Birthday Blessings

I needed a special birthday card for a special friend. I decided to make a fancy-fold card of sorts, & found a tutorial on Lattice Fold Cards by Sam Calcott. I used her "bonus" technique of putting the pop-up lattice feature on the inside of the card. For a pattern, I used the "Susan's Lattice Folds" template from Hot Off the Press (discontinued).

Sam had suggested in her tutorial that using a white-core cardstock would give a cool two-tone effect to the lattice portion. I have a pad of 12x12" cardstock from Die Cuts with a View called Flip/Side. It has 2 different shades of a color per sheet. I chose a mint/teal cardstock from that pad.

Inside of card showing lattice fold

I began with the inside panel. I cut it to 7x12", and scored it in half at 6". I knew I would cut it down eventually, but wanted to make sure it was wide enough, so started with a larger piece. I lined up my template pattern along the fold, & traced the cut lines with a pencil. I cut them with scissors, & then folded down every other section. I cut off the folded piece at the very bottom & glued it to the top to complete the pattern. I did end up trimming down the panel at the top & bottom, as well as the sides. Then I set that aside to work on the rest of the card.

For the front, I die cut a tag from a faux-dip-dye watercolor panel that I'd made previously. I die cut a butterfly with Divinity Designs' "Fancy Fritillary" from silver mirror cardstock backed with Stick It adhesive. I cut the tag reinforcer from the same silver cardstock & glued it in place. I adhered the butterfly to the tag at an angle, & adhered the tag to a panel I'd cut from the leftover piece of the inside panel. I used the teal side of the remaining cardstock piece to mat my panel, & then mounted it onto a white card base.

For the greeting, I heat embossed the "birthday blessings" from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" stamp set onto a scrap of a different teal cardstock. I cut it into a banner, & adhered it to the front of my card. I adhered the inside panel in place, & adhered 2 white panels on either side for a personal message.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge: "Use a Card Fold Tutorial +/Animals"

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Add a Sentiment"

Creative Knockouts Challenge #415: "Birthday Wishes"

Die Cut Divas August Challenge: "Watercolor - Real or Faux" (used watercolor on the tag)

The House that Stamps Built Challenge #A421: "Use a Tag on Your Card"