Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes | Two Quick and Easy Birthday Cards with Chris

One of the things I love about Perfect Pairs is that the coordinating stamps and ephemera cuts make it really easy to put a card together without having to spend hours figuring out what goes with what.

STAMPgirl Chris put that to the test with two birthday cards using Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes and the coordinating ephemera cuts. And when I say quick, I mean quick. Her first card took about 10 to 12 minutes, while the second one came together in about 5 to 6 minutes, not counting the time it took for the Stickles to dry.

That's a record for Chris, who says her cards usually take her two to three hours to make. I had to chuckle when I read that :-o)

Keep It Simple With a Pop of Color

For her first card, Chris stamped the Party & Wishes background stamp in a zigzag pattern using three ink colors that coordinate with the party hat ephemera cut. She then tore a strip of white cardstock, stamped the sentiment at the bottom, and added the strip and party hat to the card base.

I really like how the colorful stamped background frames the party hat without competing with it. The torn strip of cardstock gives the eye a place to rest, while the coordinating colors tie everything together. Simple. Colorful. And done in about 10 minutes.

A Little Masking Goes a Long Way

For her second card, Chris kept things just as simple but changed up the design. She masked off an area of the card base and stamped the Party & Wishes background stamp diagonally inside the masked area. For the sentiment, she masked off part of the stamp so she could use just the word "Celebrate" in the bottom right corner. She then added gold Stickles to all the sprinkles on the cupcake ephemera cut. Once the Stickles dried, she popped the cupcake up with foam squares for a little dimension.

I love that she didn't feel the need to use the entire sentiment stamp. Sometimes one word is all you need. And the little bit of sparkle on the cupcake? Just enough.

Let the Pair Do the Work

Chris' two cards are a great example of how much you can do with the Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes set and its coordinating ephemera cuts without bringing in a whole pile of other supplies. The background stamp gives you an easy way to add color and pattern, while the ephemera cuts give you ready-to-use focal images that already coordinate with the stamps. Then it's just a matter of changing up the arrangement. A little masking here. A torn strip there. Maybe some Stickles if you're in the mood for a little sparkle. That's it.

And if you're looking for cards you can put together without spending hours on each one, Chris's 5-to-12-minute cards are pretty good proof that Perfect Pairs really can make cardmaking easier.

Check out Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes and the other Perfect Pairs collections in the STAMPlorations store.