If you’ve read my blog over the past few weeks you’ll know that I love the Lights Aglow Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) from Stampin’ Up! This pack of 6” x 6” paper has 48 sheets (4 each of 12 double-sided designs). But the best part is that the vast majority of these patterns are not just for Christmas. There’s Christmas trees of course, but also all-occasion bokeh type patterns too (more about that next week). Today however I bring you a birthday card featuring garlands of dots and stars.

WATCHING THE STARS

This is another of my “simple Sunday” designs using basic techniques and minimal tools. However with the garlands of stars and dots I did need to pay attention when I was cutting and sticking the paper. All my finished garlands needed to be lower in the centre, so I made sure every cut was made with the centre of the garland facing left.

I began by cutting a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece of the DSP. Next, I lined it up so the bottom of the garland was hanging towards the bottom of the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. Then I fixed it in place using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Once stuck I trimmed off the excess DSP with Paper Snips, using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Next I cut a piece of DSP 3″ x 6″, then trimmed 1/4″ off the left and right sides to make it 5-1/2″ wide. This kept my garlands of stars centred on the piece. With that done I glued the DSP to a 3-1/8″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Soft Succulent Card and set it aside.

All that was left of my DSP was a 3/4″ x 6″ strip. This time I trimmed 3/8″ off each end to make this piece 5-1/4″ wide. Then I glued the strip along the bottom edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Basic White Card.

All I needed now was a card base and for that I chose Cherry Cobbler Card. Still using my Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer I cut the card to 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″. Then with the long side at the top I used the scoring blade to score the card at 4-1/4″. After folding the card along the scored line I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

QUICK FINISH

Before going any further I glued a 1/8″ x 5-1/4″ strip of Soft Succulent Card up against the narrow strip of DSP attached to the Basic White layer. Then I glued the assembled layer inside the card base. That just left the front of the birthday card to finish.

Unlike half of the patterns in the Lights Aglow DSP pack this design doesn’t include any gold foil details. So I decided to add some shiny gold in the form of the 3/8″ Satin Edged Ribbon. Of course being a simple design I wanted to avoid the need to tie a neat bow and I have a trick for that. I cut 7″ of the ribbon and placed it across the layered DSP, 3/4″ from the lower edge. Then I flipped the layers over and secured the ribbon on the back with a little Tear & Tape Adhesive.

Now to make the next stage easier I used liquid glue to fix the assembled layers to the front of the card base 1/4″ from the fold. Then I cut another 3″ of the ribbon and slid it behind the ribbon already fixed across the card front. Finally I tied the small piece of ribbon in a single knot and trimmed the ends. This second piece now resembled a bow, but had the added advantage of being able to be moved as needed.

At last it was time for the “Happy Birthday” sentiment and for that I turned to the Pansy Patch Stamp Set. Using Cherry Cobbler ink to match the card base I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of Very Vanilla Card. Then I punched it out using the Regular Postage Stamp Punch. Finally I added the sentiment to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals. With a final adjustment of my fake bow my card was complete.

So there you have it one very simple but striking birthday card. Stars aren’t just for Christmas.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Pansy Patch Stamp Set together with the coordinating Pansy Dies (not used today) using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option.