Happy Birthday Mom!!!

…and Happy St. Patrick's Day! It sure is festive celebrating my Mom's birthday since it conveniently falls on March 17th. I usually make her a themed birthday card and this year it's extra special (and partly edible!) This is the very first card I made with my new Pop 'n Cuts dies ( Karen Burniston's Pop 'n Cuts die system ) and it was so much fun. It took a little figuring out and some practice cardstock, but I'm pleased with the results. Now, from several views, here it is:

Top View

Side View

Inside!

This is a pretty bulky card so I used a Basic Grey magnetic disc set in between the layers of the card halves to help it stay closed. I also used another set of the magnets to stick the card to the top of the candy bucket:

I built up a little tower of chipboard circles so the magnet would be flush with the top of the bucket (I found the bucket at Michael's). One half of the magnet set is on the tower and the other is on the back of the card at the center.

In addition to remembering to wear green, don't forget that the March challenge at Inspiration Emporium is about creating a project that POPS. You don't have to use the Pop 'n Cuts dies, it can really be any technique that gives your project some dimension. Go see the details, join in and you have a chance to win $50 to spend in the store! Most of the supplies I used to make this card can be found at Inspiration Emporium - see the links below. Use the code JUICE on your purchase and save 10%!

Tim Holtz Collection - Spring Sprug	Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts XL Die Set - Card, Horizontal A2 w/Circle Label, 3-D (Pop-Up)	Sizzix Texture Fades Embossing Folders 4PK - Springtime Background & Borders	Sizzix - Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Tapered Fringe	Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Tattered Flower Garland	Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Tattered Banners
Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Vintage Lace	Woodland Trail Mini	Tim Holtz - Distress Marker - Full Set in Tube	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Tea Dye	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Spiced Marmalade	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Shabby Shutters
Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Peeled Paint	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Festive Berries	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Faded Jeans	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Dusty Concord	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Broken China	Tim Holtz - Distress Stickles Glitter Glue - Rock Candy
Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Squeezed Lemonade	Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Evergreen Bough	Core'dinations - Distress Collection - Peeled Paint	Archival #0 Pad - Jet Black	Stickles Glitter Glue - Lime Green	Stickles Glitter Glue - Golden Rod
3L - Scrapbook Adhesive - 3D Foam Squares - Assorted - White	Ranger Embossing Powder - Gold Shellac	Magnetic Discs

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POP up love!

Well for my birthday I finally got my hands on the base tray for Karen Burniston's Pop 'n Cuts die system and I really really love it. You can make the coolest cards with it! Here is one I made for my sister-in-law's birthday (KATIE DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER! lol) :

The magic happens when you open the card:

There is an inner 3-D pop up element that is part of the die that cuts the card. Anyway, it is endlessly customizable and you can make all sorts of fun things with it. I can't wait to make more cards! If you want to know more about how this works, check out the videos on the Sizzix website.

Now, for some more details on how I made this card. I knew I wanted to make an ocean/mermaid themed card because Katie loves mermaids. I was checking out Tammy Tutterow's Tuesday tutorial from last week and thought her Picket Fence Distress Stain felt stamping technique would be really cool for the watery look I wanted. Go check out her tutorial for all the details but short version is you use a shape cut out of felt to stamp with and it creates varying textures which makes a nice effect. Tammy used a die cut cloud shape for her project but I hand cut a "swoosh" shape and used that:

Lots of blending with Distress Ink, flicking with water, and misting with Perfect Pearls gave me just the watery look I was going for. The stamped and die cut "seaweed" and coral shapes are actually from sets that are supposed to be tree branches. It pays to think out of the box to extend the uses of your supplies! The shells and mermaid were "water colored" by using a drop of Distress Ink from a re-inker bottle as my paint. Just dab a wet paintbrush in and paint away (use waterproof archival ink to stamp your image first!) Some dabs of Liquid Pearls added a little under sea bling. Ta dah! See, pop up wonderfulness!

Speaking of popping up, the March challenge at Inspiration Emporium is about creating a project that POPS. You don't have to use the Pop 'n Cuts dies, it can really be any technique that gives your project some dimension. Go see the details, join in and you have a chance to win $50 to spend in the store! Most of the supplies I used to make this card can be found at Inspiration Emporium - see the links below. Use the code JUICE on your purchase and save 10%!