One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years with my card designs is to mix it up. Some of my projects are really simple and require no special tools or techniques. However today’s birthday card doesn’t fall into that category. Instead I combined patterned paper, dies and embellishments. I also took a plain Very Vanilla top layer and added tons of interest using the Metal Plate 3D Embossing Folder. The result is a layout that could be adapted for many different occasions, simply change out the paper or sentiment.

PATTERNED PAPER COORDINATION

I began by choosing a simple non-direrctional pattern from the O Holy NIght 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. First I cut a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece and attached it to the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Then with my Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess paper (using the edge of the flap as a guide).

Next I cut and scored some Thick Very Vanilla Card to create my A2 card base. Once I’d folded it along the scored line I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Going back to the DSP I cut a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip, along with a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla Card. Using liquid glue I attached the DSP strip along one of the long edges of the card. Then I fixed the assembled layer inside the card base.

That just left the front of the card to do and for that I wanted a 1-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ strip of the DSP. Using liquid glue I added the piece along the open edge of the card base.

While I’d already decided to add a layer that overlapped the DSP on the front of the card, I wanted something other than a simple straight edge. So I went hunting among my collection of dies. I found exactly what I was looking for in the Zany Zoo Dies set; a scalloped border. So I cut a 3-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Crumb Cake Card for this fancy layer. However as the die isn’t 5-1/2″ long I had to die-cut the layer with two passes through my machine. All I had to do was cut once, then move the die down a bit (lining it up with the first set of the scallops), before cutting the remainder of the edge.

METAL PLATE TIP

Now I needed the Metal Plate 3D Embossing Folder and a 2-7/8″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Very Vanilla Card. Sometimes when embossing card I find the surface ends up with small cracks, so to help prevent that I lightly misted the card with clean water using a Stampin’ Spritzer. Then I placed the card inside the embossing folder and ran it through my machine.

Having embossed the card I glued it onto the Crumb Cake layer up against the straight edge. Then I cut 7″ of Copper Clay twine from the 2023-2025 In Color Jute Trim pack. After wrapping it around the layers (about 1/2″ from the straight edge) I secured the ends on the back using Tear & Tape Adhesive. With that done I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to add the layers to the card base with the straight edge up against the crease.

For my sentiment I chose the bold “Happy Birthday” from the Celebrate with Tags Stamp Set. First, using Copper Clay ink I stamped it onto some Thick Very Vanilla Card. Then I cut it out using the largest of the banner shapes in the Stylish Shapes Dies. However before attaching it to the card base I added a couple of Rustic Metallic Adhesive-backed Dots to the sentiment. Finally I fixed the sentiment in place, with Stampin’ Dimensionals (stacked two high where it extended past the edge of the embossed layer). With that done my birthday card was complete.

While the Metal Plate 3D Embossing Folder does have a more masculine, industrial feel, I love the texture and I know it would look great on more feminine projects too. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I boughts the Zany Zoo Dies in a bundle with the coordinating Zany Zoo Stamp Set (not used today). Using the single bundle item number to get these two items meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying them separately. For this reason I’ve included a link to the bundle below in case you want to explore this option.