Gorgeous Garden and Bird Card

Hello, hello!  What a fabulous day today!  We had so much fun last night at "Groovy Grans".  Last night, I helped twenty-some ladies make the Valentine cards for the shut-ins from church.  Everything was cut, punched, stamped, and ready to put together.  Most of the ladies had never put a card together or even knew how to use a tape-runner or Dimensionals.  Oh boy!  The whole experience was interesting to say the least.  But everyone had fun and the cards were all made, signed, and in their envelopes by the time we were finished.  Many of them said how much fun it was, and they'd like to do this again some time.  What a wonderful feeling it is to introduce friends to the magical art of turning plain paper into beautiful cards!  

Anyway, let's get back to today's card.  Yesterday I shared the framed window card that has a die-cut window.  So, what do you do with those pieces you cut out?  There is absolutely nothing wrong with them.  In fact, they are wonderful labels that need a little love and should be used for something special.  Here's what I did with yesterday's leftovers.

Here's the finished card.  I think the softer Bubble Bath, purples, and greens on the card make a striking contrast to the Blueberry Bushel card base.  The look of this card just perks me right up.  To make this card, start with a piece of Blueberry Bushel cardstock that measures 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half. 

 A quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock was die-cut with the Gorgeous Garden dies.  After cutting, a small amount was trimmed from each side so the frame looks equal on all four sides.  The top and bottom go right out to the edges of the card.  Small amounts of "green" glue were used to attach this to the card base.

Now we come to those labels that were leftover.  These come from the Scalloped Contours Die set.  The Bubble Bath label has the sentiment stamped on it using Blueberry Bushel ink.  This sentiment comes from the Softly Sophisticated stamp set that is one of the Sale-a-bration items.  Love, love, love this set!  This layer is attached to the Basic White layer with adhesive.

The bird is from the Flight & Airy Designer Series Paper that is a Sale-a-bration item too.  These little birds are all adorable.  One of the pieces of the DSP is covered with water-colored birds like this one.  There isn't a die for them, but they're easy to fussy cut.  I sat down and cut one full sheet of birds so now I have a whole pile of birds to choose from when I need an accent.  I thought this little guy's coloring went perfectly with the Bubble Bath and Blueberry Bushel used on the card.

Here's where it gets a little confusing.  Right now, SU! is offering for purchase an add-on die set if you're a Paper Pumpkin subscriber.  This die set is such a perfect little set.  The word 'love' is one of the pieces, and these leafy branches is another die.  There is also a label and a daffodil in the set.  Just perfect for spring.  If you're thinking on trying a Paper Pumpkin kit for spring, now is the time to sign up for it.  And then you can purchase this little add-on set too.  

I die-cut two branches from Soft Sea Foam and one from Shaded Spruce cardstock.  The light green was just too light for me.  So with a Blending Brush, a little bit of Shaded Spruce ink was added to the tips of the leaves to add some extra color.

The branches were arranged on the label and then attached with adhesive.  The bird was attached with several Dimensionals.  Then the labels were attached to the card front with more Dimensionals.

For added bling to really make this card pop, three of the Iridescent Basic Jewels were added.  These are found in the Annual Catalog on page 140.  These rhinestones tend to pick up any color you're using and really draws your eye in to the design.

The inside of the card is finished off with a layer of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" X 4".  The sentiment is another from the Softly Sophisticated stamp set.  It's stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.

The little flowers at the bottom of the page are a two-step flower from the same set.  The greenery is stamped with Soft Sea Foam ink and the flowers are tucked in and stamped with Bubble Bath ink.

That's it for this sweet card.  I was really happy with how the mix of colors turned out together.  It's funny how I can try several colors and they just don't really catch my eye.  Then I run across a color that just sings to me.  I love stamping and creating.  Most times I have an idea of what I'm making when I sit down to stamp.  Sometimes I follow directions to a T and know exactly what I'm getting in the end.  Other times, hmmm.  Well, let's just say by the time it's finished most of the idea was thrown out the window and I have something so much better.  I think the whole creative process is so much fun.  You never know just what the finished card will be!

Thanks for reading through my rambling today.  I should blame it all on the sunshine - I want to be putzing outside!  Hope you have a glorious day and find some time to be creative!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon