Happiness Blooms at Age 70!

Have you ever made a card that just made you smile when you looked at the finished product? I had that reaction to this card! We have a friend who is turning 70, and I wanted something that would make a splash….

You’re right, nothing too splashy about this card, even though that Pineapple gives a Punch. The magic happens when you open the card!

Here is a peek…then…POW!

The “tiny fire” that the birthday boy has to blow out becomes evident! After I took this picture, I added an extra candle to the right end so that each candle would represent 10 years. The flames have Wink of Stella on them for extra sparkle. I have a few more views so you can see the pop-up mechanism (thank you to Linda Heller for this pop-up idea!)

And here’s the front again, in case you’ve forgotten what it looks like, ha!

I especially like this sentiment for Big Jim because he is a radio celebrity and music is his thing. We’ll be sure to sing to him and I’m pretty sure there will be a cake with a whole lot of candles on it!!

Design Tips and Suggestions

• Repeated patterns are always visually appealing. Here I’ve paired small dots with medium and large dots and repeated them in three places.
• Likewise, I’ve repeated the stitching in the two rectangle panels and they are drawn within the banner – three repeats.
• When making the pop-up mechanism, you need to take into consideration the width of your card. For this 4-1/4″ wide card I started with a 3/4″ x 9″ strip of thick white cardstock. I scored it at 3/4″, 4-1/8″, 4-7/8″, and 8-1/4″.
• Use a strong adhesive to attach the strip to the card. I used Tear & Tape on the left end and back side to glue it to the two sides of the inside of the card.
• When determining the placement of your mechanism, lay your sentiment piece down first and eyeball where the pop-up strip should go. Make sure that whatever you glue to the front of the strip (my candles) don’t cover up your sentiment.

Taking Two Weeks Off

I’m going on vacation for the next couple of weeks, so I probably won’t be online much at all. Just wanted to let you know that I will be back, but won’t be in a situation where I can make cards for the time that I’m gone. If you would like to purchase my Stamping Habit Kit for the month, I will be taking orders and mailing them between the 10th and 15th. Email me at karenshallam@gmail.com and let me know that you would like one (or more!) I will send you an invoice and start putting your kit together. See more info here. Please indicate if you would prefer a 3D item or a fourth card, either a note card or 3″x 3″ gift enclosure card. Thanks for your support!

Have a wonderful weekend! Is it Spring-like yet where you live?

Product List

Birthday Banners Photopolymer Stamp Set [141506] $17.00	Birthday Cheer Cling Stamp Set [148604] $20.00	Bunch Of Banners Framelits Dies [141488] $27.00	Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies [148551] $35.00
Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $30.00	Happiness Blooms 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [148795] $11.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Thick Cardstock [140272] $7.75	Pineapple Punch 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [146971] $8.50
Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143706] $10.00	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin’ Pad [147110] $7.50	Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad [147084] $7.50	Call Me Clover Stampin’ Pad [147139] $7.50
Grapefruit Grove Classic Stampin’ Pad [147142] $7.50	Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin’ Pad [147099] $7.50	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin’ Pad [147138] $7.50	Pineapple Punch Classic Stampin’ Pad [147141] $7.50
Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots [148805] $7.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00	Tear & Tape Adhesive [138995] $7.00	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00