Right as Rain - Cardmaking and Scrapbooking with Jean Manis

A Showcase of Birthday Greetings

Hello! Following Christmas cards, birthday cards are the type I send most frequently. In this post, I’m excited to share a collection of birthday cards that I’ve crafted over the years.

Throughout this post, I’ll be using cards from my blog archive as examples. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post. Even if the specific products used on the cards may no longer be available, the focus is on how the theme is represented on the card.

A birthday card adorned with colorful balloons and a straightforward “Happy Birthday” sentiment holds visual appeal with its clean and simple design. The graphic elements create a sense of celebration without unnecessary complexity.

A decorated cake with candles is universally associated with birthdays, making it visually engaging for a broad audience. The colorful and decorative elements add a festive touch, enhancing the card’s appeal.

A card featuring cats in cupcakes combines whimsy and charm. This playful and cute depiction adds a unique and lighthearted touch to a birthday card that is particularly appealing to cat lovers.

Another card appealing to cat lovers, cats wearing party hats in a cozy setting creates a sense of warmth and celebration. The addition of balloons outside a window adds a touch of festivity.

A mix of adorable animals adds a playful quality to a birthday card, while party hats, presents, and balloons create a celebratory atmosphere.

Perfect for sending birthday joy to a dog enthusiast or someone who appreciates canine charm, a card showing dogs of various breeds at the park is heartwarming and festive.

A birthday card with a die-cut sentiment of “Happy Birthday Wishes” on a banner background, set against floral-patterned paper and adorned with die-cut floral clusters, is fittingly feminine.

Both visually appealing and elegant, a birthday card featuring watercolored florals is not just a card but a miniature work of art that captures the eye.

Whether you’re captivated by colorful balloons, charmed by watercolored florals, or amused by cats and dogs ready to celebrate, the diverse birthday cards showcased above offer a range of styles and sentiments. I hope these cards spark your imagination, encouraging you to infuse your personal touch into birthday greetings.

Elizabeth Craft | Gnome Valentine

Hello! After the creating the Valentine’s Day card roundup, which you can see HERE, and rediscovering treasures in my crafting supplies, I was inspired to create a new card for the holiday. Picture a charming gnome on top of a cart brimming with hearts paired with a sentiment that reads “Loads of Love.”

- To begin, create sentiment on your computer and print. Trim to an A2-size panel and apply Distress Oxide inks in Hickory Smoke and Tumbled Glass to establish the ground and sky. Attach panel to a card base.
- Apply Distress Oxide inks to Soft Finish Cardstock and cut pieces for the Gnome (I used the Farmer set for the eyes), Hay Ride (trailer), and hearts (various die sets listed below). Assemble the gnome and the trailer. (Note: I used a 1/2″ circle die to cut part of the wheel assembly.)
- Add die-cut hearts to trailer. I added the hearts on the bottom row first, then I put the trailer on to the card base and filled the cart until I was happy with the amount.
- Add gnome to cart.

You can see a similar autumn-themed card with several of the same Elizabeth Craft Designs supplies HERE.

Arctic Love: Polar Bear Valentine

Inspired by my recent Valentine’s Day card roundup, I crafted a Valentine featuring a polar bear nestled inside a heart, surrounded by a backdrop of red, pink, and blue circles. With a die-cut “XO XO” sentiment, this card is created solely with die cuts.

- Cut Reverse Confetti Big Polkas Cover Panel from Snowdrift cardstock. (This cover plate is now retired, and I have been unable to locate a source for it.) Cut 1″ circles (using a die from the Everlasting Circles set) from Pomegranate, Dahlia, Pink Sand, and Sea Glass cardstock). Tape the circles to the back of cover panel (trimming circles as necessary where there is overlap). Add assembly to an A2-size card base.
- Cut heart from Pomegranate cardstock with second largest die in the Essential Hearts set. Add to card.
- Cut Elizabeth Craft Designs Polar Bear (retired but still available at Frantic Stamper) from Snowdrift, Onyx, and gray (Bazzill Taffy) cardstock. (I used the retired Paper Smooches Snowman 2 die for the mouth.) Assemble.
- Cut sentiment from white glitter foam with the Journal Letter die set. Add to card.

Penguin Valentine’s Day Card

Hello! After curating a roundup of Valentine’s Day cards, I was inspired to create a card using some of supplies I rediscovered. Picture a snowbank setting, a sky adorned with heart-shaped cutouts, and a charming penguin holding a heart—a whimsical way to say “Love You.”

- To begin, create a 4 1/4″ square card base from Lipstick Red cardstock.
- Cut frame using a My Favorite Things square frame die (now retired) from Snowdrift cardstock. The outside measurement is 4″.
- Cut Sea Glass cardstock with the Heart Sprinkle Trail die, trim to fit behind square frame, and set aside.
- Cut Elizabeth Craft Designs Penguin from Onyx, Snowdrift, and Persimmon cardstock. (Note: the Elizabeth Craft Designs Penguin die is retired, however, at the time of writing, it is available at Frantic Stamper.) Assemble.
- With the Drifting Stitches Border dies, cut snowbanks from Snowdrift cardstock. Layer and trim as required. Attach loosely at the bottom of the snowbanks so that the sentiment can be included in the assembly.
- With the Simon Says Stamp On Edge Love You die set (now retired), cut sentiment from Lipstick Red cardstock.
- Attach the snowbank assembly, with the sentiment in front of the back snowbank, to the frame. Add Heart Sprinkle Trail background to snowbanks. Add to card base. Slip penguin between the sentiment and back snowbank; adhere.

Supplies: Elizabeth Craft Designs Penguin, Simon Says Stamp On Edge Love You, My Favorite Things Square Frame

Crafting Love | Cards for Valentine’s Day

Hello! As Christmas cardmaking is wrapped up for the time being, I am preparing for Valentine’s Day. Seeking inspiration, I took a look back through my blog archive to find cards created for the holiday. The exercise also reminded me of products in my collection that I can use again.

The cards I discovered for this roundup range from sophisticated to adorably cute and whimsically charming – there’s a perfect expression of love for every taste and style!

Click on the card image to be taken to the original post. Specific products used on the cards may no longer be available. As I updated information and links on the original posts, I checked to see which retailers carried the older sets. Frantic Stamper, offering fantastic customer service, has a number of the older and retired items in stock.

Observations As I look at the cards, I see that I used red or pink (or both) on all of them. The more elegant cards include gold cardstock touches. Also, I have included a heart somewhere on all of the cards, whether on the patterned paper, the stamped background, or with a die-cut element.

Even though I do not make a lot of cards for the holiday, I was more motivated to do so after looking through these cards. Do you create handmade cards for Valentine’s Day? If so, what are some of your favorite products with this theme? Do you have products on your “to buy” list with this theme?