Stampin’ Up! Circle of Spring Garden

Well, it’s Monday again.  Funny how this day just keeps rolling around.  One second it’s Friday night and the weekend seems like it’ll last forever…and the next, you’re sitting with a cat on your lap, balancing a laptop on a furry purring body, writing about Monday.  Whaaaaaaaaat???

It was colder than a well-digger’s lunch bucket here today.  Temps were in the 50’s but the wind’s just a blowin’ a gale!  Brrrrrr!

I know – you click on this post each day just hoping and hoping for a weather update from Fayetteville, GA! 😉

So, even though it’s freezing outside, it’s also quite beautiful – partly cloudy with enough sun peeking thru to make it spectacular.  Which means that making a card for Spring was just the right thing to do!  I dove back into some of my not-so-brand-new stamp sets for this one…Circle of Spring gave me my focal point and sentiment, and the lovely Garden in Bloom contributed the oh-so-cute honey bee.  Take a look-see:

This card works for two challenges this time.  The first is the Can You Case It #112:

And the second is The Paper Players #287:

So – I started by making my Blushing Bride card front.  I used my Simply Scored board to make a triple border all the way around the panel.  Then to lightly color the edge and set it off a little, I tapped the edge of the card panel on my Blushing Bride ink pad.

Then I stamped it all over with the honey bee image from Garden in Bloom – using Versamark ink, to give it a watermark look.

For the focal point, I cut a Blushing Bride and a Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper circle using my Circles Collection Thinlits.  I free-hand pierced around the Blushing Bride circle to give a little interest and texture to it – then I rolled it across my Blushing Bride ink pad to lightly color the edges, just like I’d done with the card front.

I made the wreath by heat embossing the image from Circle of Spring in Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  Then I cut it out, using the matching Wonderful Wreath Framelits.  I colored the image using my Clear Wink of Stella to pick up ink from the lids of my ink pads. I used Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Sky on the flowers and Wild Wasabi on the leaves.  I stuck a few Pearl Basic Jewels in the center of the flowers.

I SNAILd the Glimmer Paper circle to the prepared Blushing Bride circular mat, and then popped the Circle of Spring wreath on with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Since honey bees come with Spring, I decided to make one for this flowery wreath.  I heat embossed the honey bee image from Garden in Bloom on a piece of Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum (Sale-A-Bration), in Silver.  Then I colored his body – on both the front and the back – with my Crushed Curry Stampin’ Write Marker.  I used my Clear Wink brush to color his wings – they have a slightly yellowish greenish appearance.  Completely inadvertent –  but I love how it turned out!

I fussy cut the little bee, lightly rolled his wings with a bone folder, and popped him into the wreath with a Stampin’ Dimensional.

I made the banners from two designs in the Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum, cutting the banner end with my Banner Triple Punch.  The center banner is made with a little scrap of Birthday Bouquet DSP.  I got them lined up under the circle art – dry fitting them – then I just picked the circle up and laid a piece of scotch tape across the tops of the banners.  I popped the whole circle art over them with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from Circle of Spring, stamped on Whisper White with Wild Wasabi ink.  I inked each word separately and stamped them in-line (the image has Hello on top of Spring).  Then I cut both ends with my Washi Label Punch and edged it with my Wild Wasabi Stampin’ Write Marker.  I used a little Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere it over the wreath.   A tiny bow from Blushing Bride Baker’s Twine, adhered with Liquid Glue, completed the art.

I used a couple of Metal Rimmed Pearls, a few Metallics Sequins, and a couple of Blushing Bride sequins (from the Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit) to finish out the card front, then I SNAILd it to my Wild Wasabi card base.

For the inside, I made another Blushing Bride mat with the triple scored lines around it, just like I’d done on the front.  The liner itself is a Whisper White panel that I edged in my Blushing Bride ink pad, with a strip across the bottom made from a piece of Wild Wasabi and more of the Birthday Bouquet DSP.  I SNAILD them to the panel and then trimmed the edges.  Then I SNAILd it to my Blushing Bride mat.  I added a Garden in Bloom honey bee, stamping him in Basic Gray Archival Ink.  Then I colored him with my Crushed Curry Marker.

For the envelope, I stamped more Basic Gray honey bees on the front of a Whisper White Medium Envelope and colored them with Crushed Curry.  I also added a Blushing Bride flower from the Circle of Spring set that matches the flowers in the wreath on the card…

…and I decided to repeat the Blushing Bride flower image on the inside of the envelope flap – versus cutting an Envelope Liner.

Et Voila!  A card celebrating the arrival of Spring!  Suitable for any seasonal occasion, I’m thinking.  I hope that you like it – I sometimes forget about all the great stamp sets that are in the Annual Catalog!  And these are two good ones, for sure.

As hard as it is to believe, there’s only 10 days left of Sale-A-Bration! 🙁 Can you even believe it’s almost over??  If you’ve had any thoughts about joining us at Stampin’ Up! – now is sure the time to do it!  Head over to the Join My Team page and see why SAB is the very best time to join, okay?? 🙂

Tomorrow’s the new Weekly Deals.  Can anyone tell me why I forgot to order the Fringe Scissors when I placed an order last week?  Perhaps cuz I’ve gotten as goofy as my horses?? 😉  If you’ve got your eye on anything in this week’s specials, now’s the time to grab them up!

TTFN! 🙂

Mary

HOST CODE FOR 15 Mar – 31 Mar 16: J9VBU4KX

Use this host code when you order and receive a free gift from me! But, if your order is over $150, please don’t use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift. The free gift for March is your choice of any item valued up to $8.00 in the 2015-16 Annual Catalog or the 2015 Occasions Catalog.

STAMPS-N-LINGERS ORDERING SPECIAL

GOING ON THRU THE END OF SALE-A-BRATION!

1. Order $50 in product – get your free SAB item.  AND – get FOUR peppermint points! When you get 16 peppermints, you’re going to get to pick any $40 worth of product(s) and I’ll ship to to you for free. Here’s more info on my Rewards Program.
2. I’ll also send you a MYSTERY GIFT. On top of my regular ordering gift.

This is only going to last until the end of March – which is also the end of Sale-A-Bration – so, don’t be slow!! 🙂

WEEKLY DEALS FOR 15 Mar – 21 Mar 16!! Click here to see the Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! in my online store. The Weekly Deals are only while supplies last and only available at these great prices through 21 Mar!

STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCTS USED IN TODAY’S CARD 

CARD CUTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT

Wild Wasabi Card Stock: 4 1/4″ x 11″ (card base, scored and folded at 4 1/4″); 3/4″ x 3 7/8″ (inner liner strip mat)

Blushing Bride Card Stock: 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ (card front and inner liner mat); 3 1/4″ Circle (mat for front art)

Whisper White Card Stock: 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″  (inner liner); 1/2″ x 3″ (sentiment banner); Circle of Spring wreath

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper: 2 3/4″ Circle (mat for front art)

Birthday Bouquet DSP: 1 1/8″ x ~ 2″ (banner on front); 1/2″ x 3 7/8″ (inner liner strip)

If you need any stamping supplies, I’d be very happy to be your Demonstrator. Just click on the Order Stampin’ Up! Online Now button on the right side of the screen to go directly to my online store or drop me an email if you have any questions. Happy Stamping!