Sketched Birthday Card

I just got the new adjustable marker holder for the Silhouette from Chomas Creations, so when it arrived I immediately went through my stash to see what would fit. I settled on an American Crafts Slick Writer so I could have my Cameo draw on some clear acetate, then cut it out. And it was perfect timing to make my niece her birthday card.

I practiced with some sketch designs from the Silhouette Block Party Design Portfolio CD. I liked how it turned out for the number 2, but I needed the number 9 for the card.

Because this Chomas Creations holder is made to fit a wide range of pens and markers, I found I had better results with this particular Slick Writer pen by wrapping a little bit of felt and masking tape around the part of the pen where the holder’s adjustment screw tightens against. That kept it better centered within the holder. The instructions come with the holder, but make sure you load the cutting mat before placing the popsicle stick down or you might end up with some unwanted scribbles on your page. I only needed a thickness of 3-4 instead of the sketch pen’s default of 10 to get a good drawing without extra lines.  I left the speed at 10.

You can see I added some extra color to the sketched number. I colored on the back side with Letraset ProMarkers so they wouldn’t smear the sketched purple ink, and on the number 2 I added some Stickles glitter glue for extra zing. I did that also on the back side so the front would still feel smooth.

Hiding the adhesive is always the trickiest part for clear embellishments, but I was able to put some mini glue dots right under a few colored spots on the number 9. Betcha can’t see them! To finish off my card I added a butterfly and a little “Happy Birthday” sentiment on a scrap of paper. I could have had my Silhouette cut and sketch that, too, but I had already cut the flag to size with scissors and it was quick to just write it myself with a Gelly Roll Stardust pen.