Clean and Simple Bithday Card

Using Christmas Themed Items for Other Purposes

The new Concord & 9th Christmas release is incredible, as their holiday releases always are.  But, I needed a birthday card fairly quickly and this release had just arrived in my mailbox.  So, here’s my take on a birthday card using images and dies from Christmas-themed sets.

I started by taking a short “diamond” border die and placing it in my MISTI.  Each time that I changed colours, I moved the card panel upward half an inch which gave me an even distribution over the panel. 

I decided to use a rainbow colour palate of Catherine Pooler Designs inks to make a bright background the star of the show.

Once the stamped panel was complete, I die cut it using the largest sized die in the Small Rectangle Stackable dies.  I then cut a scrap of Bazzil Bling cardstock, to place behind the stamped panel, in blue for the full sized card front panel.  I used the A2 sized Rectangle Stitched Stackable die from Lawn Fawn’s large set of rectangle stackable dies to match the pattern on both panels.  Next, I die cut the Holly Jolly banner die from a scrap of dark pink Bazzil Bling cardstock and stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I had to stamp the sentiment more than once because the cardstock was textured.  My MISTI is one of my favourite cardmaking tools, and this is why - it makes cardmaking so much easier.

I adhered the banner using three layers of 3M foam tape, for the popped-up section, and Lawn Fawn glue tube for the base parts that attach to the card.

The sentiments are from the Reverse Confetti Birthday Wishes stamp set.  I used the "So Many Candles.  So Little Cake" on the inside.

Sending Smiles

If you follow my Instagram account, you know that I love to save my scrap cardstock pieces and use them for die cutting images.  This card design provided another opportunity to use some of my scraps - this time, for butterflies.

 And, anyone who knows me is aware that I love the chance to add some bling.  To myself, to my cards, to my prop collection.  It's all good!

I started this card set using the Concord & 9th Sketched Stripes background stamp.  (I am in love with their background and turnabout stamp sets.)  I stamped the background stripes in two colours for each background to provide a bit of interest.

Once the backgrounds were stamped, I die cut them, and the coloured layering panels, to the sizes I wanted using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles Stackables (2nd largest die) and the Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Rectangles (largest die).  Then, I determined where I wanted the sentiment to be and die cut the "smiles" sentiment from each stamped background layer. 

 The sentiment die is from the Big, Bold, Friends set by Winnie & Walter.  I then stamped the "sending" sentiment above the die cut using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  This stamp is from the Lawn Fawn Happy Happy Happy stamp set.  The butterflies are from Sizzix and I added some gems from Lucy's Cards to the bodies of each butterfly.  It's hard to capture in the pictures, but the light catches nicely in the gems in person.

I used Neenah Solar White 80lb cardstock for both the stamped background panels and the A2 sized card bases.  The ink is by Catherine Pooler Designs (All That Jazz, Something Borrowed, Party Dress and Tiki Torch).  The coloured cardstock layering panels are Simon Says Stamp cardstock in Island Blue and Doll Pink.

I created a different version of the card using the same background stamp and cardstocks, but switching up the inks (Simon Says Stamp Clementine, Hot Mama, Sea Glass and Island Blue) and using the Island Blue cardstock as the base, instead of the white.  I also  changed the sentiment die to the Fancy Aloha die, by Your Next Stamp, and swapped the individual butterflies for a butterfly border (also by Your Next Stamp). 

The butterflies are die cut out of the stamped background and popped up, offset a bit to show the blue background cardstock.  Instead of die cutting the sentiment out of the background, I die cut it out of matching Island Blue cardstock, stacked several together and slightly offset them onto a black cardstock (Licorice by Lawn Fawn) die cut of the same die.  Next, I adhered the stacked die cut sentiment to the card and, as a final touch, I added Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the butterfly border, to subtly set it apart from the background.

Birthday Cards using Concord & 9th Stamps and Dies

Birthday Cards

I continue to make birthday cards and I have wanted to use the Sprinkles turnabout stamp by Concord & 9th for some time.  The stamp comes with additional birthday themed images and sentiments, and there is also a coordinating set of dies that includes a very handy little tag.

 As I usually do, I made the same card design in several colour combinations. 

On the first card, I used a red and blue theme.  I stamped the sprinkles on the background using red, blue, green and brown inks.  The cupcake images offer several options.  There are two different outlines, two different cupcake cups, two different icing styles and two types of sprinkle toppings.  I mixed and matched the cupcake components to coordinate with the card colour theme. The next step was to die cut the tag in blue paper (from my scrap bin).  Then, I die cut the stamped cupcake images, stamped a sentiment on the tag in black (although, I wish now that I had used a brighter colour), stamped some sprinkles on the top of the tag and embossed them with red embossing power. As a finishing touch, I added some twine in red and blue to decorate the top of the tag.  The tag was then adhered to the card panel with foam squares and the panel was adhered to a top folding card base.

To the left, the same card design with a similar colour scheme, but with a red tag and yellow in the background sprinkles instead of the brown.

Below a brighter version of the card with a pool coloured tag and brighter colours used for the background sprinkles.  This one is my favourite colour combination.

A mix of the red and blue colour combination and the teal.

Balloon cards

Stenciling

I used the Neat & Tangled Balloon Duo stencil to make some birthday cards.  

I used Strathmore Bristol paper so I could blend with Distress Oxide inks.  Two colours per card created a nice mix.  

I added balloon strings with a Copic Multiliner pen, added a sentiment from a variety of sources (Stamp of Approval, Concord & 9^th), rounded the corners of the card panel and the card base with a corner chomper from We R Memory Keepers.

The last step was to pop the card panels up on 3M foam tape and add them to a card base.  I love how vibrant these simple cards can be.  This is one of my favourite stencil sets because it is easy and quick to use.  You can create beautiful birthday cards in minutes.

Concord & 9th Christmas Cards

Ornamental Bundle

I was having quite a bit of fun making Christmas cards this year, especially using the Concord and 9th Christmas release.  For my first card, I made two colour combinations – red & gold and green, red & gold. I used Ranger embossing powder to emboss both the ornament and the sentiment and then I die cut the ornament and an ornament topper, adhered the topper on the ornament and  added an ornament string.

Concord & 9th Ornament - red and gold

Concord & 9th Ornament - red, green and gold

I used Ranger embossing powder to emboss both the ornament and the sentiment and then I die cut the ornament and an ornament topper, adhered the topper on the ornament and  added an ornament string. Lastly, I popped the ornament up on foam tape and placed it on a background of Lawn Fawn patterned paper.

Trim the Tree w/turnabout stamp background

The Trim the Tree set looks so good with the Christmas Cheer Turnabout stamp set. I am really
pleased with how these cards turned out.

Tree stripe detail with bow topper

Stamped ornaments on tree with star topper

I used Lawn Fawn inks to stamp the turnabout in different colour combinations and added the die cut tree to the front of the card panel. The tree was stamped with a sentiment and ornaments or with the stripes border stamp, using Versamark ink, to create dimension. The tree topper is either a die cut star or bow.

Cards for my nephew to give as gifts

My nephew is in grade one this year and two of his friends have moved away.  Both are big changes in his life.  I asked him if he would like me to make some cards to send to his friends and he liked that idea, so I am going to send him a set of cards with his Valentine's Day card.  Pictures and details of the cards are below.

Cute Birdies

I used the Concord & 9th Birdie Banners and Alpha Bits sets for both cards and, on the card on the right side, I added a tree from the Gina K. Designs set Friends 'til the End.  I stamped with a variety of Lawn Fawn inks and used Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Markers to draw the grass and colour the wings and tail on the birds.  The clouds were blended in using Distress Ink and the My Favorite Things mini clouds stencil.  The last step was to score a line around the edge of the front of the card.

Cute critter cards

These one-layer cards were made using the Gina K. Designs stamp set Friends 'til the End.  I stamped the images on the left card with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured the images with Chameleon coloured pencils.  The card on the right was stamped using a combination of Lawn Fawn coloured inks and Momento Tuxedo Black ink.  The owl was coloured with coloured pencils and the grass was drawn in with a Ranger Distress marker.  I masked the owl with a trimmed post-it note and blended the clouds onto the card panel using Ranger Distress ink and the MFT mini cloud stencil.  The last step was, again, to score a line around the edge of the card.

Airplane cards

One of my nephew's interests is things that fly so I used this cute Lawn Fawn set, Plane and Simple, to stamp and die cut the images.  They were coloured with Copic markers and adhered to a card panel that was embossed using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Cloud Backdrop (Landscape) after being cut down to size with the second largest die from the Lawn Fawn 4-bar sized Stitched Rectangle Stackables.

Buzy Bees

The cute little bees from the Honey Bee stamp set Build-a-Bee set make me smile.  I hope they make my nephew smile, too.  I coloured the bees with Copic markers, embossed the coloured card panel with a Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder and used a sentiment on the inside from the Honey Bee Bee-You-Tiful Sentiments set.

Monster Truck cards

And, since he loves them, I had to make a couple of cards with monster trucks that he could send to his friends.  The notecard is a 4-bar sized Lawn Fawn card and the panel was cut with the second largest of the 4-bar sized Stitched Rectangle Stackables and embossed with the Stitched Cloud Backdrop (Portrait).  The grass and the label were also both Lawn Fawn dies. The trucks are from the Your Next Stamp set called "Got Mud?" and were coloured with Chameleon coloured pencils.

Concord & 9th Christmas plaid background card

I love the Concord & 9^th Christmas stamps and dies released in 2017. 

Two colour combinations called to me for this card – blue and silver and red and gold. 

I used Neenah Solar White cardstock for the card panel and the card base.

The plaid background stamps so well; I love it! 


Along the sides of the card panel I adhered strips of glitter tape from The Ton. 

I cut the ribbon banner die (another favourite!) three times – once from white paper to stamp the sentiment and snowflakes on, once on paper that I stamped with ink to match the plaid colour on the card, and a third time out of scrap paper covered in glitter tape to match the edges of the card.  I layered the three banners on the front of the card. 


The ink colours are Lawn Fawn red (Lobster) and blue (Blue Jay) and Delicata gold and silver.  The sentiment is from the Christmas Cheer Turnabout stamp set.

I am really pleased with how these cards turned out.  I'll be using these stamps and dies again next year, methinks!

Valentine's Day card

This is a card that I made for my parents for Valentine’s Day. 

I started by cutting a white cardstock panel using the largest Lawn Fawn Outside-In Stitched Rectangle Stackable die.  I die cut a three- layered heart, twice in different colour combinations, using the Caprice Heart A – C dies from Birch Press Designs.  The falling hearts in the background are from Concord & 9^th’s Love Always stamp set and they are stamped using Peppermint Scrub ink by Catherine Pooler Designs.  The sentiment comes from the Simon Says Stamp Thoughtful Messages stamp set and is stamped in Versafine Black Onyx ink, which is my favourite ink for sentiments. 

On the inside of the card, I used an old sentiment stamp from Hero Arts that I’ve had for years.  It’s a favourite, so I use it almost every year.  The white cardstock that I used is Neenah Solar White (80lb) and the coloured cardstocks are unknown - I found them in my scrap bin.  Because I've been crafting for quite a few years now, I have collected some pretty good scraps and I have recently been making an effort to use them up.  I have a long way to go!

As I have had the layered heart die for quite some time but haven’t used it, I was inspired to participate in this week’s Work Your Stash Wednesday Challenge.

This is my first blog post, as I'm sure you can tell.  I hope I'm doing it right!