A Very Special Birthday

Let’s Get Started:

Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

Card Face:5 x 3.75

White Card stock: 5.5 x 4.25 x 2 for die cuts

Small Scrap of Cardstock for Sentiment

Small Scrap of Green cardstock to act as shadow for sentiment

Card Face:

Using Blossoms in Bloom (a retired SU set) , I stamped the large foral image onto the card face.

Other:

I die cut both layers of the large blossom image from the matching dies.

Grabbing two very tiny detail blending brushes and using the die cut with the wider, bolder lines I applied a very soft orange ink to the center of the flowers and soft green to the leaves scattered around the outside. The blending was allowed to have variation in intensity to provide visual interest.

I stamped Happy Birthday onto a small scrap of cardstock in the same green ink that I used for the leaves.

I die cut both the sentiment and the green shadow layer from the same die.

Assembly:

I glued the card face to the card base, creating an offset in the process- I allowed a border of approximately 1/4" on the top and the left hand side, leaving larger borders on the bottom and the right.

I glued the first die cut layer onto the card face, lining it up with the stamped image, and then carefully glued the other die cut over that.

I glued the small sentiment die cut onto the shadow layer, offsetting the shadow slightly down and to the right.

I added a bit of foam tape to the back of this , and put it in place on the card front as shown.

Final thoughts: The blossom on the card face was stamped months ago, and put aside to finish "someday": I had stamped an extra, and then didn't know how I wanted to use it. I needed a card for a very special event - my Mom's 95th birthday ! - and this prestamped image provided the inspiration for the card. I had stamped it in a very soft blue ink; and I wanted to retain that soft, tranquil feel in the final product. So I chose a soft shades of orange and green to compliment the blue. I was careful with the blending brushes and application of ink with the center of the flowers and the leaves - but it wasn't perfect as there were a couple of areas where the ink went outside of the boundaries just slightly. It didn't matter at all as the top layer of die cut covered this up. Those lines are pretty fine, but provided just enough coverage to conceal the errors.

I hadn't tried this idea with this die set before this, but I went into it with the idea that it was only a piece of paper, and if I didn't like it I would just use two layers of solid white. I was able to lay the three pieces together before gluing them to see if I liked it - and I did! I'm very happy with this card, and I'll do this again for sure.

Supplies: (and links where possible)

Stamps:

Blossoms in Bloom and matching dies: Stampin' Up!, retired

Cake Soiree (sentiment) Stampin' Up!, retired

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Blending Brushes: Picket Fence, Fine Brushes - Amazon, Scrapbook.com., Simon Says Stamp

Die Cutting Machine: Big Shot - the Papercrafters Workshop, Scrapbook.com., Simon Says Stamp

Adhesive: Tombo Aqua - Amazon, Simon Says Stamp

Dimensional Tape: Dollarama

Card Base: Accent, 100 lb, Amazon

Card Face: Accent,Ledger paper (layering weight) , Amazon

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