A 3-Year Old Birthday & Strawberry Rainbow Unicorns

My middle granddaughter was three in early March, and I needed another child's birthday card.  Since all three of my granddaughters are into unicorns, I decided to use the Pop-Up Box card design for her and follow the unicorn theme as well, but with different papers. I've used pink strawberry rainbows because pink is Sienna's favorite color! She gets three balloons for being 3-years old and lots of pink!

Take a peek at the three different angles of the card and the trip of card angles together.  I think little Miss Sienna will LOVE her card! 

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products: Papers--Berry Burst, Pink Pirouette, Lost Lagoon, Basic White cs; White Glimmer (unicorn). Dies--Brilliant Rainbow (clouds); Punches--2-3/8" Scallop Circle, 2" Circle, 1-1/2" Circle. Paper Pumpkin April 2021--"So Cool" sun sticker. Other: Papers--Dandelionery (Etsy)-Strawberry Rainbows #258 Digital Paper. Dies--Cottage Cutz/ Sweet Unicorns; Savvy happy birthday die; Lawn Fawn--Grassy Hillside Borders, Party Balloons. Rainbow Duct Tape; Copic marker (color sun); Impress Cards & Crafts: fine white glitter. Glimmer scraps (unicorn, carrot, sentiment). Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

So Cool...It's Your Birthday!

 It's birthday time again for another crafter, and I needed to finish a past due challenge.  Ideas had been mulling around in my head of how to meet the challenge requirements of using lots of color, yet making a fun birthday card as well.  I also wanted to throw in as many other new or make-up challenges as I could.

I also had some Paper Pumpkin kits that I had not even opened the packages, much less given them any thought to doing something with them.  I decided this would be where I started by looking for one that used a lot of color.  I found that the "So Cool" April 2021 would probably work really well. Then, true to my usual mode, I did not want to make one of the kit designs, so I needed to keep that in mind as I search for challenge ideas. 

I did a bit of modifying of the kit pieces I used to make my card.  The envelopes were lined with the striped design.  I cut one open and used it for my striped pattern paper.  I took one of the popsicle stickers and made it into a jpeg image and printed it on the White Metallic paper to give it a sheen...so pretty in RIL!  I took the sentiment stamp You Are So Cool and careful cut it in half for my So Cool sentiment.  Take a peek below at my "So Cool" alternative birthday design, plus my inside design and Chatterbox verse:

Ingredients: SU cs: Coastal Cabana; White Metallic Shimmer cs (Amazon); SU Paper Pumpkin April 2021--So Cool stripe paper (envelope inside design), Popsicle sticker (size modified), "So Cool" sentiment (modified); SU Ink: Melon Mambo (splattering), Bermuda Bay (sentiment), Burnt Brown Sugar (ink-edge distressing; Reverse Confetti die: Cuttlebug EF: Happy Birthday; Recollections: Aqua Pearls; Chatterbox verse; Size: 4-3/4 x 6-inches.

Bringing Comfort in Loss

One of my Splitcoaststamper friends recently lost her mother, and I wanted to send her a sympathy card in the hope of bringing her comfort, knowing that her friends are thinking about her and sending lots of prayers.

I had a challenge I needed to complete that required a clean and simple style card, using only a small percentage of the front card surface.  Now, this is really a challenge for me since clean and simple is definitely not my style, though I often like cards others have done that have this style.  I would certainly agree that this style lends itself well to sympathy cards; therefore, I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm actually pretty happy with my finished card, and I hope my friend will find it brings that comfort and peace I'm hoping for her.  I do have to admit, I just had to add a very petite mat layer border provided by the card base and in a color pulled from the ink-blended, masked circle behind the bird. Take a peek at the finished card below, both inside and out:

Ingredients:  SU Melon Mambo cs, White Metallic Shimmer cs (Amazon). SU stamps: Best Bird (2016-2018). SU dies: Flourish Thinlits (2016-2018/ trimmed). SU Inks: Daffodil Yellow, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo. Melon Mambo flicked splatters. SU punch: Curvy Corner Trio (2015-2017inside). SU sequins: Iridescent Assortment. SU: Blending Brushes. Wink of Stella/ Clear. Chatterbox sentiment/ verse. Size: 4-1/2 x 6 inches.

Welcome to the World, Evie!

 I recently order and received SU's Sunshine & Rainbows dsp pack. I LOVE this paper, and it immediately gave me a jump-start to make a long overdue "Welcome to the World" card for my third granddaughter, Evie, who was born in November 2019.  Her birth started a four-month long whirlwind of events that kept me away from crafting.  It started with her early arrival by C-section and a 10-day NICU stay; next, my sister's cancer surgery and needed care; then a four-generation, long-planned vacation; and finally COVID!  With the start of Covid, I entered a year-long cardmaking slump...I call it the great Covid card-block! 

 
Long story short, I just made good on my promise to make Evie's welcome to the world card with a unicorn theme.  Unicorns were an absolute must for its theme!  Evie had an IV line in the NICU unit, but because her veins were too small, it was attached through a vein in her head. It stuck up with a gauze prop that made it look very much like a unicorn horn. Ever since, she has been known as our little unicorn baby. This mythical creature has very much made its presence known in room decorations, clothing, bedding, toys, etc. So, naturally, her welcome to the world needed to have a unicorn theme!

I'd been wanting to try a Card-in-a-Box for several years. For some reason this rainbow paper and my unicorn idea just shouted out Card-in-a-Box and with the help of my Splitcoaststamper challenge research, it solidified into this card below, which I'm sure Evie will enjoy and Mom will put it into her Grandma keepsake box for future enjoyment:

Ingredients:  SU Papers: Cardstock--Island Indigo, Tempting Turquoise, Basic White, White Glimmer (unicorn). SU Patterned Dsp--Rainbows & Sunshine (rainbows, clouds; 2022 SAB). SU stamp: Welcome Easter (sentiment). Cottage Cutz die: Sweet Unicorns, Expressions--Baby/ Girl. Lawn Fawn die: Grassy Hillside Borders. SU dies--Brilliant Rainbow (clouds). Punches: 2-3/8" Circle, 2" Circle, 1-1/2" Circle. SU Ink: Island Indigo. SU Embossing Powder: Clear. ClipArt: Dandelionery (Etsy)--#182-Unicorn Rainbow (rainbow--Copic re-color). Paper Pumpkin "So Cool" sun sticker (Copic re-color). Acrylic Window strips (stand-up strips for pop-ups). Copic markers. Rainbow Duct Tape. Glimmer scraps. Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

It's the BIG 50!

During March, we have several birthdays to celebrate.  One of special significance is to mark my oldest son's half-century birthday...the BIG FIVE-O!  Yes, his 50th birthday.  His fiancé, oldest sister, and I got together to make a day-long adventure out of preparing for the BIG party.  We shopped for many, many balloons...rubber ones in black, metallic gold, white, and clear confetti and Mylar ones in black & brightly colored splatters with CELEBRATE and candles featured, gold 5-0 numbers, plus metallic stars in black, gold, and white!  We bought party supplies for the cake and eating, and LOTS of food.  On the menu was BBQ'd pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, homemade baked beans, pasta salad, and beverages!  It was a wonderful day full of fun and laughter and the weather even cooperated with a sunny, balmy 53 degrees.  We were able to play outside with a little help from two patio heaters and some warm sweaters!

To help celebrate this noteworthy halfway mark, I needed a card.  I have long contemplated a woodgrain card using some SU companion papers that I bought back in 2017, Wood Textures. Somehow, I just have never got around to opening the package and making the wonderful masculine patterns into a card. This was the time and the event to make good on this card idea that has been lurking in the recesses of my mind for over five years!  Take a peek below at the completed results both inside and out.  I think David will be thrilled with its final outcome!

Ingredients-- Papers: Cardstock--SU-Basic Black, Copper Foil. Kraft-paper bag recycled. Patterned Paper--SU-Wood Textures (2017-2019). SU Stamps--Picture Perfect Birthday. SU Dies--Seasonal Layers (Scrap stash copper leaves--smaller modified from larger). SU-Embossing Powder/ Black. Colorbox-Chestnut Roan (Ink Distress-Edges). Fold--Front Flap Overlay Fold.  Size--4-3/4 x 6-inches.