Create an Elegant Birthday Card with Muted Tones

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. If you have seen some of my previous work, you’ll know that I am drawn to vibrant colors. However, I saw this muted pink and gray color palette recently and was deeply inspired, so I decided to go with softer tones today instead.

Step 1

First, let’s start by stamping the main image onto Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. I picked Stampin’ Up’s Smoky Slate ink pad since we will be using a lot of grays. Then, die cut the image with the coordinating die set. 

Step 2

Next, we can start to add colors with ink blending. The stencil set I am using today is called Layers of Beauty. The Bubble Bath ink blends smoothly across the Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. It’s my go-to cardstock for stamping and ink blending since the results are always crisp and even. 

Step 3

I continued ink blending with Bubble Bath ink for the second and third layers of the floral stencil. By blending more ink, you could create darker shades. I love how easy it is to create this multi-color, tone-on-tone effect with just one ink color. 

Step 4

Once the flowers are done, we can start adding colors to the leaves. I am blending with Smoky Slate ink pad this time. You can see how well this ink stamps and ink blends. 

Step 5

I wanted to add some leaf die cuts around the main image, so I used DCS Dolphin Gray cardstock to die cut some shapes. This is a lighter gray that is not too warm and not too cool, which is why it pairs well with many color palettes.

Step 6

For the card base, I used DCS Canvas Textured Lava Stone Gray. Don’t you love the texture of this cardstock? Originally, I was going to dry emboss the card base to add some interest. After some thought, I decided to skip the dry embossing since this canvas texture adds the perfect, subtle interest to the background. Finally, I stamped a sentiment and adhered all of the components onto the card base, and this birthday card is complete!

Supplies:

• DCS Dolphin Gray
• Classic Crest Solar White
• DCS Canvas Textured Lava Stone Gray