Penguin Birthday Parade

masking technique

All of the animals in the Wild Bunch (June 2025 Product of the Month) are adorable. For today’s card I focused on the penguin. I wanted to create a penguin parade for a birthday card. To achieve the look of a penguin parade, I used a masking technique.

As you can see from the photo above, if you overlap the stamps without a mask, you will end up with a mess. So, how do you create a mask? I start with a sticky note and stamp the image onto the sticky note. Once the image is stamped you will need to trim around the outside of the image. For the best masking result, it is important to actually trim slightly into the image itself. There will not be any sticky note showing on the outside of the image.

Masking Steps

In the photo above you can see the basic steps for masking. The first step shows the image stamped onto a sticky note and cut out (very close to the image). In step two you will see the mask being placed on top of the first stamped image. Step 3 shows the next image being stamped over the mask. Finally, step 4 is what it looks like before the mask is removed.

When you repeat the process, you get a cute line of penguins ready to party. Now the penguins just need to be colored in with blends. I used Basic Black and light Flirty Flamingo for the penguins themselves. For the hat and gifts I used Blueberry Bushel and Granny Apple Green.

behind the parade

The fun penguin birthday parade continues to the inside of the card. I stamped several of the penguins peeking in from the edges of the card. This whimsical look helps bring the party to the inside of the card. After stamping all the penguins at various angles, I colored each one.

A different Color combo

During this past week’s LIVE, the viewers chose the colors for the card mats. The photo above shows the Blueberry Bushel as the card base. The photo at the top of this post shows the Granny Apple Green card base. Which color do you prefer? If you join us for one of our Thursday LIVEs you can vote for color combinations for that night’s card. You can watch the replay of the LIVE here. When you watch, you’ll see how I colored the penguins (including the shading). In addition to the coloring, you’ll also find out which color combo won.

I actually used the masking technique for the sentiment on the front of the card. This particular birthday sentiment is one long sentiment. But, when you use masking, you can break the words of a sentiment up. In this case, I chose to not only break the two words up but also make them different colors. You can find more masking ideas here.

Thank you for stopping by the Treehouse today. Hopefully, you gained some inspiration that will prompt you to create something fun today. If you are looking for even more Treehouse inspiration, I’ll add some links below for you to follow. Don’t forget to leave a comment and consider watching one of our weekly YouTube LIVEs.

More ways to connect with the Creative Treehouse

Shopping – need some new crafting supplies? I’ve got you covered. Just click on my online store to explore all the cool products that Stampin’ Up! sells.

Weekly Newsletter – in my weekly newsletter, you’ll find a calendar of classes, featured cards, news about SU sales, invites to sign up for upcoming classes and much more. If you click on this link, you will be able to sign up for my newsletter and get a free pdf for doing so.

YouTube LIVE – want to help me create a card each week? Well, on Thursday nights at 8pm (ET) I go LIVE in the Treehouse and viewers get to pick the colors, sentiments, and embellishments for the card. People from all over the globe join in the crafting fun. Sign up for my YouTube channel and get notified when I go LIVE.

Pinterest – I love the Pinterest platform to gain inspiration in my card making. Here is my Pinterest channel you can hopefully be inspired by.

Facebook Private Group – want some more insider info? You can request to join my private FB group (Crafting in the Creative Treehouse) or just hang out in my public FB business page.