Looking out my window, the snow from earlier this week has all melted but there are few (if any) signs that spring is around the corner. If I look closely at my maple tree I can see buds. With today’s 60+ degree weather(!!) it was the perfect day to open the windows and tackle the SoShelli.com Creative Challenge for this month: Spring! Because I can’t make things easy on myself I decided to also do this week’s Cupcake Challenge.

I’m so pleased with the result, I have to make the picture extra big!

Since Spring=Cherry Blossoms for me, Eastern Blooms was the obvious set to use. I decided to make the branch look like it was set against the sky. I started with Baja Breeze card stock (3.5″ square), and used a sponge dauber and Whisper White Craft Ink to create the clouds. I used my Heat Tool to help “set” the Craft Ink (perfect for when you don’t want to wait for it to dry!)

For the image I used Stampin’ Write markers to ink up the stamp (Bravo Burgundy and Regal Rose), and a Certainly Celery marker after the image was stamped to create leaves. I then smooshed the whole paper with versamark, sprinkled the whole thing with Clear Embossing Powder and heat embossed it so the whole paper looks shiny, then repeated one more time. Glassy Glaze Enamel would have been a better choice than Clear Embossing Powder, but I gal has got to use what she has on hand. I set it aside to cool off  and moved on to the rest of the card.

For the lower layer, I used Certainly Celery card stock and tore the bottom off using The Tearing Edge.  To make the background I stamped the tree branch image several times on the bottom using VersaMark. I then cut the top layer into 9 squares (appx 1 1/8″ squares) and used Tombow Multi to adhere them to the card. I used Tombow because I wanted to have a couple seconds of slide time to make sure it was positioned well…SNAIL wouldn’t have given me this room for error.

After the top part of the card was done, I tied a bow in the 5/8″ So Saffron Ribbon that is available in the Sale-A-Bration Ribbon Bundle. Isn’t it beautiful?? It is only available during Sale-A-Bration, so I may need to order another $50 in product just to make sure I have lots of this on hand!

“blossom” was created with the Big Shot using the Stampin’ Up! Billboard Decorative Strip. This alphabet die is perfect for cards because the letters are pretty small. Although it is hard to see in the picture, the letters were cut out of one of the light pink Candy Lane DSP papers.  I then glued the letters onto the ribbon using Tombow. Then everything was glued onto the Close to Cocoa card base using SNAIL.

Once I’d finished all that (phew!) I realized that the card still needed something. So I stamped the branch image on Whisper White card stock using Regal Rose. I then used Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds to create shimmery centers to the flowers. I then cut out several and glued them onto the card.

I typically scan my cards because it is easy and the light in my house is terrible. But I love this card so much that I couldn’t bring myself to take that short cut so I took the card outside and took a real photo. I even gave it a nice plush springy backdrop (IKEA curtain scraps…I knew I was saving them for a reason).

Recipe

• Card Stock: Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Candy Lane DSP
• Ink/Markers: Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Whisper White Craft, Versamark
• Stamps: Eastern Blooms
• Embellishments: Clear Embossing Powder, 5/8″ So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds
• Adhesives: Sticky Strip, Tombow Multi, SNAIL
• Tools: Heat Tool, The Tearing Edge, Big Shot, Stampin’ Up! Billboard Die, Paper Snips, Craft & Paper Sissors

Over the holidays I made cute little pointsettias using the 5 petal punch, so I decided to make some flowers for the card the same way. I stamped So Saffron and Perfect Plum card stock with the now retired Posy background stamp. The Pretty Petals or Boho Blooms backgrounds on Pp128-129 of the current catalog would also be great for this! Then I punched out 3 flowers of each color, and glued them together using Tombow Multi.

I then dug into my stash of retired On Board accents for the centers of the flowers and the green flower in the middle. On Board Batch of Blooms on p. 183 would has similar pieces. I then used a Sponge Dauber and Certainly Celery Classic Ink to color the chipboard. Then I glued the circles to the flowers, and stamped the #3 onto the green flower using Whisper White Craft Ink.

Turning to the card base, I used a retired hostess set, So Many Sayings to stamp the sentiment and the line of flowers on the bottom. Stampin’ Up! has several great birthday sentiments in the Greetings section of the catalog, starting on page 131. So Many Sayings is very similar to Many Happy Returns on p 137.

I started laying out the flowers on the card and decided that the top corners needed something, so I grabbed a flower from the Eastern Blooms set (p. 94) and stamped it with Rose Red ink. I also tried something  under the sentiment that TOTALLY didn’t work out, so I traced a chipboard circle and colored it in with a silver pen.  Then I glued everything together. Phew!!

Recipe

• Stamps: So Many Sayings (retired), Posy (retired), Eastern Blooms, Simple Serif Mini Alphabet
• Paper: So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Rose Red
• Ink: So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
• Accessories: 5 Petal Punch, retired On Board Chipboard, Sponge Dauber, Tombow, Silver Pen (non-SU)

I lucked out that my trip coincided with my up-up-upline Diana’s downline meeting this weekend. I had such a great time – we chatted about creative projects and business ideas. We also swapped! Swapping is a way for card makers to share ideas and get creative inspiration. Diana asked us to do fall/Halloween themed cards. Here is mine, using the Level 3 Hostess Set Window Dressing:

This may look familiar…it is pretty much the same sketch as the card I did for my friend’s daughter’s birthday in July. The pumpkin and apple were colored with Watercolor Crayons – my new favorite Stampin’ Up! product! The grapes were colored with Stampin’ Pastels

Recipe:

Stamps: Window Dressing, Eastern Blooms

Ink/Coloring Tools: Chocolate Chip, VersaMark, Watercolor Crayons (Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red), Stampin’ Pastels (Elegant Eggplant)

Paper: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories/Tools: Stamp-a-ma-Jig, 5/8″ Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Blender Pens, Hobby Blade, Paper Snips, Tombow, SNAIL