Celebrate Today Card

I feel like I'm on a hot air balloon ride today.  I arrived in Orlando, Florida for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference and I am so relieved to be family/kid-less for the next 4 days!  I love my kids but after spending the last 5 1/2 weeks with them being tracked out of school (we have year round schools here in NC), I am definitely ready for a break.  I am looking forward to all the card swaps, business classes, card and project demonstrations, and lots of time with my fellow demonstrator friends for the next 4 days.  So today's card is one I made to swap with other demonstrators while I'm in Florida.

Have you ever wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride?  Me either.  But this card makes it seem like so much fun.  Today's card was inspired from a swap card I did last year.  It used washi tape and a cut out heart so the washi tape peeked through. As a swap card for Leadership this year, I decided to do a similar card using the Celebrate Today stamp set.  I chose the hot air balloon since I had another idea for using the balloons.

Close up of hot air balloon with washi tape peeking out from the balloon cut out

First, I stamped my greeting at the bottom of the Whisper White card stock.  Next I added some washi tape to the center of the card stock alternating between 3 designs from the Sweet Dreams Washi Tape pack.  Then I cut out the hot air balloon from a Whisper White layer, stamped the bottom of the balloon underneath in Lost Lagoon and added it on top of the washi tape.  Don't you like the way the washi tape peeks through the hot air balloon cutout?  Finally, I added a small piece of Baker's Twine tied into a bow to the side of the hot air balloon layer.  I had a lot of fun making this card and hope you will give it a try as well.  Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• Stamps: 
• Celebrate Today 
• Because You Care (hostess set)
• Paper:
• 4 1/4" x 11" Crisp Cantaloupe card stock (scored at 5 1/2")
• 4" x 5 1/4" & 3 7/8" x 3 1/4"  Whisper White card stock
• Ink:
• Lost Lagoon
• Accessories:
• Balloon Framelits
• Sweet Dreams Washi Tape
• Crushed Curry Baker's Twine (closest color to washi tape)
• Stampiin' Dimensionals

Celebrate Today - Happy Birthday Card

my version of the Celebrate Today birthday card

Today's card inspiration comes from the Stampin' Success magazine.  A magazine sent every other month to Stampin' Up! demonstrators to provide some inspiration, give us some product information and business information as well.  The original card was made using Stampin' Up!'s notecards (see SU!'s original card below).  I decided to make it a normal size card using Whisper White card stock and layering it onto a Soft Sky card base.  It really made the balloons "pop" on the card with having a different colored card base.  I also decided to use Smoky Slate ink instead of Basic Gray as Stampin' Up! did in the original card.  I love how cute this card turned out and have already sent it out to my MIL for her birthday.  I will definitely be making a lot more of these birthday cards in different color combinations to use as my go-to birthday cards this year.

Stampin' Up!'s original HAPPY birthday card

Ingredients

• Stamps:
• Celebrate Today

• Paper:
• 4” x 5 ¼”  Whisper White card stock and scraps
• 5 ½” x 8 ½” (scored at 4 ¼”) Soft Sky card stock

• Ink:
• Coastal Cabana
• Hello Honey
• Soft Sky
• Smoky Slate
• Wild Wasabi

• Tools and Accessories:
• Balloon Framelits
• Stampin’ Dimensionals