Gosh, July? Already? Wow! Pinch punch, first of the month, no returns, white rabbits - as we used to say when I was a kid! Do you say that where you are in the World too, I wonder? I would love to know!
As it is the first of July today, I believe it is Canada Day, so, for all my Canadian family and friends and readers - happy Canada Day to you all. Hope you celebrate it well?
Today I have a bright and jolly birthday card for you that was quick and easy to make, using the gorgeous Cherry On Top Designer Washi Tape, some circle punches and not much else! Come and take a look:
The card base is Watermelon Wonder, with a mat of Whisper White on top. I tore off a strip of each of the different washi tape designs and laid them in a criss-cross, random position on the white card layer. I then stamped the scalloped flower from the Crazy About You stamp set in Watermelon Wonder ink onto a scrap of Whisper White Cardstock and punched it out with the 1 3/4" (4.4mm) scallop circle punch, popped it up on dimensionals and stuck it onto the card.
I then punched out several tiny circles, from Cucumber Crush cardstock scraps, using the smallest eye pieces of the Owl Builder Punch, then a couple of the largest eye circles plus a 1/2" (1.3cm) circle punch circle in Bermuda Bay cardstock. Then, finally, I punched one Watermelon Wonder 3/4"(1.9cm) circle and randomly stuck them all onto the card with Tombow glue, so that they followed a vague triangle pattern, to make it easy on the eye and balance out. I wanted them to echo the multi-coloured, different-sized circles on the spotty washi tape.
The final touch was to stamp the greeting, in Bermuda Bay ink, onto another scrap of Whisper White cardstock, using my trusty, much-used and much-loved Stamp-a-ma-jig to align the words; then, punch it out with my 1 3/8" (3.5cm) circle punch and glue it on top of the scalloped flower. The sentiments come from the Crazy About You set - there are an abundance of words to choose from in that fabulously useful stamp set! I love it!
However, before I stuck down the mat to the card base and chose what greeting to use, I decided to have a play around, to see which combination I preferred. The following two photographs show what the card looks like with either a Bermuda Bay or Cucumber Crush base:
I think the choice of background colour makes a huge difference to the look of the card, don't you? Each one picks out different aspects of the embellishments on the card and puts a different emphasis on the card as well.
I also played around with the greetings too, as you can see in these rough "drawing board" photographs that I took at my crafting table:
You'll have to excuse the rather messy (and inky!) backdrop in these last two photographs, and I apologise for the less than perfect picture quality too - I hadn't intended on showing them to anyone when I took them - but, I just wanted to show you how you can make cards for several different occasions using the exact same card design, but switching up the sentiment choice. I think they all work well, but I chose the birthday one in the end.
I think these would make a great gift, if you made a set of several cards, with different greetings on each one and either made a box for them, or, popped them in one of the Stampin' Up! Tag A Bag Gift Bags, tied up with a pretty ribbon, with a personalised hand-stamped tag on it.
I am sure that any teacher would appreciate a set of these at the end of the school term, or, you could just send them to someone you know as a "happy mail" RAK (Random Act of Kindness) to cheer them on their way?
I love to get anything in the post that is not a bill or a pizza flyer - and proper old-fashioned snail mail is so few and far between these days, isn't it? When was the last time you received something through your letterbox that was neither a bill nor a piece of junk mail? And, more to the point, when was the last time you SENT a piece of anything handwritten or handmade in the post "just because"? Just think how much happier we could make the world, if everyone sent out something in the "snail mail" today? You never know how much you might brighten someone's day by sending them something pretty and unexpected in the post, it might just tip the balance if they are feeling down. So, what are you waiting for? Make something and send it out to someone you know TODAY. Go on, do it, today, now, and make a small but significant difference to someone's week... I think it might even brighten your own week, knowing that you have sent somebody else some sunshine too...
Until next time, happy crafting everyone. Go spread some sunshine today...
Lucy x
P.S. Last minute edit: Stampin' Up! have added even more products to both this week's Weekly Deals AND to the Clearance Rack! Here are this week's Weekly Deals - there are a bumper 11 items for you this week:
My top picks from the clearance rack are the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine which is down to only £13.49 (half price!), the Mosaic Punch which is now only £5.59 (60% off!), the Jumbo Sticky Rounds, now only £1.79 and also the Kartenset hip, hip, hurra! - which although is only available in German, is a bargain at only £7.19, down from £17.95 - worth it for the ink spots, clear block and card blanks and die cuts alone, even if you don't use the stamps, I think! Bargain! Some whopping deals there - that will definitely add to this week's sunshine, don't you think?! Lucy x
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