Party Hat Card Tutorial: Create Three Colorful Inlay Cards

Bright colors, playful patterns, and a reason to celebrate—this project has it all! There’s something so fun about creating bold, cheerful cards, and even better when you can get multiple designs from just one die.

Carrianne here! I’m excited to share how I created three party-themed cards using colorful cardstock and a simple inlay technique. By mixing and matching pink, purple, yellow, and teal, I was able to create a coordinated set that feels fun, bright, and perfect for any celebration.

Supplies & Materials

CutCardStock: 

DCS Raspberry Ice Pink

DCS Yellow Jacket

DCS Caribbean Blue

Pop-Tone Grape Jelly

Classic Crest Solar White (mat)

Other Supplies:

Concord & 9th - Party Hats Inlay Die

Altenew - Timeless Sentiments (Celebrate)

Pixie Dust Designs - Birthday Sentiments Dies

Bearly Art Glue

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Die Cut Your Panels
Die cut the party hats cover die from each of your cardstock colors:

• DCS Raspberry Ice Pink
• Pop-Tone Grape Jelly
• DCS Caribbean Blue
• DCS Yellow Jacket

This will give you multiple panels along with all the individual hat pieces for inlaying.

All cardstock colors and the party hats cover die ready to start creating.

Cut, sorted, and ready to assemble.

Step 2: Choose Your Background Panels

Select three panels to use as your card fronts. For this project, I used:

• DCS Raspberry Ice Pink
• Pop-Tone Grape Jelly
• DCS Caribbean Blue

Set aside the yellow panel pieces to use as inlay accents.

 Teal panel adhered to a white card base with the inlay pieces ready to be placed.

Step 3: Inlay the Hat Pieces

Begin filling in each panel with contrasting colors:

• Raspberry Ice Pink panel: fill with Grape Jelly, Yellow Jacket, and Caribbean Blue pieces
• Grape Jelly panel: fill with pink, yellow, and teal pieces
• Caribbean Blue panel: fill with Raspberry Ice Pink, Yellow Jacket, and Grape Jelly pieces

Tip: Scatter the colors evenly across the panel for a balanced and playful look.

Close-up of the inlay process with colorful pieces being placed into the teal panel.

Step 4: Complete Panels

After assembling the inlay pieces on the first panel, repeat the process for the remaining two panels:

• Fill the pink panel with your chosen combination of pieces, mixing in the pink, yellow, and purple inlay pieces for a fresh look.
• Do the same for the purple panel, arranging the pieces so each card has its own personality while still coordinating with the set.
• Once all pieces are in place, gently press everything down to make sure the inlay pieces are secure and flush with the panel.

All three panels completed with the colorful inlay design.

Step 5: Add Sentiments

Now that the panels are complete, it’s time to add some cheerful birthday sentiments! I mixed things up for each card to give some variety and inspiration:

• Caribbean Blue panel: Used a Raspberry Ice Pink shadow with a white word die on top for a bright, crisp look.
• Raspberry Ice Pink panel: Used a Grape Jelly shadow with a Yellow Jacket word die to make the sentiment pop.
• Grape Jelly panel: The sentiment was created on a Grape Jelly strip with white heat embossing and placed at the top center for a playful, eye-catching twist.

Once the sentiments are in place, your cards are complete!

All the cardstock and word dies laid out for each panel—mixing shadows and die colors adds fun, playful variety to the set 

Step 6: Finishing Touches

To complete the cards, I added a few playful embellishments to bring extra sparkle and dimension:

• Applied a clear shimmer pen to select areas on the inlay pieces for a subtle shine.
• Added coordinating enamel dots and sequins to enhance the cheerful design without overwhelming the colorful panels.
• These small accents help the cards feel festive while keeping the focus on the bright, inlaid backgrounds.

All three completed cards together as a bright and cheerful set.

Close-up of the teal panel card with embellishments.

Close-up of the purple panel card.

Close-up of the pink panel card.

Creating multiple cards from one die is such a fun way to stretch your supplies! Adding the shimmer and little embellishments really helps each card pop. I hope this inspires you to mix and match your cardstock, try playful accents, and create your own colorful set.

I’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, favorite color combos, or any embellishment ideas in the comments—I always enjoy seeing what you create. Happy crafting!

CHALLENGES:

Word Art Wednesday - #752-753

Allsorts - #849 AG

Die Cut Diva's - Celebration