Happy Birthday Banner & Balloon Card

We have so many family birthdays in August - I need to make lots and lots of cards!  This card was made using the new Artiste cartridge.   If you missed my review yesterday, click HERE to see some of the many things you can make with this cartridge.

As of August 15th, there is an additional deal available to make the bundle even more attractive.  In celebration of National Stamping Month, you can buy an additional double stamp set called "It's Your Day" with almost 50 images that coordinate with the cartridge for just $5 (regular price would be $35.90).  This offer is good until the end of September and you can find all of the detail's on Melanie's blog HERE.

There are some banner cuts on the Artiste cartridge and this one has both a stamp and a chipboard set that coordinate - for a triple play!  It is a little tricky to get used to centering the stamp on the cut piece and I practiced a few times on some plain cardstock.  I also found that the brand new stamps need to be used a few times to condition them and get a nice solid impression.

After a few tries, I got a better result - but then I changed my plan for the card and decided to cut the banner in a different color.

I used yellow Bazzil cardstock for the base of the card and several pieces of patterned paper from this My Mind's Eye stack (Quite Contrary - Jack and Jill).

I cut the banner from yellow polka dot paper and stamped the sentiment with Barn Door Distress Ink.  When I held the cut up to the chipboard piece it was slightly different (a very tiny amount of difference but I am picky!) so I inked the edges of the chipboard piece and the cut with Scattered Straw Distress Ink.  Here are the two pieces before I assembled them.

There was a small spot at the top left that didn't stamp clearly but I had a plan for that spot - remember, there are no mistakes, they are simply "creative opportunities."

I cut this balloon from the cartridge and realized that there is a little thumbnail interior cut to represent a highlight.  I wanted this to be filled in and I discovered that the shape is perfectly symmetrical so I could cut another one and flip it to fill in the open area.

In the end, I decided to use a scrap of the yellow polka dot from the banner to back the cut to get better contrast.  I wanted to attach the balloon to the banner (remember that little spot that didn't stamp perfectly?) and I decided that this Caribbean color of twine from The Twinery was a good match for the patterned paper.

I tied a bit of twine in a bow on the base of the balloon and I punched a hole in the chipboard banner (right over that troublesome spot) and tied another piece of twine to the banner.

I added some foam dots to the banner to float it above the surface of the card.

I centered the banner on the card and then taped the "tail" of the twine to the balloon.  Another foam dot raises the balloon from the surface of the card.

I positioned the balloon just in front of the words on the patterned paper to highlight the phrase "Oh so happy to have you in my life" printed on the paper.

Here is one more photo showing the stamped cut on the chipboard.

There are two layers of patterned paper on the A2 card - the green is cut at 5 1/4 x 4 inches and the striped design is cut at 5 x 3 3/4 inches.

I like the way the chipboard adds emphasis to the birthday sentiment.

Inside the card, I added a mat that is 5 1/2 inches wide with the top and bottom punched with a border design.

I thought it was interesting to see how closely the font of the stamp coordinates with the paper that I chose (look at the tails of the "p" and the "y").  I noticed this after the card was finished so it was another happy accident!

I am visiting my Dad for a little longer but I know that once I get home I'll be making some more projects with the Artiste cartridge.  Remember, the deal is even better now for the bundle.  You can get the cartridge with the three included stamps sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes for $99 and then add both the stamp of the month for $5 and then the double stamps set for another $5 - so for $109 (plus tax and shipping) you can get the cartridge, three sheets of chipboard and six stamp sets!  Melanie will be happy to answer any questions you have before you order - you can contact her through her blog, Courtney Lane Designs HERE or her website HERE.


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