Card: Birthday - Balloons

It might be hard to believe but I used to send anywhere from at least 3 up to 15 birthday cards to various family and friends every month.  I've really cut back in recent years, preferring to send birthday cards to kids under the age of 13 (not that they appreciate it more, just that it gives me a chance to be cuter in my creativity).  This balloon themed birthday card is one of the first designs I ever came up with.



Inspiration:  I don't think I had a specific inspiration for this idea.  At the time I needed to make a birthday card and this seemed one of the easier themes that would work for everyone.

How I Make Them:  I created a small template shape of the balloon.  I usually fit 5 balloons on a card but could probably do more if I wanted them to overlap.  The first time I made these cards, I glued the balloons to the card but left the very bottoms unglued.  Then I used embroidery floss for the string, gluing it down from under the bottom of each balloon and at an angle to bring them together near the bottom of the card.  If I've left enough room on the front, I'll write "Happy Birthday" otherwise that goes inside with a short two line verse "May your special day / lift you to new heights".

Alternatives:

• When I don't have enough embroidery floss, I just draw the string with a marker (as in the photo above).
• You could write the letters for HAPPY on the balloons - or if you make a big enough bundle of balloons on the card you could spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
• I've also used a balloon theme for birthday party invitations and thank you cards.

Additional Photos:

The above image is of the sheets I make to store my templates with instructions so I remember how to make the card when I need more of the same one.  This version shows the card made with embroidery floss for the strings.