Stampin’ Up! Sweet Bugs Explosion Card for the Pals Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stampin’ Pretty Pals’ Blog Hop!

Hi, Stampers!

This month’s Stampin’ Pretty Pals Blog Hop is all about Birthday Celebrations. If you’re looking for fresh inspiration—or just a good excuse to pull out those gorgeous craft supplies—you’re in the right place. Today, the Pals are sharing a variety of birthday-themed card ideas using Stampin’ Up! products. Whether you love bright and playful designs, elegant birthday greetings, or quick and simple projects, you’ll find plenty of inspiration along the hop.

I have the cutest little grandson turning ONE this month, and I couldn’t wait to make a special card for him! The adorable Sweet Bugs Suite was just perfect for the occasion. I had recently made this explosion card, but then I came across another version and immediately started searching for a tutorial. I wanted something fun and unique for his big day. When I saw Tami White’s post featuring this style of explosion card, I knew right away it would be the perfect choice. It’s playful, interactive, and just right for celebrating such a wonderful milestone!

My Secrets!

Let’s start with the card base…

• Gatefold Card Base: 8-1/2 x 5-1/2. As Tami White suggested in her video, I scored at 2-1/8 on one side of the cardstock, and then I manually folded the other side to meet it in the middle. This definitely helps to make sure the gatefold comes together perfectly.
• Explosion Panel: 8 x 4, then scored at 2, 4, and 6. Then, I made a diagonal score from the top and bottom corners to the 4″ scoreline.
• Front Panels: 5-3/8 x 2 (2)
• Inside Panels: 5-3/8 x 2 (2) and 4-1/8 x 5-3/8
• Explosion Sentiment Panel: I used the Stylish Shapes die to cut Old Olive cardstock (2-3/4 x 2-3/4) and white cardstock for a personal message cut to 2-5/8 x 2-5/8.
• Belly Band:
  • Cardstock 3-1/2 x 4-1/8 (I dry-embossed this layer with the Gathering Leaves embossing folder.)
  • Cardstock 3-1/8 x 3-3/4 and DSP cut to 3 x 3-5/8
  • Belly band: 1-1/4 x 11, scored at 2″ and then wrapped around the card and trimmed before gluing.
  • I attached the embossed panel behind the belly band to hide the seam. Then, I adhered the other layers together and glued down the middle vertically so the focal panel didn’t have to bend with the bellyband.

And now, the fun part!

• I had to use the fun images from the DSP, so I will have to try another card using the adorable stamped images. The DSP images were cut out with the coordinating dies. I also cut out another one with white cardstock to give the images a bit more strength and substance.
• I added the images to the belly band and inside the card.
• I stamped the “Happy Birthday” from The Right Words stamp set in Old Olive ink and cropped it out with the Three Banner Punch.
• Finally, I added the adorable Ladybug Garden Epoxy Shapes for cuteness overload.

Then, on the inside…

• To glue the explosion to the inside of the card, I added glue to the middle piece, making sure I placed it straight by checking each side of the gatefold with the edges of the explosion panel. Then, I glued one side and closed the gatefold on top and did the same on the other side. Glue is definitely preferred for this process so you can zhouzh it into the place you want. The one thing that made this a bit tricky was adding the DSP panels inside of the gatefold, so those are optional if you don’t want to chance it being a problem for your card.
• Finally, I went ahead and glued the Old Olive cardstock to the center of the explosion card, but the personal message should be glued after you write your message. I went ahead and stamped “Celebrate” from the Beautiful Motifs stamp set in Old Olive ink and cropped it out with the Three Banner Punch.

Cards like this are so much fun to create, and they make a celebration feel even more special. I can’t wait to see my grandson’s reaction when he opens it! If you’ve never tried making an explosion card before, I highly recommend giving it a try—they look complicated but are surprisingly fun to make. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever made one or if this is a card style you’d like to try!

Keep the inspiration going! Follow the lineup below to hop through each blog and enjoy the great ideas. And next month we’re creating Male Room projects for the guys, young and old, in our lives. You won’t want to miss it!

Until then, have fun in your craft space!

Stampin’ Pretty Pals Blog Hop Lineup

1. Beth McCullough
2. Stesha Bloodhart
3. Peggy Noe
4. Debbie Mageed <<< You are here! >>>
5. Windy Ellard
6. Lisa Ann Bernard
7. Su Mohr
8. Sue Jackson
9. Tricia Chuba

I hope to share my project with these challenges:

1. 613 Avenue Create
2. A Place To Start
3. A Perfect Time to Craft
4. Allsorts
5. Critter Crazy
6. NBUS (new dies)
7. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies Challenges
8. Paper Rocks Scissors
9. The Paper Funday
10. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday

So, what do you think of my card today? I love hearing from you!

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or comments about my project today.

If you enjoyed my project today, please be sure to…

• Firstly, visit my Gallery and Fun Fold Gallery for lots of ideas, and…
• Enter the Creative Creases Challenge HERE with any fun fold card!
• Also, follow me on Pinterest
• You can see My Secret Sale HERE

Today’s project supply list

Cute As A Bug Suite Collection (English) [167007] $75.25	Sweet Bugs Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [166995] $20.00	Sweet Bugs Bundle (English) [167002] $46.75	The Right Words Cling Stamp Set (English) [165316] $26.00	Beautiful Motifs Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [165198] $18.00
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $9.00	Cute As A Bug 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [166994] $12.50	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100702] $14.00	Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [166784] $14.00	Sweet Bugs Dies [167001] $32.00
Stylish Shapes Dies [159183] $30.00	Gathering Leaves Embossing Folder [165983] $10.50	Three Banner Punch [167050] $26.00	Ladybug Garden Epoxy Shapes [167005] $8.00

Thanks for scrolling to the end!

What a difference a day makes!

It’s that time of the year—when it’s 72 and sunny one day and 40 and hailing the next! Some of the hail was as big as a golf ball. I haven’t seen hail like this before, so it was fascinating to observe. What’s the craziest weather change you have seen? I’d love to hear about it in a comment below!