A Crossword Puzzle Birthday Card
I fell in love with this set when it was introduced in the spring catalog. I loved the little butterfly – I’m a sucker for butterflies, as you know! But I also loved the clever crossword puzzle greetings. I like crossword puzzles; not challenging crossword puzzles, just the easy ones that can be completed in a 15 minute break. I don’t do crossword puzzles for the challenge, I do them for the entertainment.
Even though a cute cupcake comes with the set and is a perfect pair for the happy birthday greeting, I still used the butterfly, because I LOVE butterflies! (Have I mentioned that?) And even though the crossword greeting has a whimsical feel, this card has a more sophisticated look I think because of the colors, the die-cut doily and the Natural Composition music paper. My paper snips made easy work of clipping out the crossword.
The layout was inspired by the mother’s day card I showed you Sunday.
Here’s the card recipe: (All supplies are Stampin’ Up! Click on the product link to visit the online store for pictures, details & ordering.) Stamps: Cross My Heart wood-mount #126580 or clear-mount #126582* Ink: Pink Pirouette #126956, Primrose Petals #126858 Paper: Whisper White #100730, Primrose Petals #126841, Natural Composition dsp #126917 Extras: Big Shot #113439, Delicate Doilies Die #126999, 2-1/2″ Circle Punch #120906, Paper Snips #103579, Primrose Petals Stitched Ribbon #126844, Dimensionals #104430 **Spring catalog sales end May 31stClick here for the retiring Stampin’ Up! stamps list. Click here for the retiring accessories list (with updates on sold out product). Some discounted up to 60% off. Order your favorites now!
Enjoy! Julie
The Stampin’ Up! retiring stamp set Just Believe, Bonnie Klass and the Sunshine and Sprinkles designer series paper were the inspiration for this clean and simple (CAS) card. (The complete supply list is at the bottom of this post.)
The center panel measures 3-3/4″ x 5″ which allows for a 1/4″ border on a standard 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ card. This size panel is my go-to when I’m layering color on color. The circle were stamped in Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight and punched out with the 1-1/4″ circle punch. After laying them out and adhering the circles to the panel, I used my paper snips to trim the circles at the top and the bottom.
I stamped the sentiment from the same Just Believe stamp set and wrapped Bakers Twine around the panel before I adhered it to the card base with dimensionals. Another option would be to use a mask and stamp the circles directly on the card front. For more information on using a mask, 
As I mentioned before the Sunshine and Sprinkles dsp was the inspiration for the colors on this card and I lined my envelope with paper from this pack. I hope to post a video tomorrow and show you how easy it is to line your envelopes with coordinating patterns.
After brayering the background, I used the Label Collection framelit to cut it out this focal panel. To make the ‘just for you’ tag, I embossed the frame and greeting on River Rock cardstock and punched it out with the Large Oval punch.
I saw three challenges at Splitcoaststampers that I combined to create this Best of Butterflies hope card – a color challenge, a sketch challenge and a technique challenge. These challenges inspired my color selection, the layout and the ribbon loops on this card. And I used the new totally clear Designer Typeset stamp set to stamp hope. It’s so easy with this new stamp set to create what ever message you would like.
