Lemon Sunshine Monochrome Birthday Card

A tutorial to make a handmade card for a birthday using My Favorite Things Big Birthday Wishes Die-Namics, The Crafter's Workshop Mini Sunburst Stencil, Hero Arts Ink, Brutus Monroe Embossing Powder, Arteza Metallic Watercolors, Recollections Ombre Patterned Paper, and more! #cardmaking #handmadecard #homemadecard #cardtutorial #birthdaycard

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Ya'll are gonna laugh when you see my next couple of cards! I am clearly in a monochromatic phase!

My cousin's birthday was the inspiration for this one. She has always been bright and cheery, and while the card is a bit belated (I'm really good at that!), I hope it will brighten her day!!! (UPDATE: Sadly, I didn't get this card out to her because it was too belated, but I sent it to my niece, who has it hanging on her "art wall!" 🥰) 

It truly was a labor of love and a learning experience, so let's dig in to the details...

INSTRUCTIONS:

I started with a piece of yellow ombre 12 x 12 patterned paper (which I got on sale - 3 pads for 1 - at Michaels). I then sprayed pixie spray on my TCW sunburst stencil (which was also on sale at Michaels for 50% off, or maybe it was BOGO because I got a ton of TCW stencils in that haul!). I placed it near the center of the paper, so that I could get some white on the top and more yellow on the bottom.

I then used Hero Arts lemon yellow ink (which I got in a mini cube as part of the "Peacock Layering" set on discount at Tuesday Morning), and I used my designated yellow blending brush over the stencil to blend the design onto the patterned paper.

I lifted the stencil a bit to see how it looked, and it looked great, but I knew I was going to add some texture or glitter somehow. I decided to do some embossing, and then realized I hadn't used a powder tool. So, I lifted one side of the stencil up, and swept the paper with my EK tool, and then pressed the stencil back down and did the other side. I used my designated embossing blending brush, to blend Brutus Monroe embossing ink over the stencil. I removed the stencil and applied clear holographic embossing powder also from Brutus Monroe, and set it with heat! Love that sparkle!

I then decided to use metallic watercolors in white and yellow for the top panel in which I planned to die cut. I mean, who doesn't need a little more shine! I used two different size round water color brushes (from The Pigeon Letters and Silver Brush), which I got in some class kits at the Georgia Pinners Conference at some point) on some Canson watercolor paper. I first cut down the paper to about card size with my trimmer because I knew I would likely not get the die cut on straight and would need to cut it down! 

I then painted plain water onto the paper. Then I just put varying amounts of watercolor all over abstractly, drying it with my heat gun, and then adding another layer. And then I sprayed some rubbing alcohol in a small Dollar Tree spray bottle for a little reactive look, but with such light colors, especially a white color, and the mist being pretty fine, there wasn't much of an effect. Plus, a lot of it got cut out in the final panel! 

(Also, I think I heard that I shouldn't spray rubbing alcohol without the room being well ventilated. I should look more into that! I had a fan in the room, and I just held my breath and then ran out of the room for a bit. Maybe that's not good enough?!? Any tips? Also, I used 70%, not 91% alcohol. Does that make a difference?)

Anyway, once dry, the paper was a bit warped and flimsy, so I decided to glue it to a piece of Neenah cardstock with some Bearly Arts glue. Ummm, that was probably a mistake!... At least the timing of it... Because I went to use the "Big Birthday Hugs" die by My Favorite Things with my Spellbinder 6, and I ran it through a TON of times, and I could not get it to cut all the way through! 

So, guess what? As a new card maker, I don't have an exact-o knife or anything really similar to cut through that back card! (#FACEPALM) I tore out what I could, and I attempted to use what I had to cut the rest...The Spellbinders Tool N One Piercing Tool (helped a little in the corners)... A tiny rotary cutter from the Foil Quill Cutting Kit (that did not work so well for this issue)... and then, I finally resolved to painstakingly cut out every little tattered edge and piece with my Tonic Tim Holtz 5 1/2" Mini-Snips, while I watched, not one, but two, episodes of a comedy show with my boyfriend. LOL! The comedy helped, indeed!

(BTW, on Prime Day, I ordered a cheap craft knife and a self-healing cutting mat for my next said disaster! But, I will say, those mini-snips have come in handy so many times though! I LOVE THEM!)

Okay, so, crisis averted! Except that, normally, I would have kept the letters cut out from the die to use in another project, but there was just no saving them this time. I also did end up having to glue the little bits in the Bs, the R, the D, and the A back onto some cardstock, to be at the same level. My trusty Scrapbook.com tweezers and Bearly glue worked here, and then I trimmed again with the mini-snips.

So, after all that running of the panel through the die cutter so many times, there were a lot of other lines in the panel that I didn't like. So, I put a paper shim around it, and ran it back through a few more times, but there were still some lumps and bumps I didn't like. Is this normal? Any tips or tricks for this?

Okay, okay... this is getting long! So, I glued the die cut watercolor panel on the stenciled embossed pattern paper panel. I used my trimmer to cut it straight to align with the die, then I added another white cardstock panel (cut to 4" x 5.25") behind it and glued it to the card base (scored with my bira tool, of course).

Needing a little more shine (ha!), I used my Scrapbook.com Pop of Color in Lemon Chiffon, to add some little embellishment dots. I am also wondering what your technique is to get dots with any similar medium (stickles, nuvo drops, etc.) to be nicely rounded without a sharp point? I practiced a lot before I used this product, and I still wasn't completely satisfied with how it settled.

Lastly, I used a (gasp!) silicone stamp from amazon (yep, I know I am not supposed to do that!) to stamp the inside with "may your birthday be bright and beautiful" with Brutus Monroe detail ink and my Bira stamp tool. Honestly, I love this stamp! It may not last, but it's cute! See it in the video below the next photo! May your day be bright and beautiful too!

✨ Look at the shine in the video! ↓↓↓ ✨

SUPPLIES USED (alphabetically):

As a reminder, I may make a small commission when you make a purchase through the links below at at zero cost to you! Thank you kindly for your support!

• Arteza - Metallic Watercolor Paints (in Diamond White & Lemon Yellow)
• Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue
• Bira Craft - 12 X 12 inch Multi-Purpose Scoring Board & Score and Fold Tool
• Bira Craft - Easy Stamp Platform Tool
• Brutus Monroe - Detail Ink - Raven
• Brutus Monroe - Embossing Ink 
• Brutus Monroe - Embossing Powder - Fairy Dust
• Canson - XL Watercolor Pad - 9" X 12"
• Craft Ink Blending Brushes
• The Crafter's Workshop - Designs by Jaime - Mini Sunburst Stencil - 6" x 6"
• Dollar Tree - Crafter's Square - Pump Spray Bottle
• E6000 - Spray Adhesive
• EK Tools - Powder Tool
• Hero Arts Ink – Lemon Yellow
• isopropyl rubbing alcohol
• Michaels - Recollections - Ombre Brights Paper Pad - 12" x 12"
• My Favorite Things - Big Birthday Wishes Die-Namics
• Neenah - 110lb Classic Crest Cardstock
• Paper Source - Embossing Heat Tool
• The Pigeon Letters - #8 Studio Round Brush
• Rainbow Clear Stamps with Cutting Dies
• Scrapbook.com - Craft Tweezers - Ergonomic Reverse Grip - Fine Tip
• Scrapbook.com - Pops of Color - Pearl - Lemon Chiffon
• Silver Brush - Crystal - 6800S Round
• Spellbinders - Platinum 6 die cutting machine
• Spellbinders - Tool 'n One
• Therm O Web - iCraft - Pixie Spray
• Tonic Studios - Tim Holtz - 8.5 inch Trimmer

Can't find a product? Is it discontinued? Looking for a better price?

Make sure to search for it on Amazon, Bonanza, eBay, etsy, Mercari, and Walmart third-party sellers! 

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

1. A Blog Named Hero - June Challenge - Monochrome

2. Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies

3. Happy Little Stampers - Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

4. Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #408 - Birthdays