BANNER BIRTHDAY

Sometimes just a few elements can make a card extra special. In my opinion, the two elements that pretty much make this card are the striking (retired) Designer Series Paper in the background, and the extra wow in the greeting, in that I added polka dots to an otherwise ho-hum red "happy". 

Once the "happy birthday" was finished, it was just a matter of a few additions to complete a truly happy greeting.

Following is a tutorial to create a card like this one.

SUPPLIES:

White cardstock

Choice of a happy Designer Series Paper

Coordinating cardstock

HAPPY from a Paper Pumpkin kit

A retired "birthday"

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Stampin' Blends in: Light Real Red and Light Starry Sky

Die Cutting Machine

Banner dies

Colored jewel to coordinate

Stampin' Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Everything else on this card will depend on the colors in your chosen Designer Series Paper.

Select a Designer Series Paper that you love. Add a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of this DSP to your white card base.

On a 2" x 3" piece of white cardstock, stamp the outlined "happy" from a Paper Pumpkin kit in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Color and decorate the word in any way you wish. Because of the colors in my DSP, I used the Light Real Red Stampin' Blend for the base color and added dots in the Light Starry Sky Stampin' Blend.

In black ink, stamp the word "birthday" underneath the "happy" and to the right.

Adhere this piece to a 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" of cardstock in a coordinating color. Set this aside for now.

Using banner dies, cut a larger banner from the same cardstock you used for the mat on the greeting. With a smaller banner die, cut another from white cardstock.

Adhere these two together, leaving an even border along the bottom and sides.

Adhere the completed banners to the back of the sentiment piece, leaving as much extended at the bottom as you wish.

If you don't have a rhinestone in a color that coordinates, use a suitable Stampin' Blend to color one of the large Basic Rhinestones and add it to the top of the banner under the sentiment.

Use Stampin' Dimensionals to add the completed piece to the card front.

Which sentiment do you find yourself reaching for the most often when cardmaking? Happy Birthday? Get Well? With Sympathy? I do love "Thinking of You". It fits several occasions.

Happy

Smiles.