Create A Cupcake

This is a VERY simple birthday card that takes five minutes or less to make.  But simple doesn't mean that it can't be cute.  What I love about this is how it can be customized to the recipient by simply changing the colors.  This card is a piece of cake...or cupcake...to make!

Tips & Tricks

• To get the perfect square shape, I first made a template with a piece of card stock and my Squares Collection Framelits.  Next, I used a sponge dauber and my retired (boohoo) pastels.  Don't worry if you don't have pastels...you can get a very similar look by just using an ink pad.  Push the pastel/ink covered dauber around in the hole until the square is filled in.  When you pull away the template you'll have a cute little square on the front of your card!

• Less is more on this card...I only used three colors (plus white) and everything is tied together perfectly (especially since I used Cajun Craze for both the square and the ribbon on the cupcake!)

Supplies

Stamps:  Create a Cupcake
Ink:  Marina Mist and Cajun Craze Classic Ink, Whisper White Craft Ink
Paper:  Naturals White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Squares Collection Framelits, Cupcake Builder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Pastels (retired)

Birthday Shaker Card

As you may (or may not) know, Stampin' Up! recently held it's annual convention in Salt Lake City.  This is always a big exciting event that demonstrators look forward to, but this year was supposed to be bigger and more exciting than normal, because it's Stampin' Up!'s 25th anniversary.  Once upon a time, we had planned to take a family vacation to Utah that coincided with Convention, and it really would have been amazing.  But you know how life is, sometimes throwing surprises at us that change our plans, and we didn't go.  But because Stampin' Up! is a fabulous company, they streamed both the opening and closing sessions live so all the sad demonstrators like myself could watch from home. 

One of the gems that I took away from watching these sessions was a really cool shaker card that was demonstrated.  I loved the idea of using washi tape this way, so I had to give it a try, and this card is my take on it. 

The Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape is my favorite, although I will most definitely be getting the Christmas tape from the Holiday Catalog!  Simply cut a piece of Window Sheet the same size as a piece of Whisper White card stock, then use your favorite washi tape to adhere them to one another.  I put most of the tape on the front with just a tiny bit folded over to the back.  But only do three sides...you'll need one side open so you can add in your shaker pieces.  I just punched some circles using the Itty Bitty Punch Pack.  Once your shaker pieces are in, you can go ahead and seal the top. 

After that, it's all embellishing.  As you can see, I used the Create a Cupcake stamp set and Cupcake Builder Punch, then added a little banner from the two other Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape patterns (I did adhere them to Whisper White card stock and snipped the ends.)  This is one of those cards that's not difficult to make, but really wows the recipient!  Plus it's fun to play with!

Stamps:  Create a Cupcake
Ink:  Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo
Paper:  Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Night of Navy, and Island Indigo card stock, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Window Sheets, Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Cupcake Builder Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch

Create A Cupcake

I mentioned the other day that I've been in a stamping slump lately.  I think this happens to everyone once in a while, no matter how creative a person they are.  One of the ways I like to break out of this slump is by looking for inspiration in different places.  In this case, I played with a new color combination.  I like to leaf through the catalog or waste spend time on Pinterest looking for new color combinations (you can follow my stamping board here...there's lots of inspiration and I'm always pinning more!)

Anyway, this color combo came from Pinterest, and I really love how these colors work together.  I can't even tell you how much I'm loving Crushed Curry with Island Indigo.  You'll be seeing this pairing again soon!  I also used an old Mojo Monday sketch to really help me dig out of the slump I've been in.  I don't sew on my cards much (mostly due to laziness...I have to get out of my stamping chair plus it means I have to change the needle on my sewing machine.  I know, how lazy can one person be???)  But I decided to sew on this one, and I love the frame it creates.  Another detail that I really like on this card is the sparkly frosting on the cupcake.  It doesn't show up that well in the picture above, but hopefully you can see it in the one below.  The little heart is also pretty cute, if I do say so myself. :)

Stamps:  Create A Cupcake
Ink:  Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, and Sahara Sand Classic Ink Pads
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, and Whisper White Card Stock
Accessories:  Paper-Piercing mat, too, and pack, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Heat Tool,  Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, Old Olive Taffeta ribbon (retired),  Cupcake Builder punch, 1 3/4" circle punch