Be original

I'm taking a little break from the birthday cards to share a card I made for a coworker who was moving on to other adventures.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Zoo Review, Define Your Life
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White cardstock; silver glimmer paper
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Brights Collection markers, Basic Gray marker
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder, corner rounder, Merry Minis punch pack, Dimensionals

I love that rainbow zebra! This card was for a guy, so I couldn't make anything too frilly. But on the other hand, he was a guy who worked in child care, so I knew it didn't have to be too hard-core masculine, either. Before I started I had the idea of a card with several "normal"-looking animals and one different one. I settled on this zebra from the Zoo Review set, stamped three of them and cut them out. I colored two of them with Basic Gray, and the third one got rainbow stripes. (I often use Basic Gray instead of black when coloring something that is supposed to be black. The gray is dark enough, but it still allows a little of the image details to show through.)

With the zebras done, I focused on the layout. It's hard to see in this photo, but I embossed the Basic Black card base with the stripes embossing folder to play off the zebras' stripes. I stamped the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock and rounded the two left corners. I adhered the sentiment layer to the upper right side of the card base and then lined up the zebras underneath, using the embossed stripes as a guide. I used Dimensionals to pop up the rainbow zebra as well as a silver star by the sentiment.

This card could be used for many different occasions: encouragement, congratulations, good luck, or even just thinking of you. Thanks for stopping by!

Balloons and banners

I'm back to share two more birthday cards, these featuring simple, bright balloons and banners.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Remembering Your Birthday
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Pool Party
Accessories: Corner rounder, Brights Candy Dots, Dimensionals

This was a very quick and easy card to create, which is great. And even better, I love the end product. One little tip: To make the strings shorter on two of the balloons, I just applied ink to part of the rubber before stamping. I matted the Whisper White focal layer with Basic Black and then used Dimensionals to adhere it to the Bermuda Bay card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Banner Blast, Create a Cupcake
Cardstock: Smooth and textured Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Banner punch, Simply Scored tool, rhinestones, Dimensionals

I made a simple border on this card by scoring a line 1/4" from each edge. It's a little detail, but I think it adds a finished look to the card. To add some depth, I used Dimensionals to adhere the banner on the left. And here's a secret: I added the rhinestones to cover up a mistake. When I stamped the sentiment, the edge of the stamp caught the ink pad and left some Rich Razzleberry ink just above the word "Happy." I didn't want to start over, so I improvised. I placed a large rhinestone over the extra ink, added a couple of smaller ones to make a little cluster and then placed three more rhinestones near the banners. It wasn't intended, but it works!

Thanks for stopping by!

Party animals

I've been plugging away at making birthday cards the last few weeks; I'm determined to have a box full of them to give to my grandma by Easter. Here's a fun card for a birthday boy or girl:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Fox & Friends, Big Bold Birthday, It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Cajun Craze
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Cajun Craze, Jet Black StazOn
Accessories: Natural Chevron ribbon, 1-3/8" circle punch, Neutrals and Regals Candy Dots, Dimensionals

I love all the circle elements on this card with the contrast of the straight lines in the chevron ribbon. I stamped the animals and punched each one out so part of the image was outside the circle. Then I used Dimensionals to mat each one with an offset circle of coordinated cardstock. (I didn't realize until the card was finished that I accidentally stamped the turtle in Wild Wasabi ink and used Garden Green cardstock for the mat. But the colors are close enough that I decided to leave it as is.) I repeated each of the colors with a Candy Dot above the ribbon, which I trimmed and adhered to the card to call attention to the stamped sentiment.

When I first finished this card I wasn't sure I was happy with the layout, but these party animals have grown on me. Hope you like them, too. Thanks for stopping by!

Baby thank-you card

Next weekend I'm going to a baby shower for my cousin and his wife. As part of the gift for the new mother, I made a set of twelve thank-you cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Banner Blast, Sweet Essentials
Cardstock: Whisper White note cards and envelopes, Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Almost Amethyst, Crumb Cake, Pool Party
Accessories: Banner punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Envelope Punch Board (for corner rounder), rhinestones, Mono Multi liquid glue

I chose a neutral color palette -- the gender of the baby is going to be a surprise -- and a clean and simple layout. I like that the design, while definitely baby-appropriate, isn't baby-specific, so the cards could be used as thank-yous for other occasions as well.

To make the cards, I used four of the banner images from the Banner Blast stamp set. I stamped each image in a different color on Whisper White card stock, then punched them out and added a coordinating mini flower with a rhinestone center. I adhered the banners in a curved line in the upper left corner of the white card base and stamped the sentiment in the lower right. I rounded all the corners of the card to soften the edges a bit. And to add a little detail to the envelopes, I stamped a small heart (also from the Banner Blast set) on the back flap.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cards from the Heartfelt Banner kit

When I saw the Heartfelt Banner Designer Kit in the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration (SAB) brochure, I was intrigued. First, I fell in love with the little felt balls. I wanted to put them in a container on my table and just admire the happy colors. Second, I realized from the item description that the banner pieces were just the right size for including on cards. So I got the kit as one of my free SAB items and got to work.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Basic Black
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Heartfelt Banner Designer Kit, Deco Label Framelits dies, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Neutrals Candy Dots

I started with the printed cardstock banners in the kit; there are two each of three different designs. The banner on this card is printed with Calypso Coral flowers, so I started with a Calypso Coral card base and embossed it with polka dots. I used black as a contrasting color, stamping a birthday greeting in black ink on the banner and adding a die-cut layer of Basic Black cardstock behind the banner. I adhered a paper doily -- which is also included in the banner kit -- to the left side of the card front and placed the banner over it. A few Basic Black Candy Dots finish off the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Label Love, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Heartfelt Banner Designer Kit, Artisan Label punch, white baker's twine, InColor printed brads, Dimensionals

I love the simple, monochromatic color scheme of this card. I stamped the splatter image from the Gorgeous Grunge repeatedly on the card base to make the background. Then I tied the polka-dot banner on the card using baker's twine and adhered the punched label with Dimensionals. I also added a polka dot brad in the bottom right corner, but I just realized that the color of that brad is Lucky Limeade, not Pear Pizzazz. Oops. It looks okay in person, but I think I'll go back and replace the brad with a different one.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Medallion, Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White
Ink: Smoky Slate
Accessories: Heartfelt Banner Designer Kit, Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, Decorative Label punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Everyday Essentials paper-piercing pack, paper-piercing tool and mat, pearls, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I combined the straight, strong stripes in this chevron banner with plenty of round edges and scallops. I used the Medallion stamp for a tone-on-tone Smoky Slate background and added punches of Coastal Cabana with the scalloped edge at the top, the small punched flowers at the bottom and the Decorative Label punch behind the greeting. For a little embellishment, I pierced a border around the greeting and added pearls as the flower centers and at the top of the banner.

I made two of each of these cards to use up the cardstock banners, so now I just need to decide on projects for the rest of the kit contents (canvas banners, doilies, linen thread, mini clothespins). And find a container for the felt balls; I'm thinking about a clear glass votive holder or small vase. Then I'll be set. Thanks for stopping by!