A Fancy Fold Birthday

What a month!  Whew!  Traveling 6000 miles, holding two classes and trying to make cards for 7 special occasions this month has kept me so busy!  But today (finally) I have something to show for all my work...

Here's a fun birthday card/gift card holder that I saw on Dawn Griffith's blog.  I made one (I'm preparing for a "birthdays only" class in early April) and liked it so much I thought I'd send one to my brother-in-law later this week.  Take a look:

From the front, it doesn't really look ALL that special.  But that little circle at the bottom is actually holding it closed...

Once you release the card, the bottom unfolds into two sections, and you STILL have a card at the top.  Then you open the card and...

...there's a place for the gift card and the sentiment.  Wowsa!  Such fun!

I started with a base of Whisper White Thick cardstock, cut 4-1/4" x 11" and scored at 5-1/2", just like a traditional card.  But then you score in the middle of one of the sides and fold it back on itself.

Each section is covered with English Garden Designer Series Paper, mounted on Night of Navy cardstock.

Then there's the small card:

This is attached to the larger base piece.

I used BYOP and Perfect Pairings (this can be yours FREE with a qualifying Sale-a-Bration order, just through the end of this month!).   These were stamped in Night of Navy and Soft Suede ink.

Try one of these cards--it's fun and should make the recipient smile as the cards unfolds and unfolds to reveal a surprise!

All products can be purchased here.

Sale-a-Bration Sneak Peek

It's Sale-a-Bration Time!  Where every $50 purchase gets you a FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration brochure.  What a great time to place an order!

Today I'm featuring a Sale-a-Bration offering called Perfect Pairings.  This cute set of phrases will be popular due to the numbers of reasons to use it--from birthdays, to thanks yous, to celebrations and congrats, this set has the just-right sentiment.  Take a look:

 I need a card for my brother's birthday (have you noticed a pattern here this week?  Yeah, I have LOTS to celebrate in January!) and this set just hit the right note.

I started with a card base of Soft Suede and added a piece of delicious English Garden Designer Series Paper--a piece with a more masculine feel.

I punched a circle of Soft Suede using the 2-1/2" Circle Punch and then cut another piece of the DSP (I love that they all coordinate!) with my Circle Framelits.

For my sentiment I didn't want a plain white background, so using my Aquapainters and some Mint Macaron reinker, I gave it a wash of color, over which I stamped my sentiment using Night Of Navy ink.

Adding a little snippet of (retired) Champagne Glimmer Paper and a Gold Basic Metal Button with some Mint Macaron Bakers Twine (this came in a kit, now retired, but still sitting on my shelf--read about my need to use my stuff here).

A new set, Sunburst Sayings, just having made it's debut in the new Occasions Catalog, had just the right saying for my card.  It's stamped in Night of Navy ink and mounted on a small piece of Soft Suede.

And inside?  Another stamp from Perfect Pairings, along with some dots (Sunburst Sayings).

I'm really happy with the way this card turned out.  Simple and masculine, but with just enough panache to make it special!

What do you think?  Is Perfect Pairings on your wish list?

Supplies can be purchased here.

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Sneak Peek and a TGIF Challenge (#TGIFC33)

I was playing with some of my new toys and a sketch that I had seen popped into my head.  So I 

decided to play along...

Here is the challenge: 

And here is my card:

These items are from the Occasions Catalog, to be released January 5 (want to get your things early?  Join Stampin' UP! now and you'll get to receive new goodies before anyone else!).  

Party Wishes is a stamp set that is part of a wonderful bundle--It's My Party.  The balloons, candle and cupcake have matching punches (yea!) and there is a fabulous Designer Series Paper Stack to match!

My card base is Whisper White Thick Cardstock.  I first adhered a piece of the DSP to Mint Macaron and then punched my three holes using a 1-3/8" circle punch.  I positioned the layer over my card base and lightly traced the circles with a pencil.  This allowed me to position my balloon strings in the proper place.

The balloons, cupcake, candle and "make a wish" were stamped, punched and positioned on my card base, and my Mint Macaron layer was adhered over the top with Dimensionals.

But there was just something missing...too much space between my circles and the bottom of the card...I know!

"Hooray" from a Sale-a-Bration (FREE) set called Perfect Pairings was the perfect filler, along with the cute Melon Mambo It's My Party Enamel Dots. 

So there you have it--a Sneak Peek of new items from both the Occasions and Sale-a-Bration catalogs AND a sketch challenge--what do you think?  

Need a new Occasions Catalog?  If you are a regular customer of mine, I have one for you; if you do not have a Stampin' UP! demonstrator, I'd love to help!