Birthday Blues

I needed a masculine birthday card for a friend’s upcoming special day. I think this one, done in kraft and shades of blue, fits the bill perfectly.

I kept things simple, using a kraft card base and a grid patterned paper to cover most of the cardfront. The “happy birthday” sentiment from Papertrey Ink’s Birthday Bash Sentiments set is great for a masculine card—the two different text types add lots of interest. I machine stitched the edge of the sentiment panel to the card.

Instead of stamping an image, I created my own paper candles. I embossed scrap cardstock strips with a dotted pattern, then cut flame shapes from yellow scraps and added those to the top of the strips. I arranged the candles on the open space at the left side of the sentiment panel. This would be an easy design to reproduce in a bunch of colors. You could even add a few elements—like glitter on the candle flames and a bit of ribbon—to make the design more feminine while still keeping it simple.

Materials Used:
Birthday Bash Sentiments stamp set, Dark Chocolate ink, Kraft, Aqua Mist, and Lemon Tart cardstock, Bitty Box Basics patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); sewing machine