Carousel Birthday Card

This card uses the Carousel Notes, currently featured in the Occasions Mini Catalog. One package includes 12 scalloped 6" circles, 4 each of 3 different colors (Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, and Wild Wasabi--all from the In Color assortment), and 12 Chocolate Chip 6-1/4" square envelopes. The Carousel Notes coordinate wonderfully with the Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper (DSP), and the Live Your Dream stamp set, also featured in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Brads from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware assortment (also in the Occasions Mini) were used to accent every other scallop. The Pick A Petal Classy Brass Template (Spring-Summer Collection Catalog) fits perfectly over the Carousel Notes, to mark the center of each scallop, but you can also make your own template. Simply punch a 3/4" circle from scrap paper, then fold it half, unfold it, and fold it in half the other direction, and unfold it again. The fold lines will intersect at the center, and you can punch a 1/16" hole at that point. Line up your punched circle template with a scallop on the Carosel Note, and, using a pencil (mechanical pencil is ideal), lightly trace a small dot through the center. This will mark the center of the scallop--repeat as necessary.

I am not one for flowery images, but the Live Your Dream stamp set coordinates so beautifully, I had to use it. One thing I've noticed is that when I stamp the butterflies in one solid color of ink, onto white card stock, there is not as much contrast on the edge of the image as I would like. To remedy that, I ink up the butterfly with an ink pad, then take a dark marker (I used Chocolate Chip here) and trace around the very egdes of the image. I then use the fine tip of the marker to add antennae...check out the pics below to get a visual:

And the butterflies just wouldn't look right unless they were 3D, so I propped them all up on Stampin' Dimensionals®. Actually, the flowers and the greeting are also propped up that way. This was a fun and easy card to make, with a small investment of time for cutting out all the 3D images.

Stampin' Supplies: Live Your Dream and Happy Everything stamp sets; Groovy Guava 12x12 Textured card stock (cut to 6"x12" and folded to 6" square card); So Swirly Jumbo Wheel; Bashful Blue Jumbo Ink Cartridge (or you could ink the wheel up on a Soft Sky ink pad instead); Wild Wasabi Textured card stock (5-3/4" square); Ticket Corner punch; Soft Sky Carousel Note; Groovy Guava, Soft Sky & Wild Wasabi ink pads, Chocolate Chip marker (and ink pad for greetings); Chocolate Chip 12x12 Textured card stock; Afternoon Tea DSP; Coluzzle (largest and 2nd to largest circles); 3/4" and 1/16" Circle punches; Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (or substitute Silver brads from Vintage Brads assortment); Rectangle punch; Whisper White scrap card stock; Groovy Guava scrap card stock; Groovy Guava Double Stitched Grosgrain ribbon; Stampin' Dimensionals®.

NOTE: this would make a great Mother's Day Card, if you substitute the "Happy Mother's Day" image from the All Holidays stamp set, in place of the birthday greetings shown in the sample picture.