Birthday Card Using a Paper Napkin and Metallic Elements

Hello everyone!
Today I am sharing my second post for June and this time, I have a birthday card to share which uses a paper napkin and some metallic embellishments, including one of the birdcages from this post.

 

Introduction and Card Front

This seems to be the busy time of the year for birthdays and so here is my first birthday card of the season.  This one is made using a paper napkin. To use a napkin, separate the top layer from any of the other layers, usually one or two.

Then cut out the part of the napkin you want to use.  I want to use the design on one quarter of the napkin, which measures 6 x 6 inches.

Adhere the napkin to a piece of 6 x 6 inch card using matte gel medium.  The napkin is very fragile and easily tearable so the best way to do this is to cover the card with matte gel medium then carefully place the napkin on the top.  Then to help smooth out the creases without tearing the napkin, place some tin foil or cling film over the top and smooth out the napkin with your fingers.  If you do it this way, you will get a much smoother result.

Make the card base

As the card front is 6 x 6 inches, to make the card base, cut a piece of card that measures 6 x 12 inches.

Fold the card in half along the short side, then using a bone folder, crease the fold.  

Glue the card front to the card base using PVA.

Gold Metallic Elements

As the napkin has a bird on it, I thought I would use one of the birdcage chipboards I heat embossed in this post.  Then to accompany it, I die cut a happy birthday sentiment and heat embossed it with the same embossing powder.

Using tweezers, apply glue to the back of the happy birthday words including the tiny dot above the "i".

At this point, the birdcage can be simply glued to the front of the card but I thought the recipient might want to use the birdcage.  The birdcage is gold embossed on both sides so it could be used as a bookmark or something similar.

Using gold thread, thread the birdcage through and then tie the gold thread around the card front.

Tie the thread on the inside of the card.  Note:  this could be done around the card front instead, before attaching the card front to the card base.  That way the thread would be hidden in between the layers, but I wanted the recipient to be able to remove it easily if they wanted to.

On the outside, the birdcage can be slid up and down the front of the card.

Finishing Touches

I added some gold paint splatters to the front of the card

I edged the card with gold texture paste as a finishing touch.

And that's the finished card ready for posting!

I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial.  Let me know in the comments.

Elle
Empire of the Cat

Project Recipe:

Ornamental Birdcages Shape Set D69C
white card, paper napkin, previously heat embossed birdcage, gold embossing powder, embossing ink, die cut happy birthday words, gold thread, gold paint, gold texture paste, white glue,

Another Small Thing

I am going through a phase of making small things. Well, some of them are smaller than usual. Lora here for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts with a very small birdhouse.

Here is a picture of it in my hand for scale....

And the back..

It was a fun, simple project and in the end, I really like how it turned out.
Just a couple tips on construction:
I started out with the Little Bird House.

I assembled it, primed it with gesso and sealed it with varnish. I will often do this even if I put paper on things later-it seals the chipboard from moisture and gives the piece a longer life and it becomes a pretty tough surface to apply all kinds of techniques to if you wish. This is not a step you have to do.
I set the little house aside to dry for a bit and took a small block I had (about 1/2 square) marked the center and drilled a hole in the it the size of a 1/8 inch dowel.

I papered all sides of the house except the bottom, which I drilled another (same size) hole in for the other end of the dowel. I used a scalpel to refine the hole.

I did not attach the dowel to the birdhouse - I left that until the last in order to make embellishing the wee thing a it easier. I papered the little block and stuck the dowel in that end after painting it white.
I used a gold ink pad to age up the edges of the bird house and the block, a tiny bit of scrap Dresden to trim out the gables and a couple of scraps of paper added to the house, like the stamps on the roof and the feather on the back for extra detail.
I then glued the house on the dowel.
I snipped some twigs off of my old dogwood tree and glued them upright on the dowel. I also glued a tiny twig into the lower smaller hole on the birdhouse for a little perch.
Then added moss and tiny rose buds to the piece.
The last thing I put on was the tiny little robin with a dab of glue.

I really like this tiny little thing.
I hope you make one!
Supplies:
Little Bird House

Wooden dowel
Wooden block
Stamperia Garden scrapbook paper
Dresden trim in white
Tiny rosebuds
Moss
Twigs

Thank you very much for dropping in!