Happy Birthday with Rainbow Scoops

The current challenge at Double Trouble is to make your own, "YouNique," background. I have a great need of birthday cards in the coming weeks, so I decided to make a rainbow ice cream birthday card. Who wouldn't want to celebrate their birthday with a 7-decker ice cream cone? :)

I first die cut the ice cream scoops & cone with the coordinating dies to Hero Arts' "Color Layering Ice Cream" (discontinued). I set up my MISTI stamp positioning tool so I could stamp the scoops in assembly-line style. I had a template using the negative space from one of the cardstock scraps that I'd cut the pieces from. I positioned the base stamp for the cone & scoop in place, & stamped that layer for each one, changing colors as I went. Then I positioned the detail layer for each, & stamped those in slightly darker colors. I made sure, after a tip from Jennifer McGuire, to let the base layer on each piece dry a bit before stamping the top layer, just to keep the detail layer from mushing into the base layer.

For my background, I cut a piece of pink cardstock to 3-1/4x8-1/4". I used the word stamps from Winnie & Walter's "The Party" set (discontinued) and Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers ink to stamp my background pattern. After I had finished stamping, I glued my cone & scoops to the panel.

I stamped my greeting, from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp's "Happy Birthdays" set (discontinued), in Versafine Clair Morning Mist ink onto a scrap of Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock. Finally, I glued that down & adhered my panel to a white slimline card.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts Challenge #458: "Something to Say"

My Favorite Things Slimline Challenge: "Rainbow"

613 Avenue Create's June Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Die Cut Divas' June Challenge: "Summer Days" (what is more summery than ice cream?)

A Banner Hello

I have had the gold die cut strips, made with Spellbinders' "Octagon Strips and Accents" dies (discontinued), for several months. I had made them to use on a project, but that ended up not working out. They were too good to chuck, though, so I held onto them. The other day, I finally decided this was The Time to use them.

I used the outer die in the set to cut 2 backing pieces of peach pearlized cardstock, & glued the gold die cuts to those. I used the same die with the corresponding insert to cut another strip from purple cardstock. I wanted something to break up the gold banners, and give me a third element. I cut a third peach piece to back the purple strip for continuity, & glued them together.

For the background, I applied Golden's Light Molding Paste through Hero Arts' "Deco Pattern" stencil. I left kind of a ragged edge towards the bottom right corner, so I could add a die cut greeting. I die cut the greeting from Hero Arts' "Hello Stamp & Cut" set once from gold & once from the purple I'd used for the third strip. I glued the purple down to my background panel, then layered the gold on top, offset so the purple provided a shadow.

After I decided how long I wanted my banners, I cut each strip to length. I wanted to stitch them, but with the thickness of the layered banners, I couldn't stitch straight through to the card front. So I poked holes along the top of each banner, & stitched with white thread. Then I used liquid tacky glue to glue just the tops of the banners along my panel, lining up the stitching lines & letting the rest of each lift up. Finally, I matted my panel with a light teal cardstock that I'd adhered to a white A2-size card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge #114: "YouNique Technique"

Dies R Us Challenge #195: "Dad's Day/Masculine"

Paper Funday Challenges Challenge #42: "Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Masculine" (playing the twist)

Creative Knockouts Challenge #458: "Something to Say"

Celebrate Your Special Day

I created this card for my aunt whose birthday is next week. She is a singer, & so I thought the music theme would work well. I got the design from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #478.

I found the music paper in my scrap stash, & cut it to 3-3/4x5-1/2". I also found a strip from a blue cardstock panel I'd stamped & heat embossed many many moons ago, that I figured would work well for the border strips in the sketch. So I cut that in two & glued one strip behind each side of my patterned paper, so about 1/8" peeks out. Then I adhered that to a cream cardstock panel that I glued to the front of my A2-size card base.

I used a greeting from My Favorite Things' "Birthday Greetings" stamp set (discontinued). I cut a strip of yellow cardstock from my scrap stash & adhered it to my card. I decided to deviate from the sketch a bit by placing the greeting on the strip. I stamped that with Prize Ribbon Distress Oxide ink. I thought that blue played well with the border strips & complemented the orange patterned paper. I die cut a balloon from gold glitter cardstock, using a Lawn Fawn "Party Balloons" die, & glued it in place. I love how this card came out, & I'm sure my aunt will too!