What’s the one kind of card you always find yourself needing more of? For me, it’s birthday cards, and it just so happens they’re my favorite kind to make! If you feel the same, you’re in luck – the April 2023 Essentials by Ellen release just went live today, and it’s alllllll about birthdays, cake and celebrating. Today myself and whole team are celebrating with plenty of eye candy and an Instagram hop. That might be what led you to this post, and if so, I’m excited to give you a closer look at the cake-shaped handmade shaker tag I made.
This project features the new Cake Day stamps and dies, as well as the HB2U stamp set. You may recognize this one as a gift with purchase from last year, but it’s back AND there’s a coordinating die set too! This stamp set has been a workhorse for me since it was released, and now that there are dies available, it expands the possibilities even more.
To get started, I used the new Sprinkles layering stencil to create a funfetti sort of background on an A2 panel of Concord & 9th Ballet Slipper cardstock. (Yes, there are now layering stencils in the Essentials by Ellen line!) From there, I cut the outline cake shape from white cardstock, then did the same with the more detailed cake die, once from my funfetti panel, and 4 more times from white cardstock so that the layers could be stacked on top of each other for dimension. Stacking them also gives whatever shaker confetti you choose to use some room to move around, so use more or fewer layers accordingly!
With funfetti die cut ready, I used the Cake Day stamp in my MISTI to stamp the outline of the slice in Catherine Pooler Party Dress ink, and glued an acetate piece onto the back to form a shaker window. It was at this point that I nearly forgot to cut a small hole in the top left of each layer, but you’ll definitely want to do this if you plan to tie the tag onto a gift!
Using my Bearly Arts liquid glue, I proceeded to stack and adhere the white cardstock layers under the acetate. For the background blues, I used one of the Cake Day dies to create the layers using Concord & 9th Sea Glass, Aqua Sky and Oceanside cardstock, and stuck those directly on with liquid glue. (You can use one of the white slice die cuts as a placement guide for this.)
Next, it was time for my favorite part – filling the shaker with confetti! The Cake Day die set includes 2 dies for making confetti of different sizes, but I was really in the mood for some sparkle so I filled mine with mini gold stars before sealing up the back. Finally, I added on my embossed sentiment made with the HB2U stamp/die combo, and added a few candles to finish it off. Ta-daaa!
Has this tag got you in the mood to celebrate? It certainly had that effect on me as I made it! You’ll find all the products I’ve used in my cake-shaped handmade gift tag, plus so many more right now over in the Ellen Hutson shop. Be sure to also pop over to my Instagram feed where you can participate in today’s blog hop, find eye candy from other members of the team, and enter to win prizes. Good luck!
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