How are you enjoying my September to December 2023 Mini Catalogue sneak peeks so far? I must say I’m having a lot of fun playing with the new products I received in my pre-order. Today’s project is a gender-neutral birthday card using the new Curved Occasions Stamp Set and coordinating Curved Label Punch. As soon as I saw this in the catalogue I was immediately drawn to the Beetle convertible image. My friend Jeannette has one of these cars in pale blue and so that definitely influenced my design choices.

INK AND PAPER BACKGROUND

I began my project with a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card and the Rays of Light (background) Stamp. After covering the stamp surface with Lemon Lolly ink stamped it onto the card layer.

Then I found some ‘ground’ in the Earthen Elegance 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. I cut a 1″ x 4″ strip of the speckled gray design and tore it along one long edge. This gave it a slightly rough edge for the edge of the road. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I fixed the DSP along the bottom of the background layer.

For my A2 card base I cut and scored some Lemon Lolly Card. After folding it along the scored line, I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder, then glued the background layer on top.

Now I needed the car from the Curved Occasions Stamp Set. Using Tuxedo Black ink I first stamped it onto a scrap of Basic White Card. Next I stamped it in the bottom left corner of a Basic White Medium Envelope. Finally I stamped it in the bottom left corner of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card.

From there I coloured the images using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. I started with light and dark Balmy Blue for the bulk of the car. Then for the tyres I used dark Smoky Slate. Changing to light Smoky Slate I coloured in the hubcaps, along with the folded roof and the tops of the seats. I also darkened the very centre of the hub caps by going over them again with light Smoky Slate. Finally I used light Lemon Lolly on the headlight and windshield, and light Poppy Parade in the rear light.

CURVED OCCASIONS BUNDLE

With the colouring complete I glued the 4″ x 5-1/4″ Basic White layer inside the card base. Then I used Paper Snips to cut the car from the scrap of Basic White Card before adding it to the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Now it was time for the sentiment, and for that I went back to the Curved Occasions Stamp Set. I chose the curved “happy birthday” and stamped it onto some Basic White Card using Tuxedo Black ink. Then I cut it out using the coordinating Curved Label Punch. Finally, using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the punched piece to the card front and my project was complete.

As well as the car and “Happy birthday” the Curved Occasions Stamp Set has other images and sentiments for year round use. Here’s the complete set.

While only 3 of the 10 sentiments in this set are curved that won’t stop me from using the coordinating punch with other sentiments. I have lots of photopolymer stamp sets in my collection, and the beauty of them is that the stamps can be gently bent while being attached to an acrylic block. So now this punch will add even more veratility to those sets. Watch this space!

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – The Curved Occasions Stamp Set and coordinating Curved Label Punch are available separately. However if you want both make sure to order them using the single ‘bundle’ item number. That way you’ll save 10% off the cost.