Happy 80th Birthday Box Card

August is a month full of birthdays for our family.  My father-in-law turned 80 in June and my mother-in-law just had her 80th birthday on Friday.  My husband and both of our sons have their birthdays this week - it's always a hectic time!  I made a simple box card for my father-in-law's birthday (you can see it HERE) and I decided to make a "fancier" one for my mother-in-law.

The box cards that Mary at SVGCuts has been designing are very clever and fun to put together.  I decided to use the party card with the balloons from the Summer Box Card SVG Kit. (affiliate links)

Color and paper selections can give a card a totally different look.  This is the sample card from the Summer box card set.  I decided to change the colors and make it more sparkly and elegant for a milestone birthday celebration.

I uploaded all of the pieces for the card into the Cricut Design Space.  The first time you do this for a card or project from SVG Cuts you need to add each file separately.  Once you have uploaded all of the pieces you can create a Design Space file with the full set to save for future use.  You do need to use the PDF instructions that are provided in the download to make all of the pieces the correct size.  If you are not sure how to do this, there are detailed instructions in THIS POST from May.

I chose a variety of papers in blue, green, silver and white.  Most of the patterned papers were from K&Company collections that I had on my shelf (some are from several years ago). This is the outside of the card with all of the layers added before forming the box.

There are three interior pieces in addition to the balloon decorations for the back panel.  I used glitter cardstock and added tiny bows and bling to make the card sparkle.

Adhesive foam dots and pieces of string taped to the back of the balloons give even more dimension to the card.

The strings are tied and fastened inside the card.  Some more adhesive dots add yet another layer to the card back.

When I first put the balloon piece down, something didn't look quite right...

I moved the strings to the fronts of the overlapping balloons to make a more realistic looking bunch of balloons.  The strings were taped below the knot and trimmed.  (One note on the sizing - the interior panel for the back of the card is listed as 3.2 inches wide but I found that it should be 3 inches to fit with a thin border as shown here - it is mostly hidden by the balloons but it does show from the side and will look more consistent with the other panels if you make it 3 inches).

Here is the side view of the card once it was assembled.  SVGCuts has excellent assembly videos to help you with their projects.  Once you have put together a few box cards it is very easy to do.

This photo is a little dark to help you see the shiny white dots on the balloons, cake and envelope.  The glitter cardstock is from DCWV - it is called "Dazzle" and cuts beautifully in the Cricut and other machines.  There is no loose glitter to worry about since the manufacturing process for this glitter effect does not embed glitter - the glitter effect is much finer and incredibly sparkly!

I added a sentiment oval from Craftwork Cards to the banner and raised it with some adhesive dots.

A few extra clear gems are sprinkled here and there for a finishing touch.

Even the back of this card is pretty with the glittered flower cardstock.  I didn't add the optional white panel that is included in the file.

When people first see a box card they are amazed that something that folds flat can become so three dimensional.  I usually put them in the envelope with the flaps folded down like this, especially if the sentiment is on the flap.

If you prefer, you can fold up the flaps to help make the opening of the card even more of a surprise!

I added the "80" to one of the white balloons with numbers I cut from the same silver glitter cardstock with an old set of Sizzlits dies (I had already closed my computer when I realized that I didn't cut the numbers and these were the perfect size.  Sometimes a quick roll of a metal die through a manual die cut machine is the fastest solution).

The card was a hit and it even matched her outfit!  One of our young nephews said he couldn't believe that Grandma was 80 (even though he did believe that Grandpa was 80...).  I think he has a way with the ladies already!

SVGCuts frequently offers a new kit as a free gift with purchase for a limited time.  Until Wednesday, August 13, 2014, you can get this great Haunted Forest Kit for free when you spend $9.98 or more in the store.  Just add it to the cart along with your other items that total at least $9.98 and then type "FREEGIFT" in the coupon code box when you check out.  All files are available for download as soon as you check out.  Click HERE to go to their site and find some amazing files!

Summer is winding down fast - I keep seeing photos of kids going back to school.  They don't start until after Labor Day here.  I have taken more time off than usual this summer with a lot of family events taking priority.  I'll probably be back to a nearly daily posting schedule again this fall.  I hope you haven't been wondering what has happened to me - you'll see a lot more posts, projects and tutorials and a new subscriber freebie soon!

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