Category: Botanicals

Botanicals · Florals in Bloom

Coming Up Flowers

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here in Song Sparrow land. Between completely redecorating my son’s room (minus the paint – that’s still on the to-do list!) and then prepping to go on vacation, let’s just say I was chasing my tail and had zero brain cells left for creative work!

But in the end, the kiddo was over the moon with his new room setup and we had a fabulous time on vacation. The vacation was, of course, the highlight for the adults because we traveled to a place we’ve been to many times (and love) that provides oodles of things for the kiddos to do without a screen. And for people who love to be outside fishing and enjoying the great outdoors, it was heaven! So all in all, I would call the hiatus from designing a win.

I don’t really feel like I did the last design theme a lot of justice with only 3 designs using the Florals in Bloom suite. So this week, we’re going to continue creating with this beautiful combination of products. And to spice things up, because you know that’s how I roll, we’ll be bringing in other sets as we go to keep it all interesting. For today’s design, we’re pairing the Florals in Bloom paper with The Right Words stamp set and the Beautiful Butterflies and Everyday Arches die sets.

We get started with a base of Highland Heather cardstock. The background panel is a combination of the small purple floral pattern from the Florals in Bloom paper pack and a mat of Highland Heather glimmer paper that I’m fortunate enough to still have in my stash. I tied a bit of Petunia Pop iridescent ribbon around the bottom of the background panel to help bring out the subtle shades of pink and lighter shades of purple. The background panel is adhered to the card front with dimensionals. The focal panel is cut from white cardstock using the Everyday Arches dies and turned on its side. I’ve then stamped the sentiment from The Right Words set in Gorgeous Grape on the side up and adhered the panel against the far edge of the background panel. A beautiful, dainty butterfly cut from pastel ombre and silver foil paper using the Beautiful Butterflies dies adds the perfect pop of sparkle and bit of visual interest that draws the eye directly to our focal panel. It’s adhered to our focal panel with a double-dose of dimensionals for an extra boost. A few purple sequins scattered about the card front in strategic places give the bits of sparkly interest so your eye moves across the design.

This design is clean and simple and comes together in a snap but lacks nothing in the drama department – which is just my style!

Product List
Highland Heather 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 146986 ]
[146986]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Florals In Bloom 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 165175 ]
[165175]
$12.50
Three Color Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 162813 ]
[162813]
$10.50
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack [ 163096 ]
[163096]
$10.00
The Right Words Cling Stamp Set (English) [ 165316 ]
[165316]
$26.00
Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147099 ]
[147099]
$9.00
Everyday Arches Dies [ 164629 ]
[164629]
$29.00
Petunia Pop 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Iridescent Ribbon [ 166203 ]
[166203]
$9.50
Purple Adhesive Backed Sequins [ 164970 ]
[164970]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

The Best

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

It’s wonderful Wednesday and we’re halfway through the week. And it was quite the busy hump day for me today. Between performing a set for my professional music group and plugging away at work, it was a go-go-go day today! But in a few down moments, I thought about how we could use some of our newer goodies in the crafty stash to give a little ode to spring, and I think the Thankful Garden bundle definitely does the trick!

I don’t know about you, but there are certain sets — and florals, in particular — where I like to do a bit of research on color patterns and combinations to help with a more realistic look. And I knew I wanted to have more pink in the hydrangeas today. I think the combination of Flirty Flamingo, Pretty in Pink, and Melon Mambo is perfect for pulling out all of the subtle shading in these flower bunches.

We get started with a base of Berry Burst cardstock and use a sheet of the lighter pink floral pattern from the Unbounded Beauty patterned paper pack as the mat for our focal panel. Using the Thankful Garden stamps, I stamped a floral bunch in each of the corners and used the decorative masks to color them. I stamped a full bunch of hydrangea on a separate sheet of paper, shaded using masks, and then cut it out with the coordinating dies. I stamped a portion of the floral bunch two more times, shaded, and then diecut with the smaller detail die from the Thankful Garden dies to create a more realistic-looking floret to serve as our focal point in the center. Layering the dimensionals really helps with the more realistic look and feel to the hydrangea stem. The sentiment from the Pattern of Friendship set is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the smaller sentiment die in the Autumn Leaves die set. I stamped an identical panel from the berry Beautiful Bokeh and then cut it in half and mounted it under the sentiment panel to serve as a mat. I added a few pink Blooming Pearls for an eye-catching pop of sheen. The sentiment panel is adhered with dimensionals to help it catch the eye. I finished things off by adding some floral centers of foiled regal dots across our hydrangea florets.

Although it was pretty challenging to figure out the proper orientation of the smaller detail die for the hydrangea, once I did, it was a breeze to get the detail pieces cut. And to help myself remember the orientation the next time, I marked the image in my stamp case. A similar hack works well for the placement of the decorative masks.

I hope you’ll tune in tomorrow as we continue our ode to nature!

Product List
Berry Burst 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[144243]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163372]
$12.50
Beautiful Bokeh 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[164607]
$12.50
Pattern Of Friendship Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[165383]
$18.00
Thankful Garden Bundle (English)
[165534]
$64.75
Autumn Leaves Dies
[162185]
$38.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad
[101406]
$10.50
Pretty In Pink Classic Stampin Pad
[163807]
$9.00
Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad
[147052]
$9.00
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad
[147051]
$9.00
Summer Splash Classic Stampin Pad
[163809]
$9.00
Shy Shamrock Classic Stampin Pad
[163808]
$9.00
Regal Foiled Adhesive Backed Dots
[164038]
$8.50
Blooming Pearls
[162238]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

Heartfelt Thanks

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re trolling through the crafting stash and creating designs that are nature-themed. I love this theme because (1) I get to revisit some of my favorite older sets and (2) it makes it a little easier for me to whip up cards during a work travel week.

Today, we keep the layout simple. We’re once again combining the Sale-a-Bration paper called Bloom Impressions and this time I’ve pulled the Mixed Media Florals Memories & More pack for the focal image and sentiment. I love having Memories & More products in my stash because they make it quick and easy to create lovely cards in a jiffy.

We get started with a base of Crushed Curry cardstock and layer a sheet of the yellow floral pattern from the Bloom Impressions paper pack as the backdrop. The focal panel consists of two circle panel that are diecut using the Spotlight on Nature dies—one from red Festive glimmer paper and one from a foiled sheet of Nature’s Sweetness designer paper. I chose the small floral bunch from the Memories & More sticker sheet as the focal image and layered a sentiment from the sticker sheet on top. I added a twist of Cherry Cobbler & Gold metallic ribbon and Daffodil Delight satin ribbon behind the focal image for a little extra pop of red and yellow. Some red iridescent discs add another little element of sparkle and tie the red elements together.

I’ll be taking a break for a couple of days while I’m out of town attending a training event. Although I contemplated crafting on the road, the packed schedule for the conference just didn’t allow the free time. So I’ll see you Friday for more nature inspiration!

Product List
Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[131199]
$11.50
Bloom Impressions 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[164944]
$12.50
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper
[162616]
$16.50
Festive 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Paper
[164106]
$12.00
Mixed Media Florals Memories & More Card Pack
[164657]
$11.50
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Cherry Cobbler & Gold 1/2'' (1.3 Cm) Metallic Ribbon
[156312]
$8.00
Daffodil Delight 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Satin Ribbon
[164715]
$8.00
Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs
[161954]
$7.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

Everyday Magic

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

I couldn’t think of a better way to close out our In the Garden series of cards than with this knockout card, which was inspired by Mitosu Crafts. Don’t you just love the layers of white on white? So elegant. And what a terrific way to showcase a beautiful focal image and sentiment!

A piece of white cardstock serves as our card base. Various sizes of circles are diecut from a sheet of white cardstock using the Spotlight on Nature dies. I made sure to vary the edge patterns while still keeping things symmetrical. Layers of dimensionals allow the various circles to stand on different visual planes, adding interest to our card front. Our focal image is the zinnia bunch from the Simply Zinnia stamp set and is stamped in black on white cardstock, colored with Stampin’ Blends, and then diecut with the coordinating die from the Simply Zinnia die set. I added Wink of Stella over each bloom for a subtle glimmer. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the Greetings of the Season die using the extension method. I used the zinnia to cover the tag hole in our sentiment panel. A few shiny sequins scattered on our card front draw the eye across the stunning design.

I hope you’ll tune in next week as we head back to school and use our stamps in some unconventional ways!

Products used in today’s card:
White cardstock
Simply Zinnia, Something Fancy stamps
Simply Zinnia, Spotlight on Nature, Greetings of the Season dies
Stampin’ Blends
Wink of Stella
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Simply Zinnia Cling Stamp Set (English)
[163472]
$25.00
Simply Zinnia Dies
[163479]
$33.00
Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[153112]
$11.00
Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154903]
$11.00
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154883]
$11.00
Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154881]
$11.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)
[160416]
$23.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad
[101406]
$10.50
Greetings Of The Season Dies
[164112]
$32.00
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush
[141897]
$9.00
Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins
[163484]
$7.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Nothing Fancy

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week has been quite the whirlwind. And how did we get to Friday so quickly?! Whew. The weekend is now upon us and we’ll be closing out our last week of summer break next week. Anyone have any ideas for fun things to do with a preteen?

It’s time for another installment of Sketchy Fridays, where each week we’ll be using a card sketch to design our featured card. Right now, we’re working through a full series of designs using the card sketches found on page 22 of the current Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #10 and features the Unbounded Beauty designer series paper by Stampin’ Up!. While I have found this paper to be challenging to incorporate into designs, what I have found is that I simply needed to look at the paper differently. Sometimes the paper gives design inspiration on its own, but I work better with this pack when I have a solid design and then work with sheets that fit. That was true with the tuxedo fold and grid designs, and it’s true for today’s sketch where the backdrop of the focal section allows for a busy pattern. So let’s see how this comes together.

We get started with a simple card base of Basic White cardstock. I was drawn to the sheet of Unbounded Beauty designer paper that resembled the lavender stem from the Painted Lavender die set. We pull out the darker pink of the patterned paper in several ways. First, we use a piece of Petunia Pop glimmer paper diecut with the Nested Essentials dies to serve as the banner behind the sentiment panel. Next, we use Petunia Pop cardstock to cut small flowers for our Summer Splash floral stems that are diecut using the Painted Lavender die set. Our floral stems are tied with linen thread to bring a natural element to the design. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut using the Radiating Stitches dies. Our floral bunch is then adhered next to the sentiment. A faux bow of diagonal trim sits behind the sentiment over the sparkly banner. A few carefully placed In Color shimmer gems finish things off by drawing the eye to the focal panel in the center.

Isn’t this the perfect sketch for just about any sheet of patterned paper? No more fumbling for ideas for how to use that busy pattern. Here’s an easy, go-to sketch that will suit even the busiest pattern!

Tune in tomorrow as we close out our week in the garden with a clean and simple zinnia design! It’s a knockout!

Products used in today’s card:
Petunia Pop, Summer Splash, Basic White cardstock
Unbounded Beauty, In Color glimmer paper
Something Fancy stamps
Painted Lavender, Radiating Stitches, Nested Essentials dies
White diagonal trim, linen thread
In Color shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163372]
$12.50
2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper
[163771]
$11.00
Petunia Pop 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[163801]
$11.50
Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock
[163797]
$11.50
Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)
[160416]
$23.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad
[101406]
$10.50
Painted Lavender Dies
[162596]
$32.00
Radiating Stitches Dies
[161595]
$30.00
Nested Essentials Dies
[161597]
$34.00
Petal Pink & White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Diagonal Trim Combo Pack
[163417]
$10.00
Linen Thread
[104199]
$5.00
2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems
[163781]
$8.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

Incredible

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re moving right along here in our tour of the garden this week. And today, we’re keeping things simple with a focal image taken directly from the Nature’s Sweetness designer paper pack by Stampin’ Up! Did you know that SU! will often have at least one pattern in a 12×12 pack of paper that can be divided evenly into 6 card front panels? Several current packs that include a sheet like this are Nature’s Sweetness, Perennial Lavender, and Flowering Zinnias. These types of sheets are what I often refer to as one sheet wonders, where one sheet of paper creates 6 cards. I’m sure other stamps refer to these sheets by other names, but that’s how I like to think of them.

For today’s card, we get started with a base of Moody Mauve cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of Pretty Peacock cardstock that is cut slightly smaller than our card front and is then machine embossed using the Dotted Circles embossing folder. Our focal image mat is the gold-flecked bookprint sheet from the Nature’s Sweetness paper pack that has been diecut using one of the largest circles from the Spotlight on Nature die set. I then pulled the one sheet wonder pattern sheet from the Nature’s Sweetness designer paper pack and cut one 4-inch strip and then cut the two-image panel in half in order to use one image for our card front. The image is colored using Stampin’ Blends and then cut out using paper snips before being adhered to the diecut circle. Our sentiment from Happy Little Things is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the Everyday Details dies using the extension method. The mat is Moody Mauve luster paper diecut with the smallest Deckled Rectangle die, also using the extension method. The sentiment is adhered over a faux bow of gold trim using dimensionals. A few shiny sequins finish things off with a little sparkle.

The beauty of these one sheet wonder patterned paper sheets is how quickly you can make a whole stack of cards without sacrificing a single bit of ooo-la-la. And speaking of ooo-la-la, you must tune in tomorrow to check out the newest installment of Sketchy Fridays.

Products used in today’s card:
Moody Mauve, Pretty Peacock, Basic White cardstock
Nature’s Sweetness, Moody Mauve luster DSP
Happy Little Things stamps
Spotlight on Nature, Deckled Rectangles, Everyday Details dies
Stampin’ Blends
Gold trim
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Moody Mauve 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[161723]
$11.50
Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[150880]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
2023–2025 In Color™ 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Luster Specialty Paper
[161746]
$11.00
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper
[162616]
$16.50
Dotted Circles 3 D Embossing Folder
[163789]
$12.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Deckled Rectangles Dies
[159173]
$30.00
Everyday Details Dies
[162864]
$34.00
Happy Little Things Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[163706]
$25.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad
[101406]
$10.50
Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154903]
$11.00
Pretty In Pink Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack
[163824]
$11.00
Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154882]
$11.00
Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack
[161633]
$9.00
Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins
[163484]
$7.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals · Terrific Tuesdays

Busy Florals

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We are already halfway through this week. Every time I get to Wednesday, I feel like the week is just whizzing by! Maybe it’s because it feels like we still have so much to do before the regular routine of school days gets started. Or maybe it just comes with getting older.

This week, we’re tiptoeing through the garden as we make cards inspired by the beauty of nature. And today, I’m going to show you ways to use “difficult” patterned paper. Do you ever fall in love with a pack of patterned paper but then find yourself stumped when it comes to actually using it? That’s precisely what has happened to me with the Unbounded Beauty paper pack by Stampin’ Up! I fell in love with the patterns but then just haven’t been able to find designs where the patterns make sense. Until now.

In this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays, we are using two card layouts to showcase that paper that you are finding hard to use. We get started with a card that I like to call the tuxedo fold. We choose two complimentary paper patterns, bearing in mind the backside of one sheet will be visible and must also be considered in our paper choice. And one sheet will be folded to reveal a portion underneath so that it almost looks like the collar of a tux shirt on each end. Then our sentiment panel sits on top as a prominent feature on our card. Suddenly, our overwhelming pattern now fits perfectly in a design — no longer overwhelming but instead a beautiful backdrop.

Our second design literally cuts our busy patterns down to size. I like to call this design a patterned paper or designer paper (DSP) grid since we use strips of busy patterns to build a grid on our card front, leaving the center section for a small sentiment. The patterned paper strips can be of any size from 1- to 2-inches, depending on how large you wish to make your center sentiment. Not only does this design tame some wild patterns, it also allows you to use up scraps of even your favorite patterned papers.

To see the tuxedo fold and DSP grid designs at work, tune in to this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays where we made 2 cards from scratch using these two card layouts.

Tomorrow, we’re making things easy with the Nature’s Sweetness paper. Pop by and check it out.

Products used in card above — tuxedo fold:
Summer Splash, Pretty in Pink, Basic White cardstock
Unbounded Beauty DSP
Inspiring Snapdragons, Something Fancy stamps
Spotlight on Nature, Inspiring Snapdragons dies
Pretty in Pink ribbon
In Color shimmer gems, tinsel gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Products used in card above — DSP grid:
Basic White cardstock
Berry Burst, Unbounded Beauty DSP
Unbounded Love stamps
Everyday Details dies
Iridescent striped trim
Iridescent discs
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock
[163797]
$11.50
Pretty In Pink 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[163793]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163372]
$12.50
Inspiring Snapdragons Cling Stamp Set (English)
[163672]
$26.00
Inspiring Snapdragons Dies
[163673]
$32.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)
[160416]
$23.00
Pretty In Pink Classic Stampin Pad
[163807]
$9.00
Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad
[147089]
$9.00
Pretty In Pink 3/8" (1 Cm) Bordered Ribbon
[163784]
$7.50
2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems
[163781]
$8.50
Tinsel Gems Four Pack
[161623]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163372]
$12.50
Berry Burst, Old Olive & White 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Specialty Paper
[163769]
$6.00
Unbounded Love Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[163378]
$25.00
Everyday Details Dies
[162864]
$34.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad
[101406]
$10.50
Iridescent 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Striped Trim
[163299]
$8.50
Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs
[161954]
$7.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

You Matter

susanfoxbowen3 Comments

As we are wrapping up our final two weeks of summer before the kiddo heads back to school, we’re squeezing in lots of last-minute fun. One of things we enjoy doing every summer is going to our local bowling alley. The USBC hosts a program known as Kids Bowl Free and our local bowling alley participates. For a one-time fee, you can enroll the whole family and get 2 free games every weekday. My son has taken a particular interest in bowling and is actually quite good at it. This summer, he has added the youth bowling league to his list of regular activities and is planning to continue for the fall league. Right now, his team is about midway in the pack as far as standings so he’s working hard to improve his game. As with any sport, this is adding up to new equipment and lessons and time, but we absolutely love how much he loves it! And I can think of far worse things to spend money on!

We’re continuing our series this week called In the Garden. And today, we’re making our way through the cut flowers. One of my absolute favorite summer flowers is the zinnia. They come in so many happy colors and their blooms just keep going and going. I also love that they’re fairly hard to kill. *wink* Stampin’ Up! has a wonderful bundle of products called Flowering Zinnias that includes paper, stamps, dies, and embellishments; and today’s card features a portion of those products.

I recently saw a card by Stamp With Brenda that combined shades of red and light pink and just loved it, so that inspires our card today. We get started with a base of Poppy Parade cardstock. A quarter sheet of embossed Poppy Parade serves as our backdrop. It’s been cut down slightly and then machine embossed using the Zinnia embossing folder. Our focal panel has lots of beautiful layers. We get started by cutting a large square of white cardstock using the largest square from the Nested Essentials die set. Using the Painted Lavender and Simply Zinnia dies, we cut a combination of greenery stems. Our zinnia blooms are cut from Real Red cardstock to give a little contrast and help them pop against the busy backdrop. Our sentiment from the Something Fancy set is stamped in Poppy Parade on Petal Pink cardstock and then diecut using the smallest diamond die from the Nested Essentials set. This is all layered on top of a bit of iridescent striped trim and adhered to our card front with varying layers of dimensionals. A few iridescent discs are scattered on our card front to draw the eye to our focal section.

Tomorrow we’re going to look at several ways to use busy patterned paper to create stunning floral card designs. I hope you’ll drop by.

Products used in today’s card:
Poppy Parade, Shaded Spruce, Summer Splash, Mossy Meadow, Petal Pink, Real Red, Basic White cardstock
Something Fancy stamps
Deckled Rectangles, Painted Lavender, Simply Zinnia dies
Zinnia embossing folder
Iridescent striped trim
Iridescent discs
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[119793]
$8.75
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[146981]
$11.50
Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock
[163797]
$11.50
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[133676]
$11.50
Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[146985]
$11.50
Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[102482]
$11.50
Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)
[160416]
$23.00
Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad
[147050]
$9.00
Deckled Rectangles Dies
[159173]
$30.00
Painted Lavender Dies
[162596]
$32.00
Simply Zinnia Dies
[163479]
$33.00
Zinnia 3 D Embossing Folder
[163337]
$11.00
Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs
[161954]
$7.00
Iridescent 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Striped Trim
[163299]
$8.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

So Lucky to Know You

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Here we are — already back to Monday and working to finish out the month of July. Our kiddos have just 2 weeks of summer left and then it’s back to school time. So we’ll be packing in as much last-minute fun as we can. What about you? Are kids in your area headed back to school? What do you do to finish off the summer?

This week, we’re beginning a new series of designs that I’m calling In the Garden. We’ll be pulling out all of our papers and stamps that afford us the opportunity to feel like we’re strolling through the garden. And today, we’re getting started with some of my all-time favorite patterned paper called Perennial Lavender by Stampin’ Up! For me personally, it’s not often that there is an entire pack of paper — every single sheet — that is my favorite, but Perennial Lavender is certainly one of them. So we’re pairing up this gorgeous paper with a sketch from my sketch book. Let’s get a closer look.

We get started on today’s card with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. Our background panel is the sheet of lavender stems from the Perennial Lavender designer series paper pack. Our focal section is very simple but certainly a show-stopper. We started with a sheet of the lavender field pattern from the Perennial Lavender pack and diecut it using one of the larger Spotlight on Nature dies. We stamp our sentiment from the Country Flowers stamp set in Blackberry Bliss ink on white cardstock and then diecut it using the Spotlight on Nature dies. Both circular panels are adhered to our card base with dimensionals. We use two paper butterflies and a simple twist of iridescent striped trim to complete our focal section. Purple shimmer gems are scattered across the card front to help move the eye across the card design.

One of these things I love about this particular design is that it comes together so quickly and works perfectly with any patterned paper set you have on hand. Tomorrow we’ll be walking through the cut flowers for a zinnia bouquet. I hope you’ll pop in!

Products used in today’s card:
Blackberry Bliss, Basic White cardstock
Perennial Lavender DSP
Country Flowers stamps
Spotlight on Nature dies
Paper butterflies
Iridescent striped trim
Purple shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[133675]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Perennial Lavender 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[162593]
$12.50
Country Flowers Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[163405]
$24.00
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad
[147092]
$9.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Paper Butterfly Accents
[162612]
$8.00
Iridescent 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Striped Trim
[163299]
$8.50
Purple Fine Shimmer Gems
[162611]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals · Clean and Simple · Country Flowers

Bunches of Thanks

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’ve been using the Country Flowers bundle by Stampin’ Up! to make some lovely cards. Today, we’re rounding out the series with a clean and simple design. This is a layout that could be used over again and would work beautifully with a larger floral image, as well.

We get started with a card base of Basic White cardstock. Our focal panel is a pairing of Pretty Peacock and Moody Mauve cardstock. I stamped a repeating floral image in Versamark using the Country Flowers stamp set. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut using the Unbounded Love set, which is then matted with a circle diecut using the Spotlight on Nature set. A pair of faux bows using Pretty Peacock & gold metallic ribbon and iridescent striped ribbon are adhered by the sentiment panel. To draw the eye across the design, I’ve used pink and peacock sequins from the Sequins Trio for some sparkle.

I hope you’ve been inspired by this weeks Country Flowers designs. Tune in next week as I give you a sneak peek at one of my favorite upcoming Online Exclusives bundle set to release on July 3rd!

Products used in today’s card:
Basic White, Pretty Peacock, Moody Mauve cardstock
Country Flowers, Something Fancy stamps
Unbounded Love, Spotlight on Nature dies
Pretty Peacock & gold metallic ribbon, iridescent striped trim
Sequins trio
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock
[159229]
$11.25
Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[150880]
$11.50
Moody Mauve 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[161723]
$11.50
Country Flowers Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[163405]
$24.00
Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)
[160416]
$23.00
Unbounded Love Dies
[163383]
$36.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
$35.00
Versamark Pad
[102283]
$9.50
Pretty Peacock & Gold 3/8" (1 Cm) Metallic Ribbon
[162588]
$8.50
Iridescent 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Striped Trim
[163299]
$8.50
Adhesive Backed Sequins Trio
[161206]
$8.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart