To make this card the first thing you will need to do is to download it from my library. If you need the password to get into my library, then click here. If you already have the password, then click here. Then, you will need to upload the file into design space. If you need help doing this, then click here for more instructions.
Once you have the design in Design Space, click on the design and click ungroup, in the upper right hand corner. Now click on the purple card with the balloons, and click ungroup again. You will then need to click on each balloon, then click where it says basic cut under operations. Then in that drop down click deboss under the drawl section. I found it easiest to click on the balloon on the right side, instead of on the card itself. You can also select all the balloons and hit the deboss once, but if you have trouble selecting just the balloons, then just do this one balloon at a time.
Once you changed all the balloons to be debossed it is time to change the words to be debossed as well. The words are grouped together. So, you just have to select the words, then select deboss in the drop down menu under operations. Next, while the letters are selected, click weld, in the bottom right side of the page. This will connect the letters.
At the end I decided to add a boarder around my card. If you would also like to do this, then select shapes, square. You should now open the lock symbol in the size section so we can change the square into a rectangle to fit our card. I made my card just a sheet, but if you want yours to open like a normal card, then you will want to double the size of this piece. You will also want to click arrange (top middle of page), then click send to back. This will send the square behind your card instead of covering it up. Now move the arrows around the square to resize it to your liking behind the card. Do not forget to double it if you want to fold it like a normal card. If you are doing this, then you will also want to add a score line to help you fold the card evenly.
To add a score line, click shapes, score line. Now change the measurement of the score line to be the same measurement you made your card to be. If you click on the card and the score line, then click align, center, the score line will move to the exact center of the card, which is where you will probably want to fold your card.
If you would like to change the colors of things to help you visualize what the card will look like, then you can do that by selecting/clicking on the item you want to change, then click on the small box just to the right of the operations drop down menu. Now, just click the color you want. You can also change the size of the card if you wish. Just make sure you select everything to change it all at once. With the lock symbol closed your sides will change together, meaning you only have to change one measurement, and the other side will change accordingly.
The last step is to attach things so they do not get separated when you go to make the card. Start by clicking the balloons, and the purple card. You can hold down your mouse button as you drag a box around these two items. You can also hold down the ctrl button as you click on both the balloons and the purple card. Either way works for selecting items. Once the balloons and purple card are selected, click attach in the bottom right hand corner of the page. This will tell Design Space you want the balloons to stay on top of the card when it is being made. You will also need to do this for the words and the white rectangle. Just select them both, and click attach. You will also want to do this if you made a score line to fold your card. Now you can hit make it.
To assemble this card, I started out by painting my balloons. I thought a water color look would look nice. I took some of my acrylic paint and watered them down a lot. I have never painted with water colors, and realized that there is specific paper for water paints. If I made this card again, I probably would not paint the balloons.
For my words I thought a stamp look would be nice. I found these stamp markers on sale a little while back, and have been wanting to use them. Well, they just seemed like normal markers and thus turned into me just coloring over the debossed words. Next, time I might actually take a stamp pad and apply some color that way.
I then use double sided tape to attach the balloon cardstock to my colored cardstock to give it a boarder. I really liked this, and it added a lot to the card. I did not lay anything heavy on my card as these layers dried because my paint was still wet. Because of this the card became a little bumpy/bent. The wet paint also made it bend some.
Lastly, I used some sticky dots to attach my words to my card, but they did not stick out as much as I expect it too. Next, time I might add two layers of sticky dots to make it stick out more.
There are some things I would change about this card, but overall, I think it turned out okay. My boyfriend liked it, which is what really mattered. There is something about handmade cards that make them so much more special. Some of the imperfections actually add to the card and make them better.
