"FLOWER CART" AND "LAZY DAYS" MOTHER'S DAY CARDS

 

What better time than Mother's Day to share Mother's Day cards, right?  I made a handful of cards last week that featured Stampin' Up!'s "Flower Cart" bundle in two different colors . . . Flirty Flamingo and Highland Heather.  The cart wheel bases and the banners were cut from silver glimmer paper, but the banner is so little that it almost gets lost on the cards.

I love that the "Flower Cart" stamp set has some two-step stamping images, and they are so easy to line up.  As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I like to die-cut a lot of shapes from white cardstock, keep them in the stamp case, and then stamp them when I'm ready to use them.

I underestimated how long it would take to assemble all of my stamped images and die-cut shapes.  Making these cards literally took the better part of an entire day.  Of course, I had to step away from the process a few times to tackle some laundry and other chores.

From the above photo, you can see the detail on the cart's "wooden" box.  To enhance the detail, I inked the die with Pecan Pie ink before cutting the shape from Pecan Pie cardstock.  Inking the die made a really big difference!

The die-cut tags on these cards are from the "Tailor Made Tags" dies, which I use often and keep within reach.

In the photo below, you can see the shine/glimmer on the cart's wheel base.

The card that I made for my mother features the "Lazy Days" bundle, which is now retired.  I'm sure I would be fine if I had not noticed this bundle during its final days of availability, but I am so glad to have it.  Every time I reach for it, I feel thankful to have finally noticed it (just in the nick of time).

Apparently, there are MANY ways to arrange a porch and as many other choices for creating a porch view.  I just love this bundle!

And that die-cut pillow.  Oh, my goodness, it's just the cutest.

To all the mothers, I wish you a happy and blessed Mother's Day!

BRYSON'S BIRTHDAY BICYCLE CARD

My nephew, Bryson, celebrated a birthday over the weekend, and today I'm sharing the card that I made for him.  It features the brand new "Dotted Circles 3D" embossing folder from Stampin' Up!, which I am really enjoying.  As you can tell from the photo, those dots really pop!  I used a snippet of "Meandering Meadow" designer paper in the white photo frame and thought it was a nice scenic background for the bicycle.  Take a closer look at the Glossy Dots Assortment on the bicycle wheel and the Iridescent Rhinestone (which I colored black with a Stampin' Blends marker) on the camera lens:

The happy birthday sentiment (a retired Stampin' Up! die) was cut from Pool Party and Basic Black cardstock, layered with an offset, and then brushed with Wink of Stella.  Another retired die set (On Film Framelits) was used to cut the photo frame and camera, and a piece of black twine was used to create a strap for the camera.  For the bicycle, I used a Memory Box die (Brand New Bicycle).  The seat and handlebar grips were cut from Lemon Lime Twist cardstock, and I used a Stampin' Blends marker to color the tires.

I think what really pops on this card is the designer paper, and I love that Stampin' Up! has another new collection . . . "Thoughtful Journey" . . . which also features gorgeous landscapes on one side and beautiful watercolor designs on the other.  When I came home from work the night that I made this card, I was feeling a bit pressured because I needed to get the card made so I could mail it in time.  I had no idea what I would make and, when I came across the bicycle and camera dies (two things of interest for my nephew), everything else just fell into place--including the designer paper, which brought this card to life.

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog!  Have a stampin' good day!