Flower Fair with Blends

Hello again.  Just got back in from picking more blueberries.  At least it's only 72 degrees and semi cloudy today so it wasn't a problem.  There were 2 1/2 pints the other day with at least another 2 1/2 pints today.  And there's many more berries still on the bushes in the process of ripening.  For our two smallish bushes I'm thrilled with the yield.  There's lots of cobbler, coffee cake and muffins in our future in the coming months.  YUM!  Okay, now that you know all about the blueberries it's time to talk about stamping.  Right?

 I've decided to put aside the Framed Violets bundle for a tiny bit and share some other things I've been playing with lately.  Today's card features the single Flowers Fair stamp that nicely covers a card front.  I'm not using the full stamp but just cut off a section about 3 1/2" tall instead to fit my card.  I love the warm look of this card with the different elements that come together to make the whole.  I wish the camera captured the colors better.  Here the card looks much darker than it looks in person.

The whole design started with the Flowers Fair stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto a Basic White cardstock piece approximately 5" x 5".  This was colored with Stampin' Blends:

Large flowers - Crisp Cantaloupe Light & Dark, adding touches of Cajun Craze for shading

Small flowers - Hydrangea Hue Light & Dark with Daffodil Delight Dark in the centers

Leaves and stems - Peaceful Pine Light & Dark

After coloring, this was die-cut with the second largest Perennial Postage die.  Then a layer of Cajun Craze was cut to give an accent frame around it.  The Cajun Craze cardstock measures 4 7/8" x 3 5/8".  The two layers are attached with adhesive.  A retired black and white checked ribbon was tied around the layers with a knot to the side.  I thought the checked ribbon gave it more of a relaxed country vibe.

 

The card base used this time is Crisp Cantaloupe. It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is folded in half.  The two layers that were just finished were added to the base using Dimensionals.

The sentiment comes from the ready-made sentiments in the Greetings For All Mix & Match Ephemera Pack.  These sentiments come either black-on-white or white-on-black which is what I used here.  The sentiment was attached over the ribbon using Dimensionals.

I really debated whether any embellishments should be added or not.  After much thought and trying just about everything I owned, absolutely nothing was added after all that fussing.  I'm happy with it just as it is.  What do you think?  Does it need something else?  If it does, what would you add to it?

I hope you're playing around with coloring some of your floral stamps with Stampin' Blends.  They work so nicely and can give you such beautiful colors when adding a little extra color for either shading or highlighting with another color.  The flowers looked a little flat before the Cajun Craze was added.  What a difference a little extra shading color can make.

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope you're inspired to get out those stamps that need a bit of coloring and have yourself a color date.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Wish I could join you for that!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Another Framed Violets Idea

Welcome back!  I spent some time after lunch picking blueberries.  The heat is well over 90 degrees and pretty unbearable today.   Unfortunately, the blueberry bushes are out in full sunlight with not a scrap of shade in sight.  Whew it was hot and I was sweating so much my curly bangs were dripping!  Can you just imagine?  Yuck!!  So that means I gave up on picking the blueberries before they were all the ripe ones were picked.  I sure didn't want to pass out in the heat!  Guess I'll be out picking some more after dinner when the heat might drop a few degrees.  That's the plan for now.

Enough of that. Let's get back to stamping, shall we?  Yesterday I posted a pretty Highland Heather card using the very new Framed Violets bundle.  Today there is another card with this bundle that's fairly different.  One of these days I need to do a little playing with the lovely DSP that goes along with this.  Can't believe I haven't even touched it yet.  But I will soon.

This card is so striking in person with the pretty Bubble Bath cardstock matched up with black and white.  The card base is Bubble Bath cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  

There is another piece of Bubble Bath that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder.  After embossing, a white craft ink pad was dragged across the top to highlight the pretty eyelet lace design.  The white ink really makes the design stand out nicely.

The embossed layer was attached to the card front with "green glue" to hold in place.  A strip of the black and white polka dot print from the Artisan Sketched DSP was added across the card front and attached with "green glue" also.

Next, the violet bunch was stamped on Basic White cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then it was colored in with Stampin'Blends:

Petals - Bubble Bath Light & Dark, Fresh Freesia Light & Dark

Centers - Daffodil Delight Dark

Leaves and Stems - retired Call Me Clover Light & Dark

After coloring, they were die-cut with the matching die.

I still love the shape of the Branching Out dies even though it is now gone.  The smaller one cut a Basic White layer, and the next size larger cut Basic Black.  The layers were attached together with adhesive, then added to the card front with Dimensionals. 

A birthday sentiment from the Banner Sayings set was stamped onto a 1/2" white strip of cardstock.  It's stamped with the Tuxedo Black ink.  Then the ends were trimmed. 

A 3/4" strip of Bubble Bath cardstock is layered behind this and the edges were trimmed.  It was attached flat near the bottom of the black and white layers.  Then the violets were attached to the die-cut layers using Dimensionals.  The Dimensionals really make the violets stand out from the card.

A few Rhinestone Basic Jewels were tucked in around the flowers to add a little sparkle.

I just wanted to show you a close-up of the pretty Adhesive-backed Blooms accents.  Aren't they darling?  They come in a pack of 30 with 10 white, 10 pink, and 10 lavender.  I love the teeny tiny rhinestone added in the center of each flower.  So pretty!  For this card, I used the soft pink ones.  There's one on each side of the card.

I've been trying to finish the inside of all my cards as I make them.  That just didn't happen with this one, so I have no finished inside to share with you.

That's it for this card.  It's sweet and simple.  I hope you love this idea and want to try it or make something similar.  I just might have mentioned how much I love the pale pink with the bold black accents.   😉

There's just a few more hours left to take advantage of the free shipping.  Don't miss out if possible.  And thank you to all who have ordered from me already.  It is so appreciated!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Framed Violets Sneak Peek

Hello fellow stampers!  Hope you're doing great and are ready to take a peek at a new stamp set and matching dies that will be available in July in the Online Exclusives section on the Stampin' Up! website.  When I saw the new Framed Violets suite, I couldn't wait to get my hands on all of it.  I started this card yesterday but didn't finish it until this afternoon.  Then I had to make another card right away of course, but that one will have to wait until tomorrow.  So, let's get creating this gorgeous card, ok?

This is it.  I've got so many family members and friends that love their purple stuff so much that I'm thrilled to have another set that begs to be drenched in purple.  The violets that grow wild in our grass here are this pretty shade of purple and were my inspiration for this card.

I started with a card base of Highland Heather cardstock that measured 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is folded in half.

Next the oval frame was stamped onto a piece of Basic White cardstock using Highland Heather ink.  Then it was die-cut with the matching die.

On another piece of white cardstock, the sweet violet bouquet was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Coloring was done with Stampin'Blends:

Petals - Fresh Freesia Dark, Highland Heather Light & Dark

Flower centers - Daffodil Delight Dark

Leaves & stems - Peaceful Pine Light & Dark

Then this was also die-cut with the matching die.

The center of the stamped oval has a light blush of color added with a Blending Brush and Fresh Freesia ink.  I liked the slightly pinker color instead of just purple.  The color was kept mostly in the center of the oval leaving the edges clear.

Two Basic White cardstock layer were cut, one for the front of the card and another for the inside.  The recent "product of the month" the Eyelet Blooms die was used to die-cut one of the white layers.  I thought this would be a pretty and feminine addition to the design.

Time to put all the pieces together.  The oval die-cut was attached to the center of the card with Dimensionals.  Then the violets bunch was added to the center of the oval with Dimensionals also.  Doesn't the pinkish background showing through the stems and flowers add a nice touch?

A pretty but retired Highland Heather sheer ribbon from a while back was tied into a small bow.  Then it was added to the violet stems with a Mini Glue Dot.

Several of the new Sunset Sparkle Sequins in a white-ish iridescent color were tucked in around the design for a delicate accent.

Do you have trouble finding just the right words for the inside of your cards?  That is a huge problem for me all the time.  I was digging around in my stamp stash for inside words, and I found the perfect sentiment for this card.  Psst, don't tell anyone that it's not from Stampin'Up!  Ok?

The smaller single violet from the set was stamped in the bottom corner with Highland Heather ink as a lovely accent.  A little extra color was added to this flower with a Blender Pen and Highland Heather ink.  This same flower was stamped onto the envelope to give a hint of what is to come.

I hope you love this new stamp and die bundle as much as I do.  I know I'll be reaching for this set often.  Please come back tomorrow to see the next card I created.  It's another simple card using a few extra elements to make it special.

I want to throw in a plug here for Paper Pumpkin subscriptions.  This is just a hint of what will be coming in July.  I thought you might be interested in this one.  You can get them one month at a time, or a 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month prepaid subscriptions.  If you haven't gotten any before, they are a complete kit with card bases, all layering pieces, envelopes, adhesive and embellishments.  Totally complete and ready to sit and create.  Plus, these look really adorable!  There's even an add-on die set that coordinates with the next 3 months!  Email me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com if you have any questions about Paper Pumpkin.

Reminder!  Hope you take advantage of the free shipping on orders of over $75.  This offer is only good through the 13th, so don't delay.

Thanks for stopping by to see what's been happening here.  Since our visiting friends left yesterday, we're just getting back to normal again.  Man, it sure seems quiet without a creative friend here to bounce ideas around with.  Our styles are different, but Sue encourages me with my creating and I do the same for her.  It's surprising that we both got quite a bit done while we spent time chatting about everything under the sun!  Thanks so much for making the trip to visit us, Sue and Fio.  We loved having you here!  And we still owe you a couple of dinners!!  Anyone else ready to make a trip here for a stamping marathon??  Just let us know you're coming by so we can be ready for you.  It's always fun to create and make cards with my stamping friends!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Relaxing Waterside Fun Fold Card

Hey friends!  I hope I do justice to this post as the card went in the mail over a week ago and I'm just now getting around to posting it.  Thank goodness for pictures.  I'm hoping they will help me remember how I made this card.  I was so happy with how it turned out, and I hope my brother will like it too.  The card features the new Relaxing Waterside bundle and coordinating Waterside Retreat Designer Series Paper which is just perfect for this time of year.  Wouldn't be great to be sitting beachside enjoying the summer breezes?  Oh, yeah.

This fun fold card is a wonderful way to show off your favorite DSP prints too.  I love a card that really showcases the DSP in a fun way.  For this card, my starting point would be using the print with the two-wheeler bikes which is a fun activity for an evening at the beach.  So, let's make the card.

Start with Lost Lagoon for the card base.  This measures 5 1/2" x 7 3/4".  It's scored at 2 1/2" and 6 3/4".  Both of these score lines fold into the center of the card.

Next a piece of the DSP with the bicycles was cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  This was attached to the inner section of the 1" flap on the right side with the bicycles showing when the flap is closed.

Another piece of this same DSP was cut at 3/4" x 5 1/4".  The backside of this print has all the sea birds on it.  This was attached to the outside of the 1" flap for an accent.

Next a piece of Basic White was cut at 2 1/4" x 5 1/4".  This was embossed with the Exposed Brick Embossing Folder to give it some interest.  Then it was attached to the left side flap.

The main focal point is on a Basic White layer that measured 3" tall by 2 3/4" wide.  I used a Blending Brush and Crumb Cake ink on the bottom third of the piece and Balmy Blue blended on the upper two-thirds to mimic sand and water/sky.  This was attached to a Lost Lagoon layer that measures 3 1/4" x 3".

The Adirondak chair was stamped with Cajun Craze ink to look like a redwood chair onto a Basic White cardstock piece.  A Blender Pen was used to add a little extra ink unevenly to give it a weathered look.  The book was stamped with Lost Lagoon, and the Cup was stamped with Crumb Cake.  A Blender Pen was used here also to add color to the items.  Then all three pieces were die-cut with the matching dies.  These items were attached to the main piece using adhesive and Mini Glue Dots.

Then it was attached to the left side of the closed card.  Make sure you only get adhesive on the left part of this layer, so it doesn't keep the card closed permanently.    

The two sentiments on the card front are from the same set and were stamped with Cajun Craze ink onto Basic White.  The relax was fussy cut and attached with Mini Dimensionals.  The other was trimmed to fit and attached flat.

The inside of the card is a piece of Basic White measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  There is a strip of the same bicycle print DSP about 1/2" wide attached at the left side.  The sentiments were stamped with both Cajun Craze and Lost Lagoon inks to match the card front colors. 

You can see a little of the backside of the DSP with all the sea birds on it.  I just love this print!  Actually, all of the prints in this pack are wonderful as far as I'm concerned.

To help you visualize the finished card, here is a shot from the top of the card showing the fun fold and the DSP.  This turned out to be a great masculine card for a man that has a beach house on the ocean, didn't it?  Happy birthday baby brother!!  Can he still be called a baby brother when he's over 70?  Hmmm, I've got to think on that.

Hope you like this idea for featuring this outdoorsy DSP and the coordinating stamp set.  It gives off such a relaxing, serene feeling.  I'd like to jump right into that picture, snuggle up into the chair, pick up the book and just relax.  Wouldn't you?

Thanks for stopping in again to see what's new here.  I enjoyed this fun fold so much I've got a start on a few more cards using it.  I hope you enjoy it too.

BTW, since we are now into June, there is a new Product of the Month over at Stampin' Up!   Aren't these little critters just the cutest?  I can hardly wait for my order to get here.  Remember, when you place an order of $75 US or more, you can order these lil' guys for only $5!

If you're looking for a demonstrator, I'd be happy to work with you and answer any questions you might have.  Just contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com and I'll get back with you usually within 24 hours.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

CASE and Change It Card Idea

Hello friends!  Sorry I haven't been posting as often as I usually do.  Is it possible to have a sort of brain fog from anesthesia that doesn't want to go away?  That's what's been happening around here and it's frustrating to say the least.  I feel like I'm losing control here!  Okay, that's enough whining for today.  I saw a card idea that Patty Bennett shared on her blog, Patty Stamps, that was posted a month or two ago.  It was very pretty all done up in beige and the very soft Cloud Cover.  I love pastels and light neutrals, so this was something I really needed to try.  Of course, I also needed to make a few changes along the way to make it more mine.

Isn't this pretty?  Very soft and soothing in my opinion.  I started with this interesting floral print from the Beautiful Gallery 6" x 6" DSP pack.  First a strip of DSP was cut from the bottom that measured 1 3/4" x 6".  This was set aside to use another time.  The resulting piece was cut in half lengthwise to make two pieces that each measured 3" x 4 1/4".

The next step was to layer the DSP onto a Basic Beige cardstock piece that measured 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".  After attaching these together with adhesive, a 1" x 3 1/4" strip of Cloud Cover was attached about 2/3 of the way down from the top.

Next a piece of Cloud Cover Ribbon about 11" long was cut.  This was tied into a knot around the layers and centered over the Cloud Cover strip.  The sheen of the ribbon looked so pretty on the card.

The next step was to cut a card base from Cloud Cover cardstock.  This measured 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It was scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The layers that were already finished were then attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

I thought the Boutique Blossoms flowers would look pretty with the DSP print.  I stamped the smaller outline flower with Cloud Cover ink onto a Basic White cardstock piece.  Then the two-step part of the flower stamp was also inked with Cloud Cover ink and stamped inside the outline.  I love how softly this 2nd one stamps, because it is not a truly solid stamp.  I also did the same with the stamp with two flower buds.  The little leaf on this was stamped with Mossy Meadow ink that was lightly off-stamped.  Both the flower and buds were die-cut with matching dies.  Then some larger leaves were just die-cut from Mossy Meadow Cardstock - no stamping involved.

The flower was flipped over and the leaves were attached with adhesive to stay where I wanted them.  Then this was attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  The flower buds were tucked in under the flower and attached with Mini Dimensionals under the two buds.  Space was left for the sentiment to tuck in.

The sentiment is from the Banner Sayings stamp set.  First the Triple Banner Punch was used to punch three Basic White banners.  I chose to use the one with a single pointed end.  The sentiment was stamped onto this with Mossy Meadow ink.  Then the pointed end was tucked in under the flower and partially under the ribbon and held in place with Mini Dimensionals.

There were 3 of the Moody Palette Glossy Dots in the Cloud Cover color tucked around the design for a subtle accent.

For the inside, a piece of Basic White was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  On this one of the sentiments from Forever Florals was stamped inside the card using Mossy Meadow ink.

I had made some extra of the flower buds and added one at the bottom of the insert.  Then it was attached inside the card with adhesive.

The Banner Sayings and Boutique Blossoms stamp sets are in the new catalog.  

The Forever Florals stamp set, the Beautiful Gallery DSP, and the Moody Palette Glossy Dots are all found in the Online Exclusives.

Amazing!  I actually made something with all the products still current and not on back-order either!  Hooray.

Well, I hope I gave you all the information needed to make this card and that it all makes sense.  Thanks for stopping in to see what's new.  Thanks to Patty Bennett for her lovely design that I could play around with and make changes here and there to make it more mine.  It's so much fun to find an idea that is inspiring and then adding your own tweaks.  That's what I hope to provide for you.  An idea that you can see yourself starting with and changing colors, stamps, cardstock, or whatever.   Then use what you already own to create your own design.  Oh, I just love this creative process!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Fun Fun Fold for You

Hey friends!  It seems like it's been forever since I posted anything for you.  It's been a real adventure having the heart surgery and then recovering from it.  Why do the doctors always make it sound like it's no big deal, but it really knocks the stuffing out of you?  It would be helpful to be forewarned that you just can't pick up where you were and get on with life in a day or two.  Today's the first day that I don't feel totally exhausted and in a spacey mind fog.  Hallelujah!  Before I go on, I wanted to give a big thank you to all of you that knew about the surgery and were praying for its success.  I know those prayers made a huge difference for me.  

Okay, let's get on with the card making, shall we?!  Since I made these cards before I went into the hospital and had planned to post them right away, I didn't write down what stamp sets, dies and DSP I used.  So instead of lots of in-depth info, this time around it will be more about the measurements and then you can use the ideas for a jumping off place to create your own masterpieces.   Disclaimer up front:  I was in the mood to use some of my retired DSP to clean up my storage shelves a little.  So, you won't be finding all new stamps and DSP to dazzle you.  Just retired goodies.  Hope that's all right with you.

I love this fun fold because you get to really see and appreciate the gorgeous designer papers that are available.  So often I have trouble cutting into the 12" x 12" sheet because I want to maximize the lovely patterns and don't want a bunch of little strips left over that are hard to use.  For each of the cards I'm sharing today, I started with a print that I liked both front and back together.  That doesn't always work, but I found some prints that I really love together.

First make sure you have the print in the correct orientation if there is a directional print. Cut the DSP to measure 12" x 5 1/2". Then cut a 3/4" strip off on one edge to make it 11 1/4" x 5 1/2".

The next step is the scoring.  Score at:

1", 4", and 7".  This folds up to be a W fold with the short 1" side as the front flap.

Next up was die-cutting the different layers for the front and inside the card.  For the front layers on each on my cards, I used the Branching Out dies.  I love the shape of these and keep going back to them all the time.  The layering cardstock for this card is Petal Pink.  It's cut with the 3rd largest Branching Out die.  The white layer on the front is cut with the 4th largest die in the set.  The inner sentiment layer is cut with the 5th largest die so it can easily tuck behind the larger dies on the front of the card.

The layering on the back inside of the card is just straight cut.  The Basic White measures 2 1/2" x 5" and the Petal Pink layer measures 2 5/8" x 5 1/8".  All of the layers, whether pink or white, were all softened along the edges with Petal Pink ink and a Blending Brush.

For this card, the images and some of the sentiments come from the Happiness Abounds set.  I love how easily these images can be colored with Blender Pens.  The little Fresh Freesia flowers tucked in around the images are from a Forever Florals die.  I like how they add just a little bit of extra color to the design.

The tiny pinky-coral heart embellishments are from a Paper Pumpkin kit from maybe 4-5 years ago.  If I'm honest, it's probably even longer.  Yes, I tend to hang on to things forever.  You never know when they will be the perfect accent you needed to finish the project.

This is the next version of the fun fold I made.  I just love this fruity-floral print on the dark background.  It's so striking!  Alas, it's also retired so it needs to get used to make room for some fresh new ideas.

The layers on this card have all the same measurements as the previous card and used the same Branching Out dies.   The layering on this card uses Secret Sea cardstock.  

Some of the sentiments, along with the pear stamps on this card, are from the Perfectly Pears bundle.  The image on the front was colored with Blending Brushes and ink before being die-cut.  The inner image was colored with Stampin' Blends to get the colors I wanted.

The white layers were all softly colored on the edges with Blending Brushes and Mossy Meadow ink.  They were also spattered with a Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends.

A little strip of the DSP print was added along the bottom of the back sentiment layer.  That little bit seemed to make a big difference when putting the card together.

Coral gems were added in several places to the card.  These picked up the pretty coral-toned flowers scattered throughout the print.

Do you remember this gorgeous Magnolia DSP?  It's just so lush and stunning that I've been hanging onto it.  I was happy to see I had a complete 6" x 12" piece that I could cut to the correct proportions and use for this card.

Again, the same dimensions and directions for cutting and scoring the DSP.  Also, the same Branching Out dies were used for the front and inner page.  The layering cardstock for the card is back to Petal Pink.  This same color was used in the Stampin' Blends for the flower petals.  The inside of the flower was Light Daffodil Delight.  I totally messed up my Mossy Meadow Blends, so I used the new Peaceful Pine for this.  It's not a great color match, but my replacements have been on backorder for about 2 weeks, and I sort of gave up waiting to finish the card.  Oh well...

This is the last card I made with this fun fold.  Again, the dimensions and directions for scoring are the same for this card as the rest.  The Branching Out dies were the same for this card.

The DSP is something to do with Peonies.  Sorry I have no further details.  

The flowers stamped this time are from the Gallery Blooms stamp set.  Again, just a bit of coloring with Petal Pink Stampin' Blends for the flowers.  Centers are Daffodil Delight Light.  Not sure what I ended up using for the leaves.  Looking at it, I can see both a yellowish green and a more blueish tone used over it.  

I don't know if you noticed, but only the pear card used the stamp set that originally coordinated with the DSP used.  My big take-away from this fun fold post is to find things that coordinate well together.   You don't have to use the same stamp set that originated with the DSP.  Find things that you like together and try something different or unexpected.  Let me know what you try!  I always find it very inspiring seeing (or hearing about) what other people are creating.  Everyone has their own take on projects which inspire the next person.  And on it goes.  And make sure you send out those cards too!  Sometimes I start stockpiling the cards I've made, but that doesn't spread any cheer or encouragement along.  I think that is an important part of being creative - sharing those bits of he'art' with others.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Card Template for You

Hey everyone.  Hope you're all doing well and having a great day.  Things have been a little crazy the last few days with my heart again.  I'm learning so much about how my heart works or doesn't work sometimes!  I'd much rather be ignorant and have no heart problems though.  It's really cutting into my stamping time!  I did spend time stamping on Monday when I had a little more energy for a change.  Looking through my card layout ideas, I came across another quick and easy idea that I hadn't used in a while.  Looking at the layout, this idea just popped in my head, and I had to give it a try.  It was so much fun, I made two more.  So, I guess it's time to share and get creating here.

This is what I envisioned and it's as pretty as I thought it would be.  My first thought was to use one of the vases in the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP pack.  I first cut a strip from the bottom of this sheet and cut them into separate sections to use.  

Before there was any coloring done, the colors needed to match another print of DSP.  This time I found a pretty Fresh Freesia and Peach Pie print that would work.  The print is from the Lovely and Beautiful DSP.   I'd used the gorgeous gold-touched prints but really hadn't used the back of the prints.  This print was die-cut with the largest square die in the Stylish Shapes die set.  I cut two right away to make two cards at a time.

TIP:  It's best to use a non-directional print for this layout because you're putting it at an angle.

A Basic White cardstock layer was cut to frame the die-cut piece.  The white measured 3" x 3".  The two pieces were attached with adhesive.

A Basic White cardstock piece was cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the card base.  A Fresh Freesia cardstock piece was cut at 5 1/4" x 4" for the layer.  This was embossed with the Beautiful Pattern Embossing Folder to give the layer a subtle pattern to go with the delicate floral DSP print.  This was attached to the white card base with adhesive.  Then the diamond layers were attached a little above center using Dimensionals.  

The coloring on the vase of tulips was with Stampin' Blends:

vase - Fresh Freesia Light and Dark

tulips - Peach Pie Light and Dark

greenery - Granny Apple Green Light & Dark

Then the image was fussy cut which only takes a few minutes.  It was attached to the diamond shape with Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Banner Sayings set.   This was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a 3/8" wide strip.  The ends were trimmed to finish it.  Then it was attached to the bottom of the card with Dimensionals.

Three Iridescent Pearls were tucked in around the design for a subtle accent.

Next card uses the same white base with the same embossed Fresh Freesia layer.  The diamond-shaped layers in the middle are the same.  

This time I used some images from the Simply Beautiful set.  They were stamped onto Basic White with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then they were colored with Stampin' Blends:

flowers - Fresh Freesia Light and Dark

leaves - Granny Apple Green Light and Dark

flower center - Peach Pie Light and Dark

After coloring, the images were die-cut with their matching dies and added to the diamond layers using Dimensionals. 

I thought the sentiment needed to be a little larger to go with these images.  It's stamped on a 5/8" wide strip of Basic White with Fresh Freesia ink.  When trimmed, the ends are a little longer than normal so the pretty gems could be added at each end.

At this point, I wanted to do a little more coloring on those Artisan Sketched Garden DSP, so I reverted back to that paper but kept the same Fresh Freesia color and DSP print.  

I just love these images from the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP.  They are so loose and 'artsy' looking.  They just beckon me to come play with them!  This is another image from that bottom row of the print.  The coloring is Stampin' Blends again.

flowers - Peach Pie Light and Dark

buds - Fresh Freesia Light

greenery - Granny Apple Green Light and Dark

water - Sea Spray Light and Dark  (this is from several years back and I just love this color, so it gets used often)

The image is fussy cut then layered onto the diamond shape with Dimensionals.

For this card, I changed the embossed layer to the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder.  I love the bolder look of the embossing with the delicate look of the floral print DSP.  It's a nice contrast.

The same sentiment was used as the first card.  It's attached with Dimensionals.  Then three of the Iridescent Pearls were tucked in around the design.

I hope you like this simple card layout.  The diamond shape could be made smaller to fit your take on this layout.  That's part of the process of using layouts to get you started.  Since you are the designer, you can change the layout to fit your needs!

One thing I want to stress here, I absolutely am having so much fun coloring these images from the Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper!  I need to try colored pencils and water-color pencils too with this.  I was surprised that I could color and fussy cut an image out in about 10 minutes.  Amazing!  And I totally love the look of them.  You might even say I'm getting addicted to coloring them!  I always did enjoy coloring books, and I guess I haven't grown out of that yet.  I hope you enjoy coloring these too.  Let me know when you've tried using this DSP.  I'd love to hear if you like it too.

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.  Hope to see you back soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon