Hello and happy Monday everyone! Tami Hartley here. I will be leading the blog this week, and I’m excited to announce the Web Artists are back to share some fun stamping projects with you! I hope you have your party hats standing by and some confetti at the ready, because this week is all about birthdays! Let’s kick off the festivities with a beautiful card from the talented Sheri Reguly. Here is Sheri to share some thoughts about creating handmade birthday cards…

“Everyone loves receiving a homemade card. On special occasions, such as birthdays, a homemade card is often appreciated and cherished more than the gift itself, not to mention, it will be treasured and enjoyed for many years to come…long after store bought ones have vanished. It’s the special little touches, such as using the recipient’s favorite colors, personalizing it to their style, and the heartfelt message within, that will let them know just how very much you care.”

“My current favorite stamps to use on cards are the large DesignBlock images. They quickly offer flawless results and come in such a wonderful variety of patterns. I find myself reaching for them time and time again.”

Supplies:

• DesignBlock Line & Flower Pattern
• DesignBlock Butterflies and Flowers
• Fabulous Birthday
• VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad
• Clear Embossing Powder
• White Embossing Powder
• Lime Notecards
• Pool Notecards
• Art Flowers Summer
• Sparkle Gems Blossoms
• Accent Pearls
• Other: cardstock, patterned paper, decorative edge scissors, punches, brads

I love the pretty mix of colors and elements on Shari’s card, and the design is such a versatile one. By changing out the colors and images, the card could suit just about anyone celebrating a birthday.

Next up is a simple card I created for a friend that features the same sentiment stamp Sheri used on the card above.

The balloons on this card were actually made with an egg shaped punch. I punched eggs from three different notecard colors and positioned them with the narrow ends facing downward. I then outlined them with black pen and grouped them to make a colorful “lift” for the cute little messenger bird. The doodled line from the Sparkle Clear Cupcake Set provided the perfect balloon strings. Tip: Mount one balloon on a pop dot for added dimension.

Supplies:

• Fabulous Birthday
• Sparkle Clear: Hello Birdie
• Flourish Wave
• Sparkle Clear: Cupcakes
• Blossom Notecards
• Pool Notecards
• Green Apple Notecards
• Strawberry Notecards
• Memories Ink Pad - Black
• Colorbox Chalk Queue - Rose Petals
• Other: egg punch (EK Success), corner rounder, colored pencils, black pen, machine stitching, pop dots

Lastly today is a fun altered project that will help you keep track of all of those important birthdays. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it brings you a step closer to being the person who never forgets to send a birthday card on time! I created a birthday reminder calendar by simply altering a freebie pocket calendar I had laying around the house. (These calendars can also be purchased inexpensively at discount stores and dollar stores.)

I plan to keep mine on my stamp desk so I am able to see at a glance who I need to make cards for in the upcoming weeks and months. Tip: I recommend using double-sided tape to adhere the outside cover to the calendar.

Supplies:

• ClearDesign: Bold Caps Alphabet
• ClearDesign: Branch & Leaf Long Borders
• ClearDesign: Bird Branch Alphabet
• Versacolor Bamboo Ink Cube
• Versacolor Cyan Ink Cube
• Versacolor Raspberry Ink Cube
• Colorbox Chalk Queue - Sand Dune
• Versamark Watermark Stamp Pad
• Kraft Notecards
• Summer Notecards
• White Embossing Powder
• Art Flowers Summer
• Other: white cardstock, ribbon, brad, pinking edge scissors, pop dots

Are you ready for a challenge?! The challenge this week is to create a birthday project (card, layout, or other) using at least one Hero Arts stamp. Please post your projects to the Hero Arts Flickr photo pool by 11:59pm PST on Sunday, August 24. Entries should be tagged with the word “birthday.” (See the FAQ for more information about posting on Flickr.) Three prizes will be awarded:

* 1st place: $50 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog

* 2nd place: $25 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog

* 3rd place: $10 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog

Wishing you a wonderfully creative week!

Filed under: birthday

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 4:00 am and is filed under Motivation Mondays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.