Aloha, all!
This past week one of the leaders of an online group to which I belong had a birthday and she challenged the group to make a Birthday Card using the Brights Colors from Stampin' Up! As it had been awhile since I'd focused on the colors in that group, I decided to accept the challenge.
There was also a discussion going on in yet another group about the value of the Circle Scissors Plus, which is also sold as a Stampin' Up! product. Add to that my wish to use up some of my Stampin' Up! retiring accessories, and this is the card that resulted!
Let's start with the colors. The Brights Colors that I used for this card are Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Pacific Point. I do think that they make a very cheerful birthday card, and I should try to use them more for birthdays.
Then there are the retiring products. Rats! I love so many of them! First there's that luscious Daffodil Delight 5/8" Satin Ribbon. Satin Ribbon will still be around, but not in the Daffodil Delight color. Then there are two of my favorite Designer Series Paper sets, Sweet and Sour and Blueberry Crisp. The Sweet and Sour is a specialty paper that has some shiny swirls on one side of the double-sided printed paper. There will not be any specialty paper in the new catalog that has this feature (though there will be one set with some metallic highlights). The Blueberry Crisp has several blues in it, but this particular piece is all Pacific Point, so nice and, well, bright!
Both stamp sets that I used in this set will continue into the new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog: Crazy for Cupcakes and Teeny Tiny Wishes. I colored in the "cupcake papers" with Pacific Point, but I used a Blender Pen instead of a Stampin' Write Marker to lighten the ink up a bit. Nice touch, I think!
Finally the circles: For the top (stamped) circle and the back (Daffodil Delight) circle, I used the Sizzix 3" and 3-1/2" circle dies, respectively. But I don't like that large 1/4" space between layers. Since there is neither a Sizzix Die nor a punch that's 3-1/4" round, I needed to turn to my Circle Scissors Plus. (The "plus" in this product is that you can use this for drawing circles as well as cutting them; more about that another time). I set the cutting blade for a 3-1/4" circle and, voila! There you have it.
Here is the sketch for this card. I've been having fun lately making square cards, and I'm going to have to order more Stampin' Up! Medium Square Envelopes (they're 5-1/2" square) so I can start sending some of these cards out! I hope that you don't just hoard your cards, and have fun sending them out to your friends, too!
