Happy Birthday Stencilled Balloons w/video by Jeni

The Little Paper Tree turns 5 this month! To celebrate we are having a few birthday surprises! Click here to find all the offers this month. Over on Instagram, we are having an Instagram Giveaway Hop to win £25 gift voucher for the shop (hop begins 7pm today, 1st October).

My celebration cards are two birthday cards using the Layering Balloons stencil by Trinity Stamps. I made two cards – one green (because green is the colour of our shop) and one pink (my favourite colour). The video tutorial is here on YouTube and the written tutorial is below.

Transparent Balloons

Catherine Pooler inks are water-based and take a few seconds to dry, so you are able to ink blend with them. (I have a mini-series of ink blending with the CP inks here). I have rolled up some purple tape to hold my Bristol smooth card to my desk. The stencil is then taped to the desk, again with purple tape.

The first colour I use is Lime Rickey, and I ink over all the balloons on this stencil. Then line up the etch marks on the second stencil with the Lime Rickey balloons and use Grass Skirt for the next blending. I go right over the Lime Rickey balloons to make transparent looking balloons. Adding more balloons to fill the card panel. Then spritz with water and blot dry to get the spotty look.

Direct To Paper

The sentiments are from a Pinkfresh Studios die set cut from white card. Since the CP inks are on foam pads, I gently use the direct to paper technique with the Grass Skirt colour, along the sides of a piece of white card. Also on the word dies for “Happy” and “Birthday” for green sentiments. The green and balloon panels are trimmed to leave a small border and adhered to a white card base. (I misplaced the dot for the “I” in birthday, but will die cut, ink and adhere one before sending out this card).

Solid balloons

For the pink card, I trim my card larger than a slimline card size, so I have some wiggle room for die cutting a rectangle later. Again, I have tape rolled behind to hold the card to my work surface and the stencil is taped to my desk.

The stencil is 6 inches across, I use It’s A Girl ink first over the whole stencil, then move the stencil to fill in the whole of the slimline card. Line up the second stencil with the etch marks to cover the balloons. This stencil includes the positive balloon shapes for all the balloons. I cover the It’s A Girl balloons and ink with Be Mine. This makes the balloons a solid colour (the green balloons above are transparent balloons).

Inking Around The Balloons

I was going to leave the background white but felt this was too stark for this card. I cover each balloon with its positive stencil and carefully ink around all the balloons with It’s A Girl. Keeping this colouring lighter so there is a differentiation between the balloons and the background. Die cut the largest slimline rectangle, and also the largest stitched rectangle from white card. Adhering these together, then onto a slimline card base.

The sentiment is from the same die set but I just use the word dies and not the shadows. Adhere the words with liquid glue.

I finish both cards with some crystal rhinestones from the Fairy Rocks embellishment mix. What colour would you make your balloons?

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