Birthday Card Organizer

 Hello Crafting Friends!

Today I'm sharing how I am using the new Stampin' Up! Birthday Card Organizer. Sadly, this product is currently unavailable for purchase, but I'm really hopeful that it will be back in stock soon! I chose to purchase this product so that I can plan ahead personal cards for family birthdays. As an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I have lots of cards in my stash, but for those close to me, I prefer to give a personalized card. Unfortunately, with all of my focus on creating for classes and videos, sometimes I forget and get caught unprepared. I'm sure that the organizer will help me to avoid that problem. I plan to create the cards ahead and put them in the pockets of the organizer so I can just pull them out at the appropriate time. 

This kit does not require any stamping, because the sentiments come in sticker form if you use the kit as designed. Because I love designing cards, I didn't want to just give everyone in my family one of the cards as designed for the kit. They're lovely, but I didn't want a whole bunch the same. So I've switched up sentiments to get good use from the cards, and even designed some alternates using some co-ordinating cardstock and other bundles I have on hand. Here's a look at my Facebook LIVE video using the kit. 

For the more feminine card I used a sentiment from the Very Best Occasions Stamp Set. The label for the sentiment is a leftover piece from a Paper Pumpkin Kit. I save all those pieces! Don't you just love those beautiful die cuts.

For the more masculine card I used a sentiment from the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set. The white cardstock I used here was also leftover from a Paper Pumpkin Kit. Adding the extra layers of cardstock to mat the sentiment just seems to make it stand out nicely. Clean and simple always seems to work for a masculine card. 

Now, using one set of supplies from each of the two cards, I designed these alternates. 

For the first card, I added Soft Succulent Cardstock for the base, and cut the original card base to make a card front. I saved the back and used it in the following cards. I turned the card portrait style, and trimmed the crumb cake strip to fit. 

Inside the card I stamped the flower from the Framed Florets Stamp Set, and coloured the flowers using Petal Pink and Soft Succulent Blends. I think I may have added a little Evening Evergreen on the leaves as well. The sentiment is also from the Framed Florets Stamp Set.

For the above card, I used a Sahara Sand card base. I added a layer in Basic Black. Next I trimmed the back of the card base used above to fit inside the black, but didn't glue it down. I Cut the black with white polka dots die cut to be the same size as the Soft Succulent/Evening Evergreen piece. Save the leftover black and white piece for another card. I glued the two triangle pieces onto the white layer with Soft Succulent smudged on it, then cut 1/8" strips of Sahara Sand and glued them along the inner edges of my triangles. Now I glued this panel onto the front of the card. I used my Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent Blends to colour the black and white leaves, then created my sentiment panel. The remaining flower and leaves were adhered to this with glue dots. Finally I popped the panel up in the center of the card.

When I cut the 1/8" strips of Sahara Sand used above, I ended up with a card base that was 1/4" shorter on the front 8 1/4" by 5 1/2", scored at 4 ". I cut an Evening Evergreen mat 3 3/4" by 5 1/4", then cut the second polka dot card base in half. The polka dot side was trimmed to 3 5/8" by 5 1/8". I glued the leftover piece of black with white polka dots on top of the larger polka dotted piece and trimmed it. I matted the leftover Sahara Sand strip with Evening Evergreen and popped it up along the right edge of the card as shown. Add your sticker sentiment. For the Scottie dog I used the Christmas Scottie Stamp set. The balloon is from the Penguin Place stamp set. I bit of linen thread makes the balloon's string. I recommend using a Stamparatus for stamping the dog and the balloon. Inside the card I stamped a second dog and birthday sentiment on white cardstock 3 3/4" by 5 1/4" and layered it on top of Evening Evergreen cardstock 4" by 5 1/4". 

I had a cute little piece of polka dot paper left, so I had to make another card! I cut a standard card base from Soft Succulent 5 1/2" by 8 1/2". I scored the long edge at 3 1/2" and 4 1/4". This is a portrait style book binding card, so I glued the binding edge down. I took my leftover polka dot piece and glued it to a black mat 3/4" by 5 1/2" and glued it over the binding. The black square is 2 3/4". The white square was cut from the back of the polka dot card base and is 2 1/2" square. The penguin front was also punched from the same card base. I used the plaid stamp from the Christmas Scottie Stamp Set in Soft Succulent on the white square. I punched the penguin body and feet in Basic Black, stamped the "antlers" from the Penguin Place Stamp Set in Memento Black, and added a tree from the same set in Evening Evergreen. The sentiment if from Penguin Place as well. For inside the card I added a piece of Basic White cardstock 3 1/4" by 5 1/4" and stamped 3 trees in Evening Evergreen and a second sentiment in Memento Black ink. 

I hope you liked my take on the Birthday Card Organizer Kit!

Happy Stamping!

Kelly Pulham

aka Craftin' Granny