Spellbinders Year of the Goat – A Unique Birthday Celebration!
Whether or not you follow the Chinese zodiac, there's something fun about incorporating its twelve animal signs into cardmaking! Each year is represented by a different animal, and the goat is traditionally associated with creativity, kindness, gentleness and a love of beauty. The Year of the Fire Goat is especially associated with passion and artistic expression, making it a wonderful inspiration for a handmade card.
The Spellbinders Year Of The Goat stamp and die set is such a fun collection, featuring an adorable goat, a rocky perch and lots of birthday sentiments. While the set is inspired by the Chinese zodiac, I think this little goat makes for a wonderfully unique birthday card for anyone, regardless of their birth year!
Supply List
Colorwheel Cardstock - Merlot, Cosmic Sky, Anchor
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Card Details
I began by assembling the goat. Since this set celebrates the Year of the Fire Goat, I wanted to incorporate some fiery colours and a little extra shine. I chose Merlot from the Colorwheel Cardstock collection, adding touches of gold embossing to the die-cut pieces.
Before assembling the goat, I laid out all of the Merlot die cuts so I could see exactly how the different pieces would be layered. Using a VersaMark ink pad, I applied the clear embossing ink along the exposed edges of the die cuts and covered them with gold embossing powder. To help prevent warping when applying the heat, I first heated the back of each piece before turning it over to melt the embossing powder on the front. Once everything was embossed, I assembled the goat.
The rocky ledge was die cut from black and Anchor cardstock and assembled to create a little perch for our adorable goat.
For the background, I trimmed a piece of Cosmic Sky Colorwheel Cardstock to 4 x 5¼ inches and added splatters of bronze metallic liquid ink. I love how the little splatters add texture and interest to the deep blue background without overwhelming the design.
I selected one of the many birthday sentiments included in the set and stamped it along the bottom of the panel using VersaMark ink, then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.
Once the background was complete, I adhered it to an A2-sized black card base. The rocky ledge was positioned just above the sentiment, and I temporarily placed the goat to determine the best position for the gold foil moon. After adhering the moon, I popped up the goat with foam squares, giving it a little dimension and making it the star of the card.
Closing Thoughts
I love how this card came together! The combination of rich Merlot, deep blue and gold gives the design a little drama, while the adorable goat adds just the right amount of whimsy. It's a fun way to celebrate a birthday with something a little different, and I think the gold details make this little fire goat shine!
The Spellbinders Year Of The Goat set is a lovely reminder that birthday cards don't always have to follow the usual themes. Sometimes a little zodiac inspiration is just what you need!
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