic card is definitely on the frou-frou side. For the background I used a card made for pocket-style scrapbooking. I love the soft pink flowers on the blue background. I rounded the corners of the card and sponged the edges to create an aged look.

For the focal layer, I used a second scrapbooking card -- one with a light background and very subtle pattern. I cut it into a wide strip and sponged the edges. I added the die-cut teacups, a stamped sentiment and a bit of crochet trim to the strip and then adhered it to the card base with Dimensionals. A white paper doily and a few pearls finish off this feminine card.



Thanks for stopping by!

Inspirational birthday card

As soon as I saw the All Good Things stamp set from Stampin' Up! I knew it was one I was going to buy. The one thing I wasn't sure about was the fact that two of the images (the bonsai tree and the large koi) were connected to sentiments. Of course, you could always ink part of the stamp to use just the image or just the sentiment, but that can be a little fussy to do sometimes. So when I was ready to order the set, I bought the clear-mount version and did a little "surgery."

Using a craft knife, I very carefully sliced apart the stamps. Just pull the blade; don't saw. It doesn't have to be a perfectly straight cut; in fact, it helps if it's a little imperfect. Then if you do want to use the two parts together, you can just join them up like puzzle pieces before attaching them to a clear block. So now I have all the images separate from the sentiments, so it's much easier to make a card like this:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: All Good Things, Inside & Out: Birthday (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Mango Melody, Smoky Slate, Memento Tuxedo Black, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Blue sequins (Craft Medley), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I love how this card turned out! I started by stamping the large orange koi near the upper right corner. I added the sentiment below and then filled in the rest of the card front with more koi, making sure to change the orientation of the images so it looks like a pond full of swimming koi.

Speaking of pond, I wanted to add some blue to create the impression of water. I could have watered down some blue ink and done a light wash of color in a few of the more open white spaces. But I also wanted to add a little embellishment to this single-layer card, so instead I added a few sparkling blue sequins.

I decided the card needed a little more sparkle, so I used a Stardust Gelly Roll pen to draw a glittery highlight along each koi's tail and fins. It's subtle (and hard to see in this photo) but really pretty when it catches the light.

I think the sentiment on the front of this card could be fitting for several different occasions, such as a graduation or congrats on a new job. I planned to make this into a birthday card because I am perpetually in need of more birthday cards. I didn't want to just stamp "Happy birthday" on the inside, though, because I wanted the sentiment to link back to the words on the front of the card.

So I dug through various birthday and greeting stamp sets and tried a few options -- I even asked a friend to vote for her favorite. I finally decided on this one: "Each birthday is a new beginning full of promise and opportunity and the chance to make dreams come true." I think it works really well with the sentiment on the front to create a birthday card that's a little more inspirational than a  traditional birthday card.

I decided to add a little color inside the card, so I stamped one of the small koi images with Mango Melody ink. I love how the shape of the koi makes it look like it's swimming around the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bold birthday balloons

I had hoped that when October was done I would be able to get back on a more regular blogging schedule of posting at least twice per week. But then at the last minute I decided to sign up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. That amounts to 1,667 words per day. So now the computer time I would have spent working on my blog is spent trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to write next in my "novel." (I use that word very lightly, and I'm honestly not sure how long I'll stick with it.)

But I'm squeezing in a quick blog post tonight. So without further ado, the parade of birthday cards continues.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Whole Lotta' Happy (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party card stock; alcohol ink card stock (YUPO)
Ink: Craft Whisper White; Wild Plum, Aqua, Lettuce alcohol ink (Ranger); white gel pen
Accessories: White embossing powder, Balloons dies (Simon Says Stamp), Sitting Pretty Nautical Accessories (Taylored Expressions), glitter enamel dots, clear Wink of Steall glitter brush pen, white crochet thread (DMC), "Happy" die-cut sticker (Paper Pumpkin leftovers), Dimensionals
Other: Gel plate (Gel Press), hand sanitizer, spritzer with rubbing alcohol

This card started with an alcohol ink background I made using a gel plate. I wasn't crazy about the whole background, so I decided to use it for die cuts instead. I used a set of balloon dies to cut out three balloons, and I tied a bow of white crochet thread around the end of the largest balloon.

For the background I chose three card stock colors that coordinated with the alcohol ink -- Berry Burst, Pool Party and Lemon Lime Twist -- and cut several strips that were 4" long and of varying widths. I arranged four of the strips at the top of a white card base and one strip along the bottom. I left the middle part white and added a die-cut Pool Party "happy" sticker. To finish the sentiment, I used white embossing powder to emboss "birthday." I added the three balloons to the top part of the card and embellished with a few glitter enamel dots and two die-cut arrows.

Thanks for stopping by!