My mom and her older sister, Carole, are more than just sisters – they’re best friends. Even though they live in different cities, they talk every single day – catching up on their lives, solving the world’s problems, and (most importantly) dissecting every Braves game pitch by pitch. Their conversations about baseball are long, lively, and passionately opinionated.
One of my favorite traditions between them? The exchange of hilariously over-the-top birthday cards every year – always tongue-in-cheek and guaranteed to make the other laugh out loud. This weekend, Aunt Carole is celebrating a milestone birthday (I won’t tell you which one), and Mom asked me to create a special (and, of course, funny) card to mark the occasion.
Here’s the card I made to help celebrate Auntie Carole’s big day:
To build the perfect card for Aunt Carole’s big celebration, I turned to one of my favorite new stamp sets from Stampin’ Up!’s recent Online Exclusives release: Not 29 Anymore. It’s packed with clever, cheeky sentiments that are just right for all birthdays.
Choosing a sentiment wasn’t difficult – one look at “SO. MANY. CANDLES.” and I knew it was the one. Ha! It’s bold, it’s funny, and it fit perfectly with the playful spirit Mom wanted for the card.
Here’s a look at all of the sentiments in this set:
The sentiment was spot-on – now I needed a background to match. What better way to support “SO. MANY. CANDLES.” than with … well, so many candles?
I pulled out the Choose Happy stamp set and found the tiniest candle image – just what I needed! I stamped it repeatedly across several 1″ strips of Basic White cardstock, creating a whimsical and candle-filled pattern. Layering those strips across the card added the perfect playful backdrop for the bold sentiment and really drove the theme home. Here’s a look at the Choose Happy stamp set that made it all possible:
I colored the candles with a mix of Subtles Stampin’ Blends, and the result makes me smile every time I look at it. The soft, pastel colors—Pretty in Pink, Peach Pie, Fresh Freesia, Balmy Blue, and Soft Sea Foam—give the candles a gentle, celebratory vibe, while the Lemon Lolly flames add just the right touch of glow.
Against the neutral card base and the bold black block sentiment, these sweet little candles really shine. If you love this soft, cheerful combo as much as I do, be sure to save it for future inspiration—you never know when you’ll need just the right mix of subtle charm and birthday cheer!
To finish things off, I couldn’t resist adding a little sparkle. I peppered the card with six Iridescent Foil Gems to give Carole’s card just the right amount of shine. These little accents catch the light beautifully and add a fun, festive touch without overpowering the design. I love how they bring everything together—just the right bit of bling for a milestone celebration!
Carole’s birthday is officially tomorrow, but she received (and opened!) her card a day early—classic Carole. 🙂 I had so much fun making this card for her, and I couldn’t wait any longer to share it with you! I even reshuffled my blog schedule to give this one the spotlight it deserves. Funny, sweet, and full of candles—just the way we like to celebrate around here.
Stamps: Not 29 Anymore, Choose Happy Papers: Lemon Lolly, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Basic White Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Stampin’ Blends (Pretty in Pink, Peach Pie, Fresh Freesia, Balmy Blue, Soft Sea Foam, Lemon Lolly) Accessories: White Wow! Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Iridescent Foil Gems, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Thanks for stopping by today!
Brian
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Love this…oh I need that stamp st, fun sentiments!!
The sentiments are so fun! I also love “LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED…so I can be home by 9:00” – I used that one on the inside. 🙂 Thanks, Lucy!
Very nice card. So perfectly stamped. Happy Birthday to Aunt Carole.
I have two sisters, and we also talk multiple times a day.
Have a blessed day.
I love that, Nancy! It was much easier to stamp the candles inside the 1″ strips than had I tried to freehand stamp them along the card front. So glad you like it. All the best to you!
Hi Brian
Cheers to Aunt Carole!
What a fun birthday card! So creative!
Thanks for sharing
Happy to share, Dawn! So happy you like the card – and thanks for the well-wishes to Aunt Carole. ♥
Happy. Birthday to your Aunt Carole! I just got this set in my order yesterday to make a card for my brother who also will be celebrating a milestone! Thanks for sharing your clever card Brian.
🙂 It’s a really great set! We’ve had several with one or two great, funny sayings, but this set is filled with them! Thanks, Barbara!
HBD to Aunt Carole! This card made her smile, I’m sure! I’ll talk Braves baseball with these ladies anytime…..that’s me and my sister, too!
I love that, Cindie! I’m sure I could pass along Mom’s phone # – you can chat until you are all filled up on the Braves. 🙂 My Grandma also loved long conversation about what was happening in the bullpen. ♥
What a wonderful card you designed for Carole! I couldn’t think of where you got the candle from, clever that you noticed it in the Choose Happy set. I’m very happy that I own that set, it has loads of possibilities!
There are a lot of gems in the Choose Happy set, Katrina! I was bouncing between that candle and the ones in the Sweet Jar set when I saw that this candle was used in the sample that accompanies the set in the online store. How fun!
Cute! Cute! Cute! Happy birthday to Aunt Carole! Such a fun card and I have no doubt you all had some great laughs. I just made a card with that Not 29 Anymore and of course the inside had to be the sentiment about menopause. Great set! However I missed the other stamp set so I’m off to order it. They both work so well together.
Thanks, Bobbi! SO glad you like it. The sentiment about menopause? There’s one about metabolism (but that one happens in your 30’s). HA! It’s definitely a wonderful set – perfect for snarky birthday celebrations. 🙂