Sunburst birthday card for guys (& instructions)

I've seen lots of great sunburst/starburst cards lately, so I tried the technique too. Now I'm totally hooked! They're so easy to make, look fab & are perfect for using up scraps too. I showed my lovely August class ladies how to make this masculine version using the Sweater Weather DSP from the Holiday Catalogue. I've shared my instructions below, so you can make one too.

I liked the idea of the rays radiating over the whole card, with the sentiment at the centre, so went to work on how to do it. I used 16 same sized triangles for my sunburst. After a trial run, I realised some maths was needed to calculate the correct triangle size (& angle) to ensure each of the 16 triangles would match up without gaps or overlaps. I came up with a final rectangle size of 12cm x 5cm, cut diagonally into 2 triangles, which well & truly covers a regular card front.
I sponged the edge of each piece (crumb cake ink) & the completed sheet to give more depth. It's subtle but does make a difference when you see it with & without sponging. Here's a close-up of my favourite new sentiment (Label Love set), punched with the matching artisan label punch. I added a mat behind the sentiment to help it stand out & some fabric ribbon & linen thread. Instructions to make the artisan label mat are below.

Before I move on to the instructions, here's a final view, showing the inside, which I decorated with the sunburst offcuts.

Full Sunburst Card Instructions

1.  Cut 8 rectangles - 12 x 5cm from DSP – 2 of each colour. Cut each rectangle diagonally to make 2 triangles, making a total of 16 triangles.

2.   (Optional) Sponge edges of triangles to add depth.

3.  Draw a horizontal & vertical line on scrap paper, meeting where you want your sun to radiate from. I've shown some examples I like. I used layout 1 for this card.

4.   Completely cover top quarter of scrap paper with glue (I used a glue stick to give time to position correctly) & start attaching triangles in desired order. Make sure points meet at the centre & lines. Pieces shouldn't overlap. Continue adding glue & triangles, a quarter page at a time until circle is complete.

 Here's my partially completed sunburst too.

5.   Trim off excess around scrap to required size for card front. Sponge edge if desired, then complete card.

Tips for scraps or different sizes
I generally start with 5cm x 12cm pieces, as it gives me flexibility to change my focal point after I piece the triangles. If you're making a smaller card, using scraps, or making a non-centred design, you can reduce the size of the rectangles/triangles using this template in my instructions below to save paper. It will always work as long as the angles remain the same. Who knew geometry would ever be  useful for papercrafting? :-)

How to make a mat for the Artisan Label punch
 

1. Punch two artisan labels.
2. Cut one label horizontally in half. (left pic). Adhere pieces behind top & bottom of sentiment, leaving small border showing.
3. Cut end pieces off second punched shape (right pic). Cut remaining piece horizontally in half. Adhere behind each side, leaving small border showing & so that curved edge lines up with corner of punched sentiment (as shown in card pic above).

I hope you'll try making your own sunburst card, or the artisan label mat. I have some more sunburst cards to show you - next time since this post seems to have taken forever. Thanks for visiting & please leave me some comment love if you like the project, or the instructions have been helpful to you.
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
Stamps: Label Love
Card/paper: naturals ivory, choc chip, very vanilla card, Sweater Weather DSP
Ink: chocolate chip ink pad, crumb cake ink pad, tangerine tango marker
Accessories: linen thread, fabric ribbon, brad
Tools: artisan label punch, sponge dauber