This card features the Snappy Birthday stamp and coordinating dies from the Simon Hurley + Ranger collection at Spellbinders, and the second I stamped this little alligator, I knew the card needed to feel lighthearted and slightly chaotic in the best possible way. The balloon cluster already creates so much upward movement that I decided to lean into it with soft rainbow blending around the Color Block Accent Arches die.

The funny thing is that the arch border almost became its own side quest. I did a continuous rainbow blend around the outside of the arch before putting the white color block accent arch over the top.  Because the colors were repeated in the balloons, the whole card settled into that clean-but-playful balance I always chase. The rainbow feels coordinated without becoming one of those cards that punches you directly in the eyeballs with color (don’t get me wrong – I like that, too.  It just wasn’t what I wanted for this this card).

I kept the rest of the design intentionally quiet. A little twine bow, a few silver gems, and plenty of white space let the focal image do all the talking.