Peek-through fox birthday card

Not surprisingly, spring in Minnesota is a bit of a roller coaster this year. We are seeing the sun shine again today after three days of snowy, sleety, rainy, windy weather last week. It wasn't nice, and I wasn't happy about shoveling again. But the temperature is creeping back up and the snow is melting, and I'm pretty happy about that. And I think the fox in this card seems to be enjoying some lovely weather, too:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Foxy Friends, Banners for You, Birthday Messages (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Tangelo Twist, Old Olive, Pool Party, Early Espresso
Accessories: Layering Circles dies, Bunch of Banners dies, Fox Builder punch, mini jewels (Doodlebug Design), ink blender (Tim Holtz), Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

See? It looks like he's got a clear blue sky and green things growing. I'd take that!

At any rate, I haven't used the Foxy Friends stamp set nearly as much as I should have, so I pulled it out for a cute birthday card. And for something a little different, I decided to make a peek-through card.

To start, I made the blue circle, which is sponged on the inside of the card. Here is a quick how-to for this step:
1. Position a circle die on the front of a plain white card base and die cut the circle from only the front of the card. (Or use whatever shape die you prefer.)
2. Die cut the same size circle from a scratch piece of copy/printer paper. Close the card and slip the scratch paper inside the card, placing it so the cut-out circle matches up with the circle on the front of the card.
3. Hold the scratch paper in place and open the card. You may want to secure the scratch paper with a small piece of low-tack tape, such as painter's tape or washi tape.
4. Apply the desired color of ink(s) with a sponge or ink-blending tool.
5. Remove the scratch paper. (If you used tape, peel it off carefully.) You should have a colored circle that matches up with the opening in the front of the card.

With that part out of the way, I stamped a vine image in Pool Party ink on either side of the opening on the front of the card. Then I stamped, cut, punched, or die cut all the pieces to to make the focal point of the card and started assembling. I placed the fox sitting on the stump on the inside of the card, along with one mushroom and one branch (see photo). I used Dimensionals to pop up the fox's body and head.

On the front of the card, I placed a banner stamped with a birthday greeting as well as a mushroom and a branch. (Tip: If you are adhering pieces across the die-cut opening, be sure to place your adhesive where it will only stick to the front of the card. You don't want to glue your card closed!) I also added three clear rhinestones.

Inside the card I added a stamped sentiment below the fox. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I used a glitter brush pen to add just a touch of sparkle to some of the white parts of the images, such as the tip of the fox's tail and the mushroom caps.

I had a lot of fun making this card, and I definitely want to make more peek-through cards. It's like decorating the front and the inside of the card in one fell swoop. And it's cute to boot!

Thanks for stopping by!