Anatomy of a Card: Birthday Wishes
Hello! Today I’m sharing a pair of cards featuring our Thinking of You stamp set. I’ve already mentioned how much I love this set, so I’ll spare you the repeat. But seriously. I do.
I decided to pair it up with a few of our older products as well. Often we get so caught up in the latest and greatest that we forget to pull out our previous loves. I pulled out our Sunshine Layers Die first. This is still one of my favorite dies ever. It is so versatile and timeless. I used it on quite of few of my sample cards for our June 2019 Release, and most recently in this post.
I knew that the scalloped edge rectangle die would be perfect for grounding all of the elements of my design. Plus the softness of the scallop design would compliment the soft loose style of the florals in the Thinking of You stamp set.
I started by stamping out several clusters of floral arrangements on white card stock. I had already decided ahead of time that I would be fussy cutting out the clusters, so I didn’t worry about anything but stamping out various clusters of different sizes. I fussy cut each of the clusters and set them aside.
I wanted to create a birthday card, so I went to my stash and started looking. Since my florals were just going to be used as accents and not the focal point, I chose a bigger more bold main sentiment from our Happy Birthday Die. Again, the playful script font pairs perfectly with the sans-serif font in the Thinking of You stamp set.
I die cut the large “birthday” from white card stock several times and ink blended one of the die cuts using V.I.Pink Wpus9 PURE COLOR Dye Ink. I adhered the layers, one on top of the other, adhering the ink blended one on top. I finished off the sentiment with “wishes” from our Birthday Wishes stamp set and “you are often in my thoughts…” sentiment from Thinking of You.
Purple is probably the most challenging color for me to work with. If you really want to make a color “pop”, pair it with it’s complimentary color – the color opposite from it on the color wheel. The complimentary color of purple is yellow. So I chose a yellow card base and added a little bit of yellow ink blending behind each floral cluster.
I arranged my floral clusters around the sentiment in a triangle. I also paid attention to the sizes of each cluster, creating a large, medium and small arrangement. Because I had fussy cut out several sizes of arrangements, I could also layer them up to any size I needed. I made sure to put the largest arrangement (with the largest flower) at the bottom to visually balance out the weight of the sentiment.
I finished off the design by sprinkling a few jewels around each floral cluster.
While I had the supplies out, I also wanted to create a more simple version.
I went with a very symmetrical design on this one. It’s kind of a “no-fail” formula. I chose one of the large clusters that I had stamped out. You’ll notice that this is the same arrangement as the bottom arrangement on the previous card.
I stamped it at the top of a die-cut scalloped edge rectangle and then stamped a mirrored image of it on the bottom. This is where a stamping platform comes in handy – I used the Mini MISTI.
I made sure to leave a space in the center large enough to stamp the large greeting from Thinking of You. Again, I’m trying to live a little outside of my comfort zone and stamped it in V.I.Pink instead of black. But, I still think I would have preferred black. Oh well, I can always make another one…or three!
I hope you enjoyed today’s projects.
I’d love to hear if you prefer more insight into the designing of a card like this post, or if you just prefer to see the project and supplies. No offense will be taken!
Featured Supplies
Some of the products used in this post were provided to me for free. I am not under any obligation to use or review these items unless otherwise noted. The following is a list of the featured supplies used in today’s project(s) along with links to purchase for convenience. Please note, this list contains affiliate links. Use of these links when shopping provides me with a small referral commission at no additional cost to you. Use is never expected, but always appreciated. Thank you for your support! ❤️
 Wplus9 White Cardstock Shop at: WP9 |
 Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Shop at: SSS |
 Ranger Multi-Medium Matte Shop at: SSS |
 Quilled Creations PRECISION TIP Empty Applicator Bottle Shop at: SSS |
 Ranger MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS Shop at: SSS |
 MINI MISTI PRECISION STAMPER Stamping Tool Kit Shop at: SSS | EH |
 Wplus9 V.I.Pink Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Little Piggy PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Hayride PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Pumpkin Spice PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Last Leaf PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Falling For Blue PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9 |
 Wplus9 Sunshine Layers Die Shop at: WP9 |
 Birthday Wishes Shop at: WP9 |
 Happy Birthday Die Shop at: WP9 |
 Fiskars 4 Acrylic BLOCKS SET w Storage Shop at: SSS |
 Gemini Junior Shop at: SSS |
 Studio Katia April Crystals Shop at: SSS |
 Memento Juicy Purples 4 Dew Drop Ink Shop at: SSS |
 Thinking of You Shop at: WP9 |
 Gina K Spring Rainbow 24 pack Card Collection Shop at: SSS |
 Gina K Heavy Weight Cardstock – Lemon Drop Shop at: GKD |
27 Comments
thebeautifulwish
I really like the soft yellow ink blending on these cards. The yellow adds a lot of warmth and blends the colors well, while keeping the design fairly clean and simple.
I always love hearing about the design choices that went into making a card. This makes it easier to design my own cards without copying someone else’s work, as I’m guided by what I’ve learned about why the design works, not just what I’ve seen.
Stephanie Clapper
Your cards are truly pretty, including the Pink sentiment! I echo Tracy’s comment to a T ! 😊
Amy Tsuruta
Both of your cards are GORGEOUS. I love this post.
Tracey Trayner
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your creative process for these pretty cards and would welcome more posts like this. I think we can all get stuck in a creative rut sometimes and while we can find inspiration from admiring the finished designs, it’s even more helpful to understand the thinking behind a layout, colour choice etc.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
Dawn Woleslagle
And thank you for taking the time to let me know! Hugs!
Pamela Heck
Love ths post. I like you explaining why and how you designed the project. I want to thank you and your company for sending me the ink refills for my inks pads I bought that just were a little to dry. I can’t believe you care about us your customers that much. Sure made me feel good. I want to post a thank you were everyone will see it but not sure where I can do that. Thank you so much. Looking forward to more of your posts.
Cindy Beach
One more thought about these gorgeous cards! I love the colors and really appreciate when you link the colors you used.
Catherine Milne
What soft, beautiful cards these are. I think the explanations really add to your posts. I almost always learn something new that I would never think of on my own.
Cindy Beach
Dawn, I have always loved your stamps and videos. One of the main reasons is that you DO share the thought processes in each project. I love your style and even as a long time cardmaker I learn so much from you! I actually prefer a blog post to a video because I can quickly zero in on what is new to me and that gives me more time to create. (with one exception – the video about using small stamps and the MISTI to create a pattern was so helpful! ) Your tips and products inspire me to take what I learn and apply it no matter if I’m using the same images or even brand of products. Your teaching is timeless! Classic.
Like others have said, kudos to you for featuring some of your older products with current projects. I strive to use what I have instead of always wanting to buy more. With that said, I still buy plenty.
Dawn Woleslagle
All of this feedback means so much to me Cindy! I’m always looking to refine what works and what doesn’t. And yes, I try to make sure that some part of each project includes information that can be carried over to any project, whether using the same products or not.
Susie Lessard
I’ve always loved your products and your designs (especially your watercoloring). The icing on the cake? a well written blog post that provides beautiful photo’s, how to’s, and design theory, I REALLY like that! I smiled when you mentioned the Sunshine Layers Die, it’s my favorite too. I like the scalloped edge AND the inside stitching all in one die — one cut and boom! two beautiful looks to your panel. Gorgeous cards, Dawn!
Chris Lawlor
I appreciate reading a blog post and watching a video on the details behind the thought and/or process to make a card. It is definitely not taken for granted and I always either pick up a new tip or am reminded of a good one that I haven’t used in awhile.
Dawn Woleslagle
Thanks Chris! I wish I had more time to do a video for each card too. But I guess I could always revisit some of the past cards that didn’t get videos. Hmmm, that’s a thought.
Mary Walker
I really like your explanations and step by step thought process. As someone who usually just copies other designs, it’s very helpful. Helps me take the plunge and try a design by myself.
Dawn Woleslagle
So happy to hear that! I’m sure you can come up with beautiful designs. And even the ones that aren’t our favorites…at least they were fun to create!
Joan Bardee
Appreciate SO MUCH your thought process as you put together these cards. This is exactly what I love in a blog post. I don’t read a lot of blogs, relying on IG and you tube, but if you are going to talk about your design process, then I will read your posts! These cards are gorgeous!
Roberta S.
I love the details you put into your post. A relaxing read. I love the pink thinking of you is perfect. I think we get stuck in a “sentiments must be in crisp black ink” habit & forget about all the lovely color options we have. The pink on this card says to me a gentle & loving “someone is thinking of me”.
Dawn Woleslagle
Thank you Roberta! And, I didn’t even think about it that way, good point!
Dawn Woleslagle
Thank you Joan! I completely understand about IG and YouTube. I too am guilty of not getting to as many blogs as I used to.
Karen Page
I love, love, love hearing the ideas behind the design, and I especially love hearing when something doesn’t turn out as you had imagined it and how you handle it. Or when something goes wrong, and how you fix it. Your buddy Kelly and her belief in not starting over is wonderful, and I love how she shows how to correct whatever is going awry. I think one of the hardest things to do when making a card is selecting the supplies. I have so many stamps, dies, inks, papers, etc that its hard to know where to start! I often imagine I’m on a DT and try to limit myself to just one companies products to cut down on the number of options but it never fails that then I don’t have the right font or the right size of stamp or die to make the design work. I love hearing where the idea for a card came from too. Are you trying to showcase a new product? Did you see something that reminded you of a certain stamp set and used it as your inspiration? Are you in the mood to use a certain color and looked for products that would be easy to implement that color? I never start a card with the same method. Sometimes I’m influenced by a challenge or color combo, but usually I’m trying to tailor a card to the recipient and their likes and dislikes. So happy to see you bringing out older products and also glad that you are one of the few companies that doesn’t push releases every other day. I love all the companies, but consumers can just not keep up! And I like to use things I bought a few months ago, or even a few years ago. If we bought from every release we would never make anything because every day we’d be buying more stuff! And forget the OCD organization some of us have with stamp pockets, labels, swatches, etc!
Dawn Woleslagle
That Kelly, she’s good people. ;o) These are all great questions and definitely something to include in future posts. I can see how those insights into sources of inspiration can be applied by readers to their own projects. And thank you so much for all of the great feedback, I really appreciate it!
Em
Before you even asked, as I was reading this post, I was thinking how nice it was to follow your thought process in putting together these cards. I am always so amazed at how the finished image is so much more than the sum of its parts when I see a card you have made. So I really appreciate your analytical narrative and thank you for it.
Dawn Woleslagle
Thank you so much, you are too kind! I’m constantly analyzing the “what”,the “how” and the “why”. It’s one of the best tools in your design arsenal. Sometimes I’ll create something (a card, a painting, a graphic) intuitively that just works…or doesn’t, so I’ll step back and analyze exactly why. Once you understand why something works in a design, you can apply that methodology to future designs.
Kathy Nakata
I love hearing about the insights that go into your cards. I also love your videos, but I know that those take more time. Definitely hearing about how you came up with the cards is a must! Love these 2 cards you made. Thank you!
Dawn Woleslagle
Thank you so much Kathy and thank you for taking the time to reply!
Cacia
I really like the soft yellow ink-blending on these cards. The yellow adds a lot of warmth and ties the colors together well, while keeping the design fairly clean and simple.
I always like hearing about the design choices that went into making a card. It makes designing my own cards a little easier, without copying someone else’s work, since I’m operating on what I learned about why the design works and not just on what I saw.
Dawn Woleslagle
Bingo! That is the key, understanding why a design works and applying that to your own creations. Not to mention, it’s super fulfilling. I know it’s just card making…but it’s so much more about spending the time doing something you enjoy than about the finished card. Right?