Balloon Birthday Card

Do you have someone on your birthday list that would love to receive a balloon birthday card?  Popped up balloons are great to use as the main focal image on a clean and simple card or incorporated into a fun scene.  I had a girl in mind when I made this card with pastel colors but it would perfect with primary colors as well.  To make this this card I used Rubbernecker’s Nested Scallop with Half Holes, Balloons, Birthday Balloons, Birthday Balloons Coordinated Die, Slimline Clouds, Grass, Leaves and Greenery, Small Flowers #1 and Small Butterflies, 

The Card Base

I like to create matching decorative layers on my cards that can be layered to add a special extra touch of interest.  So for this card I used the large scallop die to cut the full scene base and the cloud and grass layers.  

• Cut an A2 sized card base using yellow cardstock.
• Use white cardstock to cut the scene base using the scallop die, clouds and fence and green cardstock to cut the grass.
• Use the scallop die to cut the borders of the clouds and grass.
• Mask off the decorative edge to the scene base and apply light blue ink using a large blender brush.
• Remove the mask, apply strips of mounting tape to the back of the scene base and attach it to the yellow card base.

The Clouds, Grass and Fence

• Apply double stick tape to the back of the back cloud layer and attach it to the scene.  Note:  I didn’t want the back cloud to be popped up around the edges so I secure it with the tape.  I added three small pieces of mounting tape to the back scallop portion of the cloud to to pop them up.
• Apply a strip of mounting tape to the back of the front cloud layer and attach it to the back cloud layer. 
• Attach the grass to the fence layer using double stick tape.
• Apply small strips of mounting tape to the back of the fence and grass section and attach it the scene base.

The Flowers and Butterflies

• Use green cardstock to cut the flower stems, Yellow cardstock to cut the flowers and pink cardstock to cut the butterflies.
• Place the small glowers face up on the molding pad and form them using a small tipped stylus.
• Apply glossy accents to the flower stems and attach the small flowers.
• Apply small dots of glossy accents to the butterfly centers and flower centers and attach pre made white Nuvo Crystal Drops.
• Note:  I apply small dots of Nuvo Crystal drops to a piece of a Kraft sheet and keep them on hand to use on my projects.  They are easily picked up with the tip of my paper piercer.  When I run out I just create another sheet of drops.  It’s is so much cheaper to use these drops than buying pearls, etc.!  See the picture below.

• Tuck the flowers and stems in behind the grass layer and attach in place using glossy accents.

The Balloons and Sentiment

The Birthday Balloon image is made with three balloons attached with a sentiment string.  The balloons are perfect for coloring but I decided to modify and use the Balloons die set so I could have three larger balloons.

• Prep a piece of white cardstock with embossing magic to eliminate static cling.
• Use VersaMark to stamp the image, sprinkle with  gold embossing powder and heat.
• Die cut out the embossed image using the coordinating Birthday Balloons die.
• Trim the stamped balloons so they will fit well behind the die cut balloons.
• Use pink, aqua and purple cardstock to cut the three large balloons.
• Attach the two outer balloons to the stamped balloons using glossy accents.
• Attach the front center balloon using a piece of mounting tape.
• Apply a large piece of mounting tape to the back of the balloon group and couple small pieces of mounting tape to the sentiment string and attach to the clouds and scene base.
• Attach tiny gold string knots to the balloons using a good amount of glossy accents.  Hint:  make sure to let the knots stay in place until the glossy accents is dry.   Gold string and glossy accents don’t like each other much but they will stay secure once the glue is dried well.
• Finish the scene by attaching the three butterflies using glossy accents.  Hint:  I decided to add the butterflies to fill the big blank space between the clouds and fence so it didn’t look empty.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my pretty birthday balloon card.  I can just imagine those balloons floating off to the sky and up above the clouds.  What is your favorite kind of birthday card to make?  Do you like combining stamped images and die cut images?  I’d love to know what you think?  

5320D Nested Scallop w/ Half Holes [ RBB ] 5319-03D Balloons Die [ RBB ] Birthday Balloons 1104-02 [ RBB ] Birthday Balloons Die Cut 1104-02D [ RBB ] 5328-01D Slimline Clouds Die [ RBB ] Tabed Grass Set Die Cut 5152-03D [ RBB ] 5309-04D Leaves and Greenery Die [ RBB ] 5210-04D Small Flowers #1 [ RBB ] Small Butterflies Die 5147-08D [ RBB ] Color Fuse Set #9 [ RBB ]

String by the Spool – Metallic Gold,… [ ELH ] VersaMark Ink Pad [ ELH ] Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder, Gold [ ELH ] Embossing Gun (Wagner), Hero Arts [ ELH ] Life Changing Blender Brush – 4 Piece… [ ELH ] Sizzix – Paper Sculpting Kit [ SBC ] Embossing Magic Bag, Inkadinkado [ ELH ] Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops, Gloss White [ ELH ] Mini Glossy Accents, Ranger Accents [ ELH ] Scor-Tape 1/8′ (3mm), Scor-Pal Tape [ ELH ] Scotch Foam Mounting Tape [ ELH ] Fiskars 01-005452 Recycled Bypass… [ AMZUS ] ATG Kit, Advanced Tape Glider [ ELH ] Teflon Bone Folder, Essentials by Ellen [ ELH ] Scor-Pal Measuring & Scoring Board 12×12 [ ELH ] Crossover II Fabric & Paper Cutting… [ RBB ] Scotch Safe-Release Masking Painter’s… [ ELH ]

Come see how I made this fun birthday balloon card.