#imbringingbirthdaysback

Have you seen this hashtag before? #imbringingbirthdaysback is a campaign to encourage the use of physical birthday cards instead of digital messages on social media. Sure, it’s fun to see all those happy wishes and emoji’s on Facebook from people you hardly know. But they pale in comparison to receiving actual cards in the mail. And they don’t make you feel as happy as finding a hand stamped card in your US Postal Service mail box!

The campaign, started by Shannon West, a training manager at Stampin’ Up!, is starting to gain acceptance. So, I decided to join the fun!

There are 2 parts to my participation in #imbringingbirthdaysback:

1. For my customers – To receive a hand stamped card on your birthday, (1) leave a comment on this blog post and (2) send me a private email, telling me the month & day of your birthday (not the year) and your mailing address. I promise to do my best to have it arrive on time.
2. For my readers – To create your own hand stamped cards, I’ll outline instructions for a simple birthday card that you can make. The design will be suitable for “mass production.” That means, it will be simple to construct, but it will look absolutely amazing.

So are you in?

Here is the birthday project for March. Wait! I have TWO birthday projects for March! Okay, I couldn’t wait until Tuesday. I’ve been holding onto this project for over a week! Give me a break!

Cute, isn’t it? This is what I did:

1. Mint Macaron card base (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″).
2. Whisper White card stock layer (4″ x 5-1/4″).
3. Botanical Garden Designer Series Paper layer (3-3/4″ x 5″).
4. Whisper White card stock layer (3-3/4″ x 3″) – Stamped sentiment in Black ink. Punched 2″ circle (centered). Attached to card base.
5. Punched 1-3/4″ circle from scrap Whisper White – Stamped flower (Black lines with Mint Macaron petals). Attached to card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
6. Punched Bitty Butterfly from Mint Macaron Scrap. Sponged edges of wings with ink. Attached with Mini Glue Dot, folding wings up a little.
7. Added a swipe using Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to flower center and butterfly.

Here’s a closer look to see how the butterfly and flower are popped up.

As my kids would say, “OMG!” It couldn’t be any easier!

Oh, wait. This is too feminine to give to a man?!?! Okay, try this one:

Here’s what I did:

1. Sahara Sand card base (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″).
2. Very Vanilla card stock layer (4″ x 5-1/4″).
3. Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack layer (3-3/4″ x 5″).
4. Very Vanilla card stock layer (3-3/4″ x 3″) – Punched 2″ circle (centered). Attached to card base.
5. Punched 1-3/4″ circle from scrap Very Vanilla – Stamped image in Sahara Sand ink and sponged edges of circle. Attached to card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
6. Stamped sentiment in Black ink on scrap Very Vanilla. Cut banner end using Hexagon Punch. Sponged edges with Sahara Sand ink. Attached to card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
7. Added 3 Candy Dots.

You could make these. I’m SO sure of it.

Here are the products I used to create these cards:

Flower Birthday Card 1

• Remembering Your Birthday stamp set
• Garden in Bloom stamp set
• Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
• Mint Macaron Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Mint Macaron Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Botanical Garden Designer Series Paper
• 2″ Circle Punch
• 1-3/4″ Circle Punch
• Bitty Butterfly Punch
• Stamping Sponges
• Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Mini Glue Dot
• SNAIL Adhesive

Masculine Birthday Card 2

• Remembering Your Birthday stamp set
• Going Global stamp set
• Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
• Sahara Sand Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Sahara Sand Card Stock
• Very Vanilla Card Stock
• Botanical Garden Designer Series Paper
• 2″ Circle Punch
• 1-3/4″ Circle Punch
• Hexagon Punch
• Neutrals Candy Dots
• Stamping Sponges
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• SNAIL Adhesive

So what do you think? Are you ready to join me? Don’t forget to leave a comment and email me the critical details to receive your own birthday card in the mail. Because #imbringingbirthdaysback!