birthday - Right as Rain

Lawn Fawn Delight: Cat-themed Birthday Card

Meow! Today I’m excited to share with you a birthday card, purrfect for cat lovers, featuring adorable cats and colorful balloons. I used Lawn Fawn products to create this cute design, which includes watercolored cats lounging on a cozy couch in front of a die-cut window.

- - Stamp Meow You Doin’ sentiment on patterned paper; add to A2-size card base.
  - Stamp Meow You Doin’ (cats), Window Scene Winter (couch), and Wild For You (hat) images with VersaFine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. Color with markers. When dry, cut with coordinating die sets.
  - Cut Party Balloons from Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and watercolor with markers. When dry, attach strings.
  - Cut Window Frame from white cardstock. Cut light-blue cardstock sized to go behind the window. Add balloons to background; attach window with foam adhesive.
  - Place window on card base. Add couch with cats attached.

Including a window in a card design creates a sense of perspective that draws the viewer into the scene. This can be especially effective if you’re creating cards with setting such as a cozy home. I often use windows on my cards such as this one featuring the Lawn Fawn Wonderful Window die set.

Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club | Balloons and Birthday Wishes

Creating a handmade card is a wonderful way to show someone you care. If you’re looking for inspiration, the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club set “Balloons and Birthday Wishes” features a banner that can be customized with flowers and balloons, as well as a variety of sayings from which to choose. I used the same color combination on both cards with one featuring the balloons and the other flowers.

A dark purple banner with gold letters creates an elegant and stylish look. The dark purple makes the text stand out.

- Dry-emboss A2-size Sea Glass cardstock panel with Diamond Plaid folder; add to card base.
- Cut sentiment from Brushed Gold cardstock.
- Cut banner pieces from Royal Amethyst and Purple Mist cardstock.
- Cut balloon pieces from Snowdrift cardstock, Gold Glitter Foam, and shiny gold cardstock.
- While assembling banner, place two balloon strings inside banner. Add sentiment to banner. Add assembly to background. Add balloons.

A light purple banner with white letters gives a softer touch.

- Dry-emboss A2-size Sea Glass cardstock panel with Diamond Plaid folder; add to card base.
- Cut banner pieces from Royal Amethyst and Purple Mist cardstock; assemble.
- Cut sentiment from Snowdrift cardstock and add to banner. Add assembly to background.
- Cut flower pieces and leaves from Royal Amethyst and Snowdrift cardstock. Assemble and add to card with glue and foam adhesive.
- Embellish with Pink Color Essentials Gems.

Penny Black | Watercolored Floral Birthday

Hello! Today I am sharing a watercolored birthday card featuring stamp sets from the most recent Penny Black release – Cherished.

Stamp Sweetly with VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. Set ink with heat gun.
Color floral image with mediums of choice. Set aside to dry.
Stamp image on to Masking Magic Sheets and fussy-cut. Apply mask to dry image and ink the background with Tumbled Glass Oxide. Add May Green ink to small stems. (This color worked with the greens I used to color the leaves. Ideally, you have a marker with a small enough tip to color the small stems that matches the greens used for the other stems and leaves.)
Remove masking and stamp Delightful Day sentiment in upper-left corner. Trim panel to A2-size and add to card base.

Lawn Fawn | Mixed Media Birthday Card

Hello! Today I am sharing a birthday card, featuring Lawn Fawn products, that I am entering into the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge #144 – All Things Birthday. This is not a card I just whipped up. It took time to watercolor the images and foil the background and letters! I learned a lot along the way.

Stamp images from the Wild for You and Party Animal sets in VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; heat set ink. Color images using Zig and Tombow markers. Once dry, cut with coordinating dies.
Fox: Zig Brown, Zig Oatmeal; Alligator: Tombow Sap Green, Zig Deep Green; Mouse: Tombow Chocolate; Elephant: Zig Dark Gray; Giraffe: Zig Brown, Zig Light Brown, Tombow Peach.
Cut Party Balloons from watercolor paper and color with markers (Zig Persian Blue, Tombow Warm Red, Zig Bright Yellow). Die-cut strings from white cardstock and attach to dried balloons.
Foil Iridescent foil to toner sheet. Cut sentiment from foil with Cole’s ABCs. Cut same letters from Silver Glitter Foam and glue to the back of the foiled letters (glitter side down). (Any foam that can be die cut would work.) Cut Matte Black cardstock 1 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches and adhere letters to strip.
Apply Therm O Web Blanco Transfer Gel through the straight Skinny Stripes stencil on Sea Glass cardstock. Once dry, foil with Rainbow Deco Foil. (Notice that the stripes of the rainbow go from left to right, not top to bottom.) Trim panel to A2-size and add to card base. Adhere Vellum to panel with double-sided tape along the bottom which the sentiment strip will cover.
Add sentiment strip to background, attach balloons to background, and attach animals with foam adhesive. Glue can be added to the vellum behind the items to help secure it to the foiled background.

Newton’s Nook | Mixed Media Birthday Card

Hello! Lately, I have been practicing a number of techniques including watercoloring and foiling with a laminator. I have used both on this birthday card that features supplies from Newton’s Nook. While I intend to use the card for a birthday, the image, sentiment, and background would work for other occasions.

To create focal image, stamp Sky High Celebrations image with VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. Heat set and watercolor with markers (markers linked in the supply list, colors used below). Once dry, cut image with coordinating die.
Balloons + Bird: Tombow Warm Red, Zig Orange, Tombow Process Yellow, Zig May Green, Zig Persian Blue, Zig Cobalt Blue, Zig Deep Violet
Dog: Tombow Burnt Sienna, Tombow Light Sand, Tombow Lamp Black
Cat: Zig Warm Gray 5, Tombow Lamp Black, Tombow Pale Pink
To create background, apply Blueprint Sketch, Mermaid Lagoon, and Salvaged Patina Distress inks to white cardstock. Apply the same inks again with one of the Balloon stencils in place (the set contains two stencils).
Apply Therm O Web Transfer Gel to panel using the other Balloon stencil. (I masked the balloons in the lower-right corner where I wanted to stamp the sentiment.) Set aside to dry.
Apply White Latte flock to the stenciled panel. (I used a Minc Mini set on 5 and allowed to heat for at least 15 minutes.) Stamp the Sky High Celebrations sentiment in lower-right corner with VersaFine ink. Trim panel, attach to card base, and add watercolored Sky High Celebrations image with foam adhesive.