Baseball Birthday--Go Cards!

Here's a fun birthday card for a baseball fan!  I used a retired punch for the arrows and a circle punch (sorry don't recall what size) for the baseball with hand-drawn stitching.  Place a punched circle on the ball and use a red Sharpie to draw around the outline and carefully add the stitch arrows.  Then I pierced a hole at the end of each "stitch" for a bit of realism.  The Kraft cardstock for the "dirt" was crumbled up multiple times and sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The sentiment is from Thoughtful Banners and the matching Duet Banner Punch was used to punch it out.  I also pierced the edges of the "dirt" all the way around, but it's a bit hard to see in the photo.

I was inspired by Breelin Renwick for this card.  You can see her original card here. 

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my baseball birthday card.  Being a St. Louis Cardinals fan, of course, red is the primary focus on this card!

Seaside Shore Fancy Flap Card Fold

Oh the fun things that come to mind when you think summer, sand and sea!  I love the sea and everything about it!  This card makes you feel like you are taking a dip right in there with the fish.  To create this card I used the Seaside Shore stamp set and that wonderful photo realistic Serene Scenery DSP Stack.

This delightful card idea was CASED from Debbie Henderson and you can see her original card and directions here.  Note:  When stamping your sea plants and inside sentiment, check the placement of your circle cuts first, as I had to re-do mine because they showed in the center circle when the card was closed.  Using your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig is really helpful so you can be sure the plants look just right.  Also measure from the top center (2 1/8") to the side center (2 3/4") when making your cut on the first flap.  Don't cut from the side center to the top fold as I first did.  Her directions tell you to cut from the fold line to the side center, but that is an error.

A delightful bonus was that the back of the DSP had a pattern that I thought looked like sand dollars, so I left that visible when the card was fully opened.

I used the Gold Wink of Stella to color in my sea plants and I think the look is fabulous!  It's a kind of greenish gold with the DSP background.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Thoughtful Banners and punched out with the matching Duet Banner Punch.

I sponged the edges of the torn cardstock for the sand and did a little extra tapping of ink with the sponge on the front to give it more texture.  I believe I added this texture after I photographed it.  Don't glue the top of the torn edges down so you can slip in your shells and starfish.  I also added a little shimmer to the starfish, shells and fish fins with Clear Wink of Stella.

I am so thrilled with how this card turned out!  It takes a little extra love and some fussy cutting, but for a special recipient, it is well worth it!  This one went to my niece for her birthday.  I hope you enjoy it and will try to make one of your own.  Please leave me a comment below.

Note:  Words in bold are Stampin' Up! supplies used.