Back from vacation, I finally got a chance to use the Bunch of Balloons series of products from my recent Concord & 9th order. I stenciled a few different backgrounds with the pair of smaller balloon stencils, and this is one of them.

I made a bunch of balloon backgrounds with the stencils and a color palette I chose (Watermelon, Creamsicle, Sprout and Eucalyptus) that was made of of mostly new 2024 colors from Concord & 9th. This combination includes a pair of warm colors (Watermelon and Creamsicle) and a pair of cool colors (Sprout and Eucalyptus). For the first stencil of this background, I blended those four colors in rainbow order from top left to lower right.

For the second stencil, I used the same color blend that I used on the first one, but significantly lighter. This adds a sense of depth and helps those seem more in the background. I trimmed the panel down to give me a nice wide border of Clementine to show that off. (I layered a few other scraps of cardstock behind it to provide some dimension off the back panel. Clementine is my favorite color from their 2024 color release!

Although I really liked the clean look of the balloon panel on the card front, I felt it needed a little something. I used the Empire Inlay Card Front Die to cut some scrap pieces of Watermelon, Sorbet, Grasshopper, and Eucalyptus so I could use one of the pieces to act as a corner detail. I tucked them under the four corners, coordinated with the color blend from the stenciled balloons. These help frame the balloon background that is the star of this card. It has a bit of a photo corner effect, like from the old scrapbooks or photo albums, don’t you think?

The coordinating clear stamp set incudes outlines for the balloons, and a bow and string, which are really cute touches. I chose a focal point balloon and stamped those, offsetting the balloon outline just a bit.

Some design principles used in this card include:

Repetition: In the balloon stencil, as well as in the offset elements you see with the corners, the balloon outline stamp, and the greeting.

Emphasis: The stamped balloon outline and the bright bold greeting are some examples of this.

You can find more in this card, but I’m going to try to start pointing out a couple in each card for those of you who want to learn more.

That’s it for this one! Thank you for visiting. I hope you get some time to create something soon.

Links are below if you’re interested in any of the products I used.

Supply list*:

(Listed by company, with links to Simon Says Stamp)

Concord & 9th -

• Bunch of Balloons Stencil Pack

• Bunch of Balloons Clear Stamp Set

• Empire Inlay Card Front Die

• Everyday Expressions Dies

• Ink: Watermelon, Creamsicle, Sprout, Eucalyptus, Mushroom

• cardstock: Watermelon, Honeysuckle, Sorbet, Clementine, Grasshopper, Sprout, Eucalyptus, , White

Gina K Designs -

• Connect glue

• Blending Brushes

The Ink Stand - Rectangle Ink Stand

Tsukineko - VersaFine Onyx Black Ink Pad

Waffle Flower - Grip Mat

*Affiliate links have been used with no cost difference for you.