Happy Happy Day - especially when we use micro beads!!

This is one of my favourite cards from the workshop weekend, I was really happy with my little songbirds, and love the effect Micro Beads give.  They feel great, and they really do add dimension to your card.  And they are easy, the double sided adhesive sheets allows you to cover a very large surface quickly and easily.  As usual, the items you can get on my web site have the word HERE next to them, which you just need to click and you will brought to the relevant web page.

Happy Happy Day

Materials

Songbird CD - 2 sheets of the love birds design sheets in blue HERE

Blue dot paper

Blue heart paper

A4 white card (folded in half for your base card)

Blue silk card

Adhesive sheet HERE

Micro beads HERE

Pearl card

Step by Step Instructions

Cut out the full love bird’s topper. 

Peel off part of one side of the protective covering from your adhesive sheet (just large enough for the topper).  Put your topper onto the adhesive sheet, printed side face down onto the adhesive side. Lay the protective sheet back over the topper

Cut out the topper through the protective layer on the adhesive sheet, if you hold it up to the light you will be able to see the topper through the adhesive sheet. The protective cover protects your scissors from the adhesive and makes it easier to cut

Now peel off the protective layer covering your image, and dip this into your micro beads.  Bet careful, they’re cheeky and will try to escape the box you’re working in.  Do a small part at a time, brushing off excess beads into the box with your fingers

Eventually you will have a full image covered with these little beads.  It adds depth and a shine to the image

Now, out of the second topper sheet, cut out the bird couple.  I cut a lot of the detail, but it’s up to you.  I also cut the branch, but left off the leaves. 

Also cut out the Happy Happy Day, and another sentiment for inside the card

Mat and layer your card, cut the blue silk card to approx.  20.75cm x 14.5cm (so it’s just slightly smaller than your white card) stick this to your white card base

Cut the dotty paper down to approx. 20.3cm x 14cm (so it’s just slightly smaller than the silk card), matt and layer onto the silk card

Cut a piece of the heart paper by approx. 8.2cm x 8.75cm (I was quite fussy and made sure I had full heart at the top and bottom), then cut a piece of white pearl card slightly larger, and a piece of silk slightly larger than that.  Mat and layer them together

Cut out the border fold it to make a concertina fold. You only need it to be approx. 5cm

Attach the heat paper layer approx. 1.75cm from the right side of the card – central so you have the same gap from the top and the bottom

Attach the main topper approx. 1.75cm from the left hand side of the card, centrally (it will overlap the heart paper)

I mat and layered the Happy Happy Day sentiment flat onto a piece of white pearl card, then onto silk card with 3D foam.  This was then attached to the card over the heart card, but just touching the tail of one of the birds

You will need to use silicone or glue gel to apply the birds you have cut out.  Put these directly over the birds on the topper

Attach your concertina fold to the right side of the card. Tie your white silky crush ribbon in a knot – cutting the ends to a wide fork and attach to the left of the topper using silicone or glue gel.

I finished the card with glitter – of course!!  You can get as carried away as you fancy. Using my gel pen I went around the edges of the heart paper, and a few dots to the left of the topper

I actually decorated the inside of my card, using the left over piece of dotty paper, a border of the heart paper, and then one of the borders from the design sheet.  I then used one of the toppers (the lovely heart one), which I trimmed with glitter.

TIPS

If you have a blue pen, or ink, edge your papers for a more professional finish

Inside the card, why not use a gel pen around the paper to create a pretty frame – try a squiggly line, or dots and dashes

If you want to colour your micro beads, pop them in a clear plastic bag and mix in a little alcohol ink

Use a cocktail stick to “cut” a tiny amount from the end of your silicone or glue gel, then roll this onto the area you need the glue.  This controls the glue, and means you will not get stringy bits of silicone all over the place.  It also means you can apply very small amounts of glue precisely where you need it