BLOOM BY BLOOM

My post today features two wonderful stamp sets that will be retiring on June 3. Yes, that's just a few days away! Act quickly!

Seriously, the two sets are Bloom By Bloom (page 25 in the Occasions Catalog) and Picture Perfect Birthday (page 76 in the Annual Catalog). When you pair these two sets with strong colors, you get a smash hit.

At my February Stamp-In Workshop, the girls made this card. Of course, as always, there were variations on the theme. That is great! I want them to do anything to make a card their very own. Just because I styled it a certain way doesn't mean it's the best or only way to go.

Some people are just more comfortable re-creating cards exactly as they are presented to them. That's great too! Just so long as a creator is comfortable and having fun. That's the most important of creating.

The dimension in this card (thus the shadows in the photos) comes from popping up the flower panel from the card base, as well as the extra petals on the large reddish card. A tiny pearl in the center of the blue and yellow flower adds just a touch of bling to finish off that flower.

Follow along for a tutorial on how to re-create this card -- or at least, to give you some ideas so you can make it your own. Just remember to order these sets before they're gone forever!

SUPPLIES:

Blueberry Bushel cardstock

Whisper White cardstock

Bloom By Bloom stamp set (page 25, Occasions Catalog)

Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set (page 76, Annual Catalog)

Blueberry Bushel ink

Lovely Lipstick ink

Granny Apple Green ink

Mango Melody ink

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blend

Stampin' Dimensionals

Paper Snips

Basic Pearl

INSTRUCTIONS

Fold a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Blueberry Bushel cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

This next section will take place on a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock and you will be using the circle stamp from the Bloom By Bloom set. Inking the circle stamp up with Mango Melody ink, stamp the circles randomly over the white cardstock, stamping each circle more than once so you have a variation in intensity of color. Clean the stamp and ink it up with Lovely Lipstick, doing the same thing. THIS INK IS QUITE VIVID. YOU MAY WANT TO STAMP OFF ON SCRATCH PAPER FIRST. If you have some blank spots, clean the stamp and stamp a few circles in the color needed, overlapping here and there. This piece can then be mounted to your card base.

On a 2" x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamp the flowers on the right half, either checking the sample for placement and/or colors, or as you wish.

OPTION: If you feel like a little easy fussy cutting, on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock, stamp the smaller portion of the Lovely Lipstick flower. Fussy cut it, leaving a bit of white margin. Pop it up over the large flower with a Stampin' Dimensional. I like the way this looks -- it's sort of odd, but appealing and adds dimension. I think your card would be just as appealing though if you opted not to do this step.

While the pearl is still on the sheet it comes on, use a Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blend (either the light or the dark) to color the pearl. Let it dry for a few beats, remove it from the sheet, and apply it to the center of the blue flower (if that's the color yours is).

In Blueberry Bushel ink, stamp the sentiment on the left side of the strip. Adhere the finished strip to a 2 1/4" x 5 1/4" strip of Blueberry Bushel cardstock. 

Add a few Stampin' Dimensionals to the back of this piece and add it to the card, raised a bit from center.

If you do decide to order one or both of these stamp sets, Bloom By Bloom and Picture Perfect Birthday before June 3, I would so love it if you would name me as your demonstrator!

Blooming

Smiles.