My daughter was looking for kids birthday cards with french greetings so I offered to make some for her. I decided to use a variety of graphics from Melonheadz Illustrating for images on all the cards. She has a good selection and lots of cute ones for kids. I laser printed the images I chose in black on white cardstock and after choosing some decorative papers I also colour printed some coordinating greetings using a variety of fonts. I cut apart all the images and the greetings.
Here's how I created these: I started by choosing an image, then a decorative paper that I thought would work well and then a greeting that coordinated. At my workspace, I decided how I would put together these elements by just playing with them until I got some inspiration. I started by choosing a card base that coordinated with the paper and then decided how the decorative paper would be used on the card. Some were scraps so they did not fully cover the front so I just went with it and found a layout that worked. For the first two (above) I used a cute butterfly image. I watercoloured them to coordinate with the decorative paper and layered them with a coordinating cardstock. For the pink one, I layered the image with gray and left cardstock on the bottom of the image, trimmed it with scallop decorative scissors and then used a push pin to pierce each scallop. I also used the scallop scissors on the top edge of the decorative paper. I trimmed my greeting, added a double ribbon on the left hand side after punching it with the ribbon border punch. I flagged the right hand side and then mounted in to gray cardstock as well and trimmed it to have an even border all the way around. I adhered my image to the card front with 3D foam tape and then glued my greeting in the same manner. For the right hand card, I used two pieces of coordinating decorative paper and glued them side by side on a green card front. Layered my watercoloured image with green cardstock and adhered it to the card front using double sided tape. I layered the greeting with both green and peach then trimmed it to have an even border all the way around. I still needed a bit of something so I added a 3D embellishment that featured a handmade paper flower with a pearly peach button in the middle. I adhered it with a glue dot to keep the thickness of this element to a minimum.
Above, the card on the left features that cute little butterfly as well. I glued my two pieces of decorative paper to my pink card front, added a strip of dark pink cardstock which I had cut on both sides with the scallop decorative scissors and pierced in the scallops which also featured a length of yellow satin ribbon through its center. I layered the image with green and yellow and the greeting with the same dark pink leaving a even border all the way around. I did add a small layered flower embellishment to the lower edge of the image here as well. For the right hand card I layered my decorative paper to black and then to the blue card front. I tucked my greeting below the green ribbon I had added to that layer and then adhered my layered watercoloured image over the ribbon on the left hand side. I love this cute birthday cake image!!
Above, the card on the left features three piece of decorative paper layered over a light blue card front. I layered my watercoloured sheep image with dark brown and light blue and then adhered it to the card front using 3D foam tape. I layered the trimmed greeting in brown and adhered it with 3D foam tape as well overlapping the image and to the lower right. For the card on the right, I used two strips of decorative paper on a dark brown card front and added a dark brown fabric trim over the gap tucking both ends behind the paper. I layered the little airplane image which I had watercoloured onto green cardstock and adhered it over the trim using 3D foam tape. I layered the greeting in green as well and adhered it to the card front using 3D foam tape.
Above, the card on the left features the cutest little monkey!! I layered my greeting in a gap I had cut in the decorative paper and trimmed it to its edge. I mounted this element to a dark brown card front and added three little brown hearts to the left of my greeting. I layered the image with two light green triangles and mounted this element to my card front above the greeting. I love this cute tree paper with this little monkey. I love the little bat guy too!! I used him on the other card in combination with some orange and blue decorative paper which I cut using wave decorative scissors. I embossed the right hand side of my blue card front, glued my decorative paper in place and then adhered my little watercoloured bat guy which is layered with yellow cardstock over where they meet. I trimmed the greeting, added a little button embellishment and adhered this element to my card front below the image.
Above, the left card features a beautiful image of a basket of flowers which I watercoloured to coordinate with my decorative paper. I mounted the image to a large rectangle of pink, trimmed the right hand side with scallop scissors, pierced all the scallops and added my flagged greeting below that. There was just enough room in between to add a length of green satin ribbon to which I tied a short piece to simulate a bow. I used a eyelet border punch on my decorative paper, sponged the edge a bit and glued it to a yellow card front. I then glued my focal element over the decorative paper. The card on the right features a cute little bee with a beautiful bow!! I layered the watercoloured image and the greeting to a large rectangle of red and added five clear rhinestones in between. I punched the left hand side of my cherry decorative paper with a ribbon border punch and strung some red twill tape through the slots and glued the ends to the back. I glued my decorative paper to my dark green card front and added my focal element with 3D foam tape.
Above, both of these cards feature the same butterfly image watercoloured to coordinate with the card's decorative paper. For the one on the left, I cut a hole in the decorative paper and layered the butterfly on the back. I adhered this element to my yellow card front and added my trimmed and embellished greeting below the image. On the right, I glued the decorative paper which I had trimmed on the right with the scallop scissors to the left hand side of the card, added my layered greeting and the trimmed greeting layer below it.
It was totally fun to create these cards. I like that the images gives the cards a similar feel even with the wide variety of sketches, papers and colours I used to create them. It was fun to just play and create without an agenda!! I know my daughter will appreciate having cards on hand when those birthday party invitations start rolling in!!
Therese