March 2013 - Spring Birthday Card

Instructions

• Take out your plain white 1 3/4 x 4 1/2" vellum strip. Stamp E4313 in Very Black Outliner Ink in the middle of the strip. Set aside to dry.
• Take out your pink graph paper. Stamp the F3451 Garden Border in Very Black Outlinker Ink in the middle of the paper, scallop border on top.
• Shade the flowers with a pink watercolor pencil and color in the stems with a green watercolor pencil, like this:
  
• Using the 21 Violet Designer Ink Pad, watercolor a purple shade around the flowers. (Note Sample.) This will add depth to the flowers against the graph paper. For a tutorial in water coloring, click here. Set aside.
• Take out the two purple dot cardstock strips. Using the Very Black Outliner, stamp F4319 on each strip. Stamp "Life's A Treat" on one strip and "With a Sweet Friend Like You" on the other strip.
• Cut chevrons on the end of each purple strip. (Only on the side that has the end of that saying.) Take out the vellum strip with the Happy Birthday stamped on it. Cut chevrons on both ends and color in the heart with a pink watercolor pencil.
• Take out the half apple green circle. Using the Citrus Designer Ink Pad, sponge the border of the half circle. This gives more dimension to the circle once mounted on the card.
• Take out the large pink card. Fold in half along the scored line. On the front of the card (with the opening on the bottom and the fold along the top, note sample) glue 1 music note circle centered along the top and glue the half apple green circle with the flat edge right side up centered along the bottom like this:
  
• Grab the pink graph paper. Adhere glue to the bottom 3/4 of the paper, leaving the scallop row on top free. This will leave room to slide in the butterfly later on. Glue the graph paper centered between the music note and half green circle. Note Sample.
• Grab out the vellum strip with the Happy Birthday. Glue at an angle along the bottom of the pink graph paper. Note Sample.
• Using a 1/16" hole punch, punch a hole right underneath the "H" in Birthday on the vellum strip. You will be punching through the vellum, green half circle, and pink card. Set the purple brad in the hole.
• Glue down the two purple strips at an angle inside the card with the "Life's a Treat" being the strip on top. Note Sample. Glue down on the far left end of the heart vellum in between the two purple strips to hold it in place. Note Sample.
• Fold the remaining music note circle in half around the edge of the card. It should cover the left side ends of the purple and heart vellum strips. Note Sample. Staple it in place with a black staple. (When we use staples in designs we like to use color ones to make them a design element as well as being there to hold something together. Using Sharpies you can color your staples any color without having to buy staples. You can have red, black, green, blue, or really any color you can get a Sharpie in a matter of seconds and save some money while you do it.)
• Grab out the heart vellum butterfly. Fold each wing where the body of the butterfly starts so it looks like the butterfly is in flight. Put glue on the bottom part of the left wing and tuck it under the far left side of the pink graph paper. Note Sample.
• Take out the baker's twine and wrap it twice around the front flap of the card. Tie a bow on the far right side of the front of the card.
• Now you have the perfect birthday card for a friend with a spring time birthday! Enjoy!