Welcome back to the craft room! Today, I’m sharing an Elegant Tulle Window Birthday Card inspired by a discovery I made back in 2019 while going through my mom’s scrapbooks. She had saved a wedding congratulations card that she and my dad received, and what caught my attention was its unique tulle window. I was so fascinated by the idea of using tulle on a card that I snapped a picture so I wouldn’t forget it. Below, you can see the card my mom kept—proof that some inspiration stays with you for years!
In 2020, I came across the video Tulle Window Cards by Jennifer McGuire. Instantly, the memory of my mom’s card came flooding back. Inspired, I made a quick trip to buy some white tulle and got to work. The result? The card below—and I loved how it turned out!
Recently, while cleaning my craft room, I found the extra tulle and knew it was time to revisit this beautiful idea. I loved the circle design on my original card, but this time, I wanted to try something different. Let me show you what I made and walk you through the process!
Card Base
The base of this card starts with Recollections 110lb white cardstock, cut and folded to an A2 size (4.25″ x 5.5″). I also cut a separate panel to match the card front, trimming it if needed for a perfect fit. For the window, I used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle (Small) die set. There are a few ways to set this up for die cutting, but I chose to cut the window from the card panel first. I positioned the die in the right spot, secured it with Spellbinders Best Ever Craft Tape, and ran it through my Sizzix Big Shot.
Next, before removing the die from the panel, I lined it up with the card base and secured them together with more Craft Tape. I ran everything through the Sizzix, but the 110lb cardstock was too thick for the second layer to cut all the way through. To fix this, I removed the panel and repositioned the die onto the card front, aligning it with the impression left from the first pass. Since the shape was already outlined, it was easy to place. After one more run through the machine, both windows were cut, and I was ready for the next step.
Important note: Recollections 110lb cardstock is nice and thick, which is great for card bases. However, because I had to run the die and cardstock stack through the Sizzix more than once, the tape left an impression on the card panel. In the photo below, you can clearly see the funky outline where the tape was. The recipient of the card might not notice it, but to me, it was a glaring issue. Because of this, I decided to cut a new front panel.
Stamping and Coloring the Flower Delight Image
The image for today’s card comes from the Flower Delight stamp and die set by Altenew. To position it correctly, I started by placing the closed card base inside my Original MISTI stamping platform. Once I had the stamp exactly where I wanted it, I closed the lid to pick it up. After opening the card, I stamped the image using Gina K. Amalgam Ink in Obsidian Black.
After letting the ink dry for a bit, I started coloring the image with Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. I began with Crimson Red, shading the base of the blossom and adding color along the stamped lines of the petals. I also deepened the areas where the petals overlap to create dimension.
Next, I soaked the tip of a blending stump in Gamsol and gently buffed out the color using small circular motions. I worked along the length of the image, blending the pigment smoothly. For those unfamiliar, Gamsol is a 100% odorless mineral spirit. When used with colored pencils, it dissolves the wax and creates seamless blends. While it works beautifully for transitioning between multiple colors, today I’m using just single shades. Even so, the Gamsol softens the color, creating a gradual fade from the base to the tip of each petal and leaf.
In the image below, you can see the final coloring of this sweet little floral stamp. As mentioned earlier, the petals of the flowers are colored in Crimson Red. The centers are a mix of Goldenrod and Terra Cotta, while the leaves are shaded with Dark Green.
Finishing the Front Panel
Now that the card base is complete, it’s time to focus on the front panel. The first thing I want to do is stamp the sentiment. For this, I chose the Happy Sentiments set from This Calls for Confetti. It makes such a bold statement without being overpowering. I stamped it using Gina K. Amalgam Ink in Obsidian.
I set the stamped panel aside to let the ink dry while I cut the tulle. To ensure it was the right size, I used the first panel as a guide. The only requirement was that the tulle needed to be at least 1/4″ larger than the window opening. To adhere the tulle, I added Scor-Tape around the perimeter of the window and gently pressed the tulle into place. For the final step, I applied more Scor-Tape around the outer edges of the panel and adhered it to the card front.
The Finished Elegant Tulle Window Birthday Card
I had so much fun making this card, and it was such a special experience to remember my parents in the process. I like to think they would have both loved this representation of one of their wedding cards.
Even with the main image inside the card, there’s still plenty of room to add a personal note.
Thank you for joining me for today’s Elegant Tulle Window Birthday Card post. I hope you enjoyed this project and the story behind it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Have you ever made a card with tulle before? I’d love to hear your experience and any tips you might have! If you try making your own tulle window card, I’d love to see how it turns out!
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