Black and Blue and a little bit Spooky !

I make birthday cards for my coworkers. It’s one of those little things I enjoy doing—until I send someone a card and they don’t say thank you. Then, regretfully, there may not be another handmade birthday card coming their way! 😂

But Anthony is safe because his birthday is coming up, and his wife’s birthday is shortly after his, so I’m making cards for both of them.

There was just one little problem.

Their favorite colors are black and blue.

Now, if you’re a card maker, you know that black and blue aren’t exactly the most exciting colors to work with. Just sayin’! 😂

A Spooky Birthday for Her

Since Anthony’s wife loves spooky things, I decided to embrace it and make her a spooky birthday card.

The star of the card is this adorable cat from Aall & Create’s “Free Broom Rides” Halloween stamp set. The set has a super-cute witch in it too, but I only used the cat for this card. Sometimes one little image is all you need to set the mood.

I paired the cat with a spooky tree die-cut from Scrapbook.com and some textured craft paper. I really liked the texture of the paper because it gave the card a slightly rustic, Halloween-ish feel without making it too dark.

And of course, I kept the color palette in their beloved black and blue.

Spooky? ✔️
Birthday? ✔️
Black and blue? ✔️

I think I managed to make it work! Luckily, I was able to add throw some fluorescent pink in! 

Anthony’s Card: Keeping It Black & Blue

For Anthony, I decided to really stick with the black-and-blue theme.

I used a stamp from Aall & Create featuring a little boy holding balloons. I love the slightly quirky, artistic feel of their images, and this one worked perfectly for a birthday card.

I added a Happy Birthday die cut—I believe this one is from Simon Says Stamp—and kept the rest of the design simple so the image could be the focal point.

Black and blue may not be my first choice when I’m sitting down to make a card, but sometimes having a limited color palette is actually a fun challenge.

It forces me to think differently.

Making Someone’s Birthday a Little More Special

I really do enjoy making birthday cards for the people I work with. There’s something different about handing someone a card that you actually made for them instead of grabbing one off a store shelf.

And these two cards were especially fun because I got to make them with each person in mind.

For her, a little spooky cat and some creepy trees.

For Anthony, a little guy with balloons and a birthday greeting.

Different cards, same favorite colors—and hopefully, two very happy birthday recipients!

Now, if they don’t say thank you…

Well…

I have a whole bunch of people who need birthday cards. 😂 seems like all my friends Leo’s, and Virgo’s!