Happy Birthday!
By Laura Nicholas

Laura turned this sweet card into a birthday card by adding a personalized "Happy Birthday!" tag to the inside. Don't have a boy's birthday coming up? Journal a different message onto the tag to use this versatile card design for any other occasion!

Supplies:

• Paper Pizazz® Flea Market Fabrics sarapapers™: Light blue textured, gold textured, red gingham with fruit border, green gingham with cherry border and multi stripe papers plus tag
• Flea Market Fabrics Embellish-abilities™: Light blue buttons, light blue sheer ribbon
• Boy Brad Dress-Ups™
• black pen
• fine-grade sandpaper or emery board
• foam tape
• Glue Dots™
• glue stick
• 5"x6 1/2" blank white card

Instructions:
For the Card Front:

1. Place the card with the fold at the top and cover the card front with light blue textured paper. Cut a total of 12 squares of red gingham, green gingham and multi stripe paper (about 1 1/2" to 2" wide) then glue them overlapping in the center of the card front, leaving a 1/2" border of light blue textured paper around the edges. Use a black pen to add zigzag penwork over the seams between the paper squares, creating a stitched effect. Add straight stitch penwork to the light blue textured paper, framing the overlapped papers in the center and extending outward toward each corner.
2. Run a short length of light blue sheer ribbon through the holes on two medium and two large light blue buttons, knotting the ribbon on the top of the button. Use a Glue Dot™ to secure one button in each corner of the card front.
3. Add penwork around the edges of a 1 3/4" square of gold texutured paper. Mat on light blue textured paper, trimming the mat to 1/8". Lightly sand the top of a frog Brad Dress-Up, then use two black mini brads to attach the Dress-Up centered on the gold textured paper. Use foam tape to secure the whole piece centered on the card front.

For the Card Inside:

1. Cover the bottom 2 3/4" of the card inside with light blue textured paper. Cut a total of 8 squares of red gingham, green gingham and multi stripes paper. Glue them overlapping over the light blue textured paper, leaving a 1/2" border of light blue around the left, top and right edges. Add zigzag penwork over the seams between each of the paper squares. Add straight stitch penwork to the light blue textured paper, framing the overlapped papers and extending outward toward the top two corners of the light blue textured piece.
2. Journal "Happy Birthday!" onto the small yellow striped tag and glue it at an angle overlapping the top left edge of the light blue paper. Tie a 6" length of ribbon into a shoestring bow and use a Glue Dot™ to attach the bow at the top of the tag.

Brad Dress-Ups™ make perfect card focals–they're colorful, dimensional and alterable! Check out all 15 versatile themes of Dress-Ups here, and keep your eyes out for brand-new themes coming this winter!