Birthday Cards

It's that time of year again where I get to make lots of cards! Make sure to check back several times over the next 6+ weeks for card inspiration!

Today I have four birthday cards to share, two based on a sketch and two of my own design. First up is this sketch from Sketch Saturday:

I made two similar cards from this sketch. I started with a 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece of glossy cardstock and inked it with pink and purple alcohol inks. I started by squirting some blending solution over the paper and then dropping the color onto the paper. It didn't spread as much as I was hoping so then I took a blending tool and blended what was wet yet. This still didn't provide the coverage I wanted, so I put drops of color on a blending felt and swirled that over my paper. That finally gave me to the coverage I wanted. This first card was a special request and the recipient's mom said she likes bubbles, so I dropped blending solution over my background to give a bubble effect. Once that was dry, I went to work adding embellishments. I pulled out some scraps and went with a pink and silver/iridescent color scheme. I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment on the punched scalloped edge circle. I also punched the stars from iridescent glitter paper. I finished things off with some iridescent sequins. 

This second card is for my niece who just turned one. I used scraps to decorate this one too, but these were more colorful. I fussy cut the flowers from patterned paper to embellish the cards. I used my Cricut to cut the "1" and covered it in Stickles for some sparkle. I finished off the card with light green Nuvo drops.

Next up is a card I made for my son's 4th birthday. I used glossy cardstock and alcohol inks for this card as well. This time, I put the drops of color on the edge of my felt and drug it across the paper in a wavy pattern. The first waves I made were a little too big, so I took a second pass and made smaller waves. I like the layered effect this gives. I then splattered some blending solution and white mixative over the top to make a droplet effect. The focal point was a cut apart from an older collection that I edged with dark blue ink. I used my Cricut to cut "happy" for the front. I added the word "birthday" to the inside of the card.I finished the front of my card with glitter enamel dots and puffy heart stickers.

Finally, I have a card I made for my son's friend's birthday. I used the same "happy" as the card above (the cut actually cuts the word happy twice, so I just kept the second one for another card). I found some patterned papers in greens with silver accents and put the together for the background. I stamped and heat embossed "birthday" on vellum to layer underneath "happy." I embellished the card front with punched stars.  

Thanks for checking out my cards! I will have more in the weeks to come!