Introducing Our Birthday Collection

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday. Ours was wonderful, but we don't stay still for long around here, so we're excited to share that our next release is this Saturday, December 28th, at Noon EST. This release is full of goodies and today we'll be taking a look at the Birthday Collection! But first a reminder, I will be going live on Instagram tonight at 8pm EST to answer any questions you have about today's introductions. Make sure to join me to see additional details about all of the projects I'm sharing today and learn a little more about the new products.

Let's start the introductions with the new Color Stories, shall we? There are two new palettes that are debuting this weekend. They retail individually for $55 each.

Lasting Love

When I think of love that lasts a lifetime, it is softer and more subdued. The tones are classic and timeless and have a rich, but quiet and comforting. The Lasting Love palette is meant to invoke that same feeling. This Color Story includes Thistle, Sunlight, Red Currant, Desert Rose, and Pea Pod felt.

Smitten

As a contrast, new love feels effervescent and joyful, full of possibilities. Everything is bright and fresh. That young, bubblegum feeling inspired the Smitten palette. This Color Story includes Wintergreen, Taffy, Rouge, Poolside, and Amethyst felt.

Again, the Color Stories retail for $55 each, but the individual rolls of felt are available for $7.25 each.

Now, we definitely have more to share, so buckle up!

The Birthday Crown Die (retails for $32) is sure to become a staple for celebrating birthdays in style.

You are royalty for a day when you celebrate your birthday and with this die you can really show it! This crown is separated into panels, allowing you to customize your crowns and make something truly adjustable. Use the decorative candle design to dress up the smaller panels and the circle and star elements to give the larger panels interest. The Monogram Alphabet, Monogram Numerals, Accessory Alphabet, and Accessory Numerals are all ideal for personalizing these crowns to make every celebration one to remember.

The Prize Winner Die (retails for $38) creates a festive rosette ideal for any celebration!

The Prize Winner Die creates a charming, wearable rosette ribbon that you can use to celebrate any victory, large or small.

The Sweet Treats: Cupcake Die (retails for $26) is a delicious addition to the Sweet Treats Collection!

Cupcakes are sure to delight everyone on your birthday list! This die gives you the option to bake up your very own cupcakes in every flavor you can imagine!

I don't know about you, but I love making birthdays a big "to-do", so these new dies are going to be treasured for years to come (especially since our girl is in peak celebratory age). For today, I created a little bundle of birthday joy to make her next birthday even more special.

I used the Smitten Color Story for all of these projects today, with a little Tundra added in for good measure. Let's start with the crown. 

I created the Birthday Crown by cutting panels from Amethyst. The smaller panels were decorated with the birthday candle pattern included with the die, while the center panel is decorated with a Rouge Monogram Numeral featured in a circle. I also used the center negative die cut star (the "leftovers" from the star die also in the crown) and one of the stars from the Sweet Treats: Cupcake to add a little pizzaz. I sprinkled in some beads and sequins on the front for some sparkle. I also embellished each flame on the candles on the side for additional interest. 

 
When I sewed the crown together (each panel is two pieces for a total of 10 pieces), I tucked ribbon into the ends, making the crown endlessly adjustable (which would be handy if you wanted to make a crown that would fit multiple people or ages).

The center circle would also be a great place to showcase a monogram or simple design (like the star) if you didn't want to use it for a specific age. There are so many ways to customize! 

Next up, I have a Prize Winner ribbon I created that also features her next age. These ribbons look a little complicated, but they're actually quite easy. All you have to do to get that rosette effect is fold over the "petals" of the rosette and sew them to the center circle.

I used Taffy for the base of the ribbon and the tails. The rosette is Rouge and the cute little pinked edge behind the circle is Wintergreen. I used the Monogram Numerals again, this time in Amethyst. I also used some of the clear iridescent sequins from the Smitten embellishment box to zhuzh up the face of the ribbon. I wanted to keep this a little simpler so it won't catch on everything she comes in contact with on her birthday.

I used a bar pin on the back. I sewed it through the Wintergreen circle (I just made tiny slits with my scissors so the ends could pop through) before sewing that circle to the Taffy circle. Then I sewed the two Taffy circles together, stitching the tails in as I sewed.

I really love this. You could make ribbons for any accomplishment or day you wanted to make feel a little extra special, not just birthdays! I'm imagining Mother's Day, Father's Day, straight As on a report card, you name it!

And lastly, I made a little piece of room decor to hang up on Tilly's door to celebrate her next birthday. I made a base from Taffy felt and die cut it with the Accessory and Monogram alphabets to create the greeting.

Then I created the cupcake from Wintergreen, Walnut, and Tundra. I used a very thin bead of hot glue to attach the cupcake to the base (it helps to do this in small sections so you can do a very thin bead without it cooling before you can press it down).

I added a Rouge cherry (I free handed the stem) and purple bugle beads from the Rainbow Sprinkle Bugle Bead Mix to dress up the cupcake. I also added a sprinkling of those same clear iridescent sequins.

On the back, I added a star (from the Birthday Crown Die) and the year of her 5th birthday using the Keepsake Dates Die. Then I made hanging loops from Amethyst felt and glued them between the front and back panels. When I got to the bottom, I glued in some pom pom trim. Who doesn't love pom pom trim, am I right?! I hung it with a dowel and some crochet thread. So cute!

I hope you've enjoyed today's introductions! I will be live tonight on Instagram at 8am EST to answer any questions you might have about the products I shared today. I hope you will join me!