Three Birthday Cards with the TE 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit 🎂🎉

There’s something extra fun about crafting alongside friends—especially when birthday cake, colorful candles, and a whole lot of happy colors are involved!

Recently, I got together virtually with my Fans of TE Monthly Instagram Hop group for one of our Zoom crafting meetups. This time, we watched the replay of the Taylored Expressions 18th Birthday Craft-Along and crafted together using the kit.

I had already completed the original Craft-Along projects, so for our meetup I decided to pull the kit back out and see what else I could create with it. I combined pieces from the 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit with some of the add-ons I purchased, then reached into my own stash for inks and cardstock.

And these three bright birthday cards were the result!

Stretching the Kit with My Stash

One of the things I really enjoy about kits is seeing how far I can take the supplies beyond the original projects. Instead of trying to recreate the Craft-Along cards again, I used the kit as my starting point and mixed everything with supplies I already owned.

I kept the same color palette across all three cards—those gorgeous pinks, corals, oranges and deeper berry tones—which made it easy to create three cards that coordinate without being identical.

So Many Candles…

For the first card, I went all-in on the candles!

I filled the top of the cake with lots of different candle patterns and colors. With so much going on in the focal point, I kept the rest of the design fairly simple with the large scalloped background.

The “so many candles…” sentiment was the perfect finishing touch. 😂

Happy B-Day!

For the second card, I changed things up by leaving off the candles and using the colorful birthday banner above the cake instead.

I love how much white space this version has compared with the other two cards. The orange scalloped frame ties it into the same color palette, while the banner gives it a completely different look.

It’s a good reminder that you don’t necessarily need completely different supplies to make your cards feel different. Sometimes simply changing the arrangement of the same elements is enough.

Cheers to Many More Years!

Of course, I couldn’t resist making another candle-filled cake!

For this version, I again used the colorful assortment of candles but changed the sentiment to “Cheers to many more years!”

Even though this card and the first one share a very similar layout, changing the sentiment gives each one its own personality—and now I have another birthday card ready to go when I need it.

Don’t Forget the Inside!

I didn’t stop with the card fronts.

Each of these cards is also lined with an Insider panel, allowing the sentiment on the inside to continue the message started on the front.

I love this little detail because sometimes I spend so much time decorating the outside of a card that I get to the inside and think, Okay…now what do I write? 😂

Using an Insider gives the card a finished look while still leaving room for a handwritten message.

Crafting Is Better Together

The best part of these cards may have been how I made them.

Our Fans of TE Monthly Instagram Hop group meets on Zoom to craft together, and for this meetup we watched the replay of the 18th Birthday Craft-Along while working on our own projects.

There’s something completely different about crafting alongside other cardmakers—even virtually. We can chat, work at our own pace, share what we’re making and enjoy the creative time together.

And because I’d already made the original Craft-Along projects, this was the perfect opportunity to revisit the kit without feeling like I needed to follow the class exactly.

Instead, I could simply use what I had and make what I loved. 💗

Craft Your Stash

These cards are also a great example of what Craft Your Stash means to me.

I started with a kit I’d already used, added some coordinating add-ons, and then filled in the rest with inks and cardstock from my stash. No need to save the kit for a “perfect” project or move on to the next new thing just because I’d already completed the class.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is pull those supplies back out and ask:

• What else can I make with this?

I ended our Zoom meetup with three more birthday cards ready for my stash—and I got another fun afternoon of creating out of supplies I already owned.

Now I want to know: When you finish a cardmaking kit or class, do you immediately use the supplies again to create your own designs, or do you tend to put everything away and come back to it later? 💕

Thanks for stopping by! Happy crafting :)