Folded Birthday Card

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Kathy, our hostess, is calling it You've Got to Know When to Fold 'Em!  Here is what she has to say about it:

This challenge is all about using folded paper in a way that goes beyond just folding it in half. Create a vintage or shabby chic project that uses folded paper in a way that elevates the design. You can make a fancy fold card, or add folded embellishments to a card or layout.

My Grandson's birthday is today so I decided to make a card for this challenge that I could give to him. When I saw the Wendy Vecchi balloon mat minis and knew they would be perfect on a card for an 8 year-old.

I also remembered a vintage circus-themed paper pad that I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby on one of my trips to visit my dear friend Patti in Virginia and thought it was time to cut into it.  I just love it when things start to come together.

The hardest part was coming up with a fold.  I had a great looking one made with paper added but before I could decorate it I discovered that the darn thing would not stand up so this is the second attempt.  This is a tri-fold card with different sized panels.  The patterned papers have all been inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and most have been matted on red card stock and then added them to the base.  I have used a couple of very thin magnets under the patterned paper to ensure that each flap stay shut when the card is closed.

This is what it looks like closed before I added embellishments.

Here it is with the right panel open.

And here it is when I open the left panel.

The next step was to alter the balloons and a chipboard number 8 but I forgot to take photos so I will just describe how easy it was.  I painted two balloons and the number 8 with dark red acrylic paint and when they were dry I tapped them with a Versamark embossing pad and then heat embossed them with Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Embossing Powder.  The third balloon was painted with some Aqua acrylic paint and heat embossed with some clear embossing powder.  Once the balloons were dry I stamped them with the polka dot portion of Wendy's Large Collage background stamp and Tree Branch Archival Ink.

Here is a view of the inside with the computer generated sentiment and some stars that I stamped with an old Tim Holtz stamp using Red Geranium Archival Ink and then fussy cut.

To finish the outside of the card I added the stenciled sentiment and topped it with a rosette I made from one of the papers and added a polka dot button.  The balloons were topped with some bows and tails made of burlap string and finally I added another star.

I won't be seeing my Grandson today so he and I shopped for his presents on Saturday and then I gave him the card when we got home.  His comment was "You did a good job Grandma." - whew.

These products used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - the best place for your crafting supplies: