Fabulous Floral Personalized Birthday Card & Coordinated Envelope

This is one of my latest birthday card creations. I'm particularly proud of how this one turned out. When I gave it to my sister-in-law, Lauren, she was absolutely impressed with the quality. More than one person who saw this card said it looked like a professional one they would purchase at Target or some high-scale card shop!

For you papercrafters who would like to replicate this sophisticated floral birthday card, just follow the directions below and add your own personal touches.

1.) Start by using a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock for the main piece of the card. I used beige for this card.

2.) Cut this cardstock sheet in half horizontally. You should have two equal-sized pieces. Fold one of the pieces in the middle. (Save the other piece to make another card another day! How's that for being eco-friendly - not to mention wallet-friendly?!) You should now have an A2 card size (4 3/8" x 5 3/4"). I used the ruler and cutting blade from my Ultimate Crafter's Companion tool to measure and cut down my cardstock.

3.) Pick a color-coordinated patterned sheet of paper to layer on the front of the card. I chose a floral patterned sheet of paper from my K& Company's "Best of K& Company Too" designer pack of 360 12 x 12 papers recently purchased from JoAnn's. I cut down the 12 x 12 floral patterned sheet of paper slightly smaller than the front of this card to reveal some of the beige cardstock beneath.

4.) Add ribbon. I cut down a piece of Brown Offray Ribbon and adhered it to the card on the horizontal edge between the patterned paper piece and the beige cardstock showing at the bottom of the card front. Double-sided tape works fine for this because it keeps the ribbon flat. I've learned not to use hot glue for adhering ribbon because the glue tends to make bumps show through the ribbon.

5.) Select two color-coordinated, textured cardstock sheets. Use these for the layered rectangular pieces on the card. I cut down pieces of hunter green and brown textured cardstock sheets from my Diecuts With a View textured cardstock pack for the rectangular layered pieces. The top layered beige cardstock rectangle piece is from the same cardstock used for the main card piece.

6.) Stamp and emboss the card. All of the stamps used on this card have been embossed using the Ranger Inkssentials EmbossIt clear *acid free* embossing ink with turquoise embossing powder from the Hampton Art embossing powder set. I heat the embossing ink and powder using the Darice Heat Tool.

7.) Embellish the card! I made a bow with the Brown Offray Ribbon using the Ultimate Crafter's Companion bow making tool. Makes perfect bows every time! The flower button came from my Autumn Leaves Foof-A-La Bag-O-Buttons Savannah Collection.

8.) Make a color-coordinated envelope. Trim a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock to 8 1/4" square to fit your A2-sized card. Find an envelope template online for folding instructions. I used my Ultimate Crafter's Companion envelope-making tool to create my envelope out of a 12 x 12 sheet of Nana's Nursery patterned cardstock.

9.) Take a picture of your final creation for your portfolio! Then, send your "new baby" along her way. (Every card creation feels like a "new baby" to me...)

Let me know what you think of this card. Leave your comments on the Papercrafter's Nook Facebook fan page or here on my blog!

Feel free to share your recent creations with the Papercrafter's Nook. Are you a crafter? You don't even have to be a "papercrafter" to be welcome here! All crafters are welcome!

Thanks & Happy Crafting!