When I was doing my personal World Card Making Day challenge last month I really tried to make each of my 24 cards quite different. I varied the stamps sets, used patterned paper and made my own backgrounds. I even varied the occasions too. This masculine / gender-neutral birthday card was the 5th card I made that day, and it was all about the paper. I tried stamping a sentiment, but in the end the Birthday Chick Dies won out.

SIMPLY ELEGANT PAPER

This card design really began with the Simply Elegant 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP). The patterns in the pack feature Basic Black, Basic Gray ad Very Vanilla, plus copper, gold and silver foiling. Oddly enough it wasn’t the foil that attracted me, but the simple colour scheme on the swirly patterned piece.

With the DSP chosen I then opted for Basic Black Card to create a really strong contrast. Using my Paper Trimmer I cut and scored a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Basic Black Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create my card base.

Next I cut a 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ piece of the DSP, and using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) attached it to the front of my card.

The swirly design would be the coordinating feature for this project and so I cut another piece, 2-1/4″ x 6″. Using liquid glue I attached this piece to the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. Then with Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess paper using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Finally I cut a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip of the DSP and glued it down the right-hand edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla Card. Alongside the left edge of the DSP strip I then added a 1/8″ x 5-1/4″ strip of Basic Black Card. Finally I glued this assembled layer inside the card base.

With the stage set, it was time to turn this project into a birthday card.

BIRTHDAY SENTIMENT

While I love the swirly pattern, seeing it cover the whole of the card front I decided I needed to tone it down just a little. So I went back to the Simply Elegant DSP and chose a more understated pattern of Basic Black dots on a Basic Gray background.

After cutting a 2-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ piece of this new pattern I glued it to a 2-3/8″ x 3-5/8″ layer of Basic Black Card. Then I set it aside while I thought about the final element, the sentiment.

It was while looking through my scraps of black card that I found a 1″ wide strip. Initially I’d intended to stamp a birthday sentiment onto a strip of Very Vanilla Card and mount it onto Black Card. But then I thought this was probably a bit predictable.

So I put the Basic Black strip down and looked at my other options. Then I remembered there was a “happy birthday” included in the Birthday Chick Dies. Then using my Mini Cut & Emboss Machine I die-cut the sentiment from Very Vanilla Card. However something didn’t feel right and I cut two more sentiments, one from Basic Black Card and one from Basic Gray.

Now I had a few pieces to play with and I tried various combinations. In the end I decided to use the Basic Black sentiment and glue it directly onto the layered DSP panel. Then I glued the 1″ x 4-1/4″ strip of Basic Black Card across the front of the swirly patterned card front.

Finally using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the assembled sentiment layer and my card was complete.

I have to say that I really like this card. I’m not sure if it’s the layout that appeals to me, or the colours / patterns, or simply how they combine. I just know that it’s not your usual masculine / gender-neutral birthday card. What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let me know.

A couple of weeks ago I created another card with the unusual choice of a Basic Black Card base. If you missed that, you’ll find it in my blog post Back to black and Quiet Meadow.

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