Shimmer Sheetz Cupcake Birthday Cards

Shimmer Sheetz Cupcake Birthday Cards
By Judi Kauffman

Hello, everybody, I’m back as today’s guest designer with a recipe for zero-calorie cupcakes! They’re not as yummy as the ones my neighbor bakes, of course, but hers can’t be attached to a birthday card and sent through the mail while these are just perfect for that purpose…

 

Experienced cardmakers: Use the photos for inspiration and proceed directly to the supply list or switch things around to suit your taste and that of the recipient.

Beginners: Follow the instructions below.

1. Make a 4.5” x 6.25” side-fold card base from 100lb flannel finish cardstock or start with a pre-made purchased A6 card.

2. Choose 3 different Shimmer Sheetz colors – one for the cupcake paper, one for the icing, and one for the ribbon and bow. Option: Use alcohol inks to alter the piece you’ve picked for the icing to give it a marbled effect (as shown on the card with blue cupcake paper). Tip: Review Els van de Burgt’s YouTube video tutorial HERE if you have not previously die cut Shimmer Sheetz. You MUST use a metal adaptor plate or the Precision Base Plate (with a Sizzix Big Shot machine) for die cutting Shimmer Sheetz.

3. Back the Shimmer Sheetz piece you’ve chosen for the ribbon and bow with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape.

4. Die cut the Shimmer Sheetz icing, cupcake paper, ribbon and bow pieces. Die cut Happy Birthday from Velvet Adhesive Sheet in a color that coordinates with the Shimmer Sheetz.

5. Cut a piece of Through the Lens Wood Series patterned cardstock to 4.25” x 6” and use pieces of Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape to secure it, centered, on the card front. Make sure that the wood grain is oriented so it gives the feel of a table.

 

Detour – Design strategy for step 5: Use the same pieces as I did, or choose different sheets. Here’s what to look for if you’re duplicating the sample cards: The Wood Series sheet used on the card with yellow ribbon and bow is printed with wood that runs in 2 (perpendicular) directions. Brown is across the bottom to form the ‘table’ while red and brown run vertically at the top, as if it’s a striped wall. The Wood Series sheet used on the card with blue cupcake paper has a grain pattern that runs only in one direction. The darkest area is positioned so that it adds visual weight to the bottom quarter of the card, creating the look of a table. In addition, the darker area provides extra contrast to the light blue greeting.

6. Arrange all pieces on the card front – Happy Birthday across the bottom, cupcake centered above the greeting. Add dimension to the icing and cupcake paper with foam tape. Tip: So that the cupcake paper will look curved as well as dimensional, use foam tape beneath only the center area to reinforce the rounded form.

Detour – Design strategy for step 6: The die cut Shimmer Sheetz cupcake paper curves a bit on its own. Using foam tape only in the center area takes advantage of this fact!

More Options:

*Instead of Wood Series cardstock use a different background (purchased patterned paper; hand-stamped, painted or stenciled cardstock).

*Use the lower case ‘happy birthday’ die from Suzanne Cannon’s A Way With Words series instead of the one-piece Happy Birthday die (shown) with flourishes and initial caps.

*Instead of one cupcake, add a trio. There’s room for three if you raise the two at left and right just a bit and add the center one last in the same center position so it slightly overlaps the other two.

*Change the color combination for the cupcake paper, icing, ribbon and bow.

*Use the other dies in the Cupcake set to embellish the cupcake: Candle, strawberry, cherry, heart, flower, and scalloped band for cupcake paper.

Example: For a little girl’s birthday use Light Pink Iridescent Shimmer Sheetz for the icing, Pink Iridescent for the cupcake paper, and Blue Iridescent for the ribbon and bow.

*Cupcakes aren’t just for birthdays! Change the greeting and use the card for a different occasion.

Example 1:

For a 50^th anniversary, die cut ‘Happy Anniversary’ from Basic Black Shimmer Sheetz backed with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet. Use White Iridescent Shimmer Sheetz for the icing, Basic Black for the cupcake paper, and Black Iridescent for the ribbon and bow, with a piece of Silver Metallic Shimmer Sheetz embossed with Lots of Dots folder for the background! Die cut the numerals five and zero from Black Velvet Adhesive and add them to the icing.

Example 2:

Send congratulations to a graduate. Use school colors for the project and die cut the word ‘Congrats’ for the greeting. Hand-write or computer-generate the words ‘Here’s to a sweet future” on a small rectangle of cardstock and tuck it into the icing at an angle (cut off the corner of the rectangle or cut a slit in the icing) or position the rectangle straight across, just slightly behind the icing, if you prefer a more formal layout.

 

SUPPLIES:

Elizabeth Craft Designs –

Joset Designs – Cupcakes

A Way With Words – Happy Birthday

Els van de Burgt Studio – Through the Lens patterned cardstock (Wood Series) 

Shimmer Sheetz in White, Blue, Yellow, and Black Iridescent

Shimmer Sheetz in Bronze Metallic

Shimmer Sheetz in Imperial Garnet Gemstone

Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape and Sheet

Velvet Adhesive Sheets in Black and Light Blue

 

Other –

Foam Tape

Optional: Alcohol Inks and Ink Applicator Tool (Ranger)

Flannel finish cardstock in Light Gray and Dusky Mauve

Big Shot Machine with Precision Base Plate (Sizzix)

OR a Metal Adaptor Plate and other die cutting machine