Super Mario Punch Art for Birthday Card

 HAPPY SATURDAY! Welcome back to my new blog post that will feature some punch art that is not Christmas related.... ha ha ha. 

I'm taking a break from Christmas projects just for this weekend so I can focus on my son's 8th birthday! He's all about video games like Minecraft and Super Mario. I must mention that this is the first year he's requested me to make him a card. I GLADLY obliged!!!

This card was inspired by a card I found on Pinterest, made by Melanie Makes, which you can find here. Below is the image of her card. I love the layout of the card along with how she made a starburst in the background so that Mario's face is the focus.

Below is my version of the Mario card. 

I made a "pipe" for the inside of the card from Garden Green Cardstock so that it would hold a prize inside. I love this unique money pocket! I cut out one rectangle to 2" x 2 1/4" and another to 3/4" x 2 1/4". I popped these pieces up with mini dimensionals along the bottom and sides, making sure to leave room for the $20 bill.

I had to come up with my own ideas of doing the punch art and put together a little tutorial of the punches I used for each piece which looks similar to Melanie's punch art with some slight differences.

You may access the *.jpg version of the tutorial in the "Tutorials & Cheat Sheets" tab towards the top of this blog page. 

Allow me to share some TIPS about the process of putting this little guy together...

• Not all the punches I used are available in the current catalog and therefore are retired. If you don't have a certain punch, see what else you could use that has a similar shape for what you're needing. 
• I highly recommend using grid paper to help you align and measure your pieces for accuracy.
• I found that using Tombo glue is the best adhesive for adhering your pieces because it give you a chance to move things around until you get it where you want it.
• Begin by taking a 3" square piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock and use the Ivory Stampin' Blend Marker and color it, let dry. Then punch out Mario's face, ears, and nose.
•  Punch out the 1 3/8" scalloped circle from Basic Black Cardstock then use a 1" circle punch to punch out the sideburns. I measured the size of the sideburns by counting 5 scallops. For the mustache, I counted 9 or 10 scallops and cut straight across using my scissors.
• Put together Mario's face first by adhering the nose with a mini-dimensional in the center of his face. Adhere the sideburns slightly above his ears.
• Use post-it notes to help you punch out a sliver of the hat rim and eyebrows. 
• For Mario's hat, I used my grid paper to mark 4 points as shown below so that I could cut along the solid line for the shape of the hat, making sure to round the corners.

• Mario's eyebrows were a little tricky for me. I made 4 of these Mario's and they all turned out differently. You could trim them until you like their shape and thickness.
• For Mario's tongue, I placed a post-it note towards the top half of the heart punch out and then used the watermelon punch to punch out the tongue.
• After you complete Mario's face, adhere his ears behind it, then adhere to the hat. 
• The rim of the hat is the last thing I adhered to Mario's forehead using mini-dimensionals.

Below is a list of SUPPLIES that I used for the front and inside of the card. These items are current Stampin' UP! products except for those noted with an * :

• STAMP SETS
• So Many Stars (2019 Holiday Catalog) *
• BYOB (2015-2016 Annual Catalog) *
• Poppin Birthday (March 2019 Paper Pumpkin) *
• DIES
• Stitched Stars (2019 Holiday Catalog) *
• Up & Away (2017 Mini Catalog) *
• Sunburst (2016 Mini Catalog) *
• PAPER/CARDSTOCK
• Gingham Gala 6"x6" DSP - Balmy Blue (2019 Mini Catalog) *
• Balmy Blue cardstock
• Granny Apple Green cardstock 
• Whisper White Cardstock
• Daffodil Delight Cardstock
• Real Red Cardstock
• Basic Black Cardstock
• Very Vanilla Cardstock 
• Garden Green Cardstock
• INKS
• Real Red
• Granny Apple Green 
• MARKERS
• Real Red Stampin' Marker
• Ivory Stampin' Blend Marker
• RIBBON: 
• Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack 
• PUNCHES:
• 1/2" circle (2019-2020 Annual catalog) *
• 1" circle (2019-2020 Annual catalog) *
• 2" circle 
• 2 1/4" circle 
• Owl Punch (2010-2011 Annual catalog) *
• Itty Bitty Fruit Punch Pack - watermelon (2018 Mini catalog) *
• Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack - heart (2014-2015 Annual Catalog) *
• 1 3/8" scallop circle (2018 Mini Catalog) *
• MISC. 
• White Gel Pen (non-Stampin' UP!)

This is all I have for today's post. I sure hope you are able to put together some punch art cards and although it can get tedious, have some fun making art!!!

Until next time ...