Window Box of Tulips

Today I want to show you something different I did with the Poppy Stamps "Grand Madison Window" (815).  I also used the matching "Grand Flower Box" (821) for the tulips.  To create a decorative "header" for the window, I used the Spellbinders "Labels Twenty-two" and one of the Spellbinders "Parisian Motifs".  You can see these dies below.                   

I die cut the second to largest "Labels Twenty-two" for the header then used the embossing mat, rather than die cutting, to embossing the "Parisian Motif"  up under the curve at the top of the label. The label was then cut off below the embossed motif and glued under the top of the window.  I think this turned out pretty cool to create a "fancier" window frame.  On the backside of the window, I attached a punched "curtain topper" created with the Martha Stewart "Swirling Lace" border punch.  A light blue card stock was added behind the window so the design in the design paper did not show through.  The design paper used is from the Webster's Pages "Your Life Beautiful" paper pad.  The butterflies are in the design paper.  The tulips, Marianne (LR)209) were die cut and  added behind the window box.  To help make the window box look fuller, I added the Marianne Design "Ivy" (LR0206).  I always save little pieces punched out from border punch or dies, and the little tiny purple flowers were pulled from a box of these saved pieces.   Two Spellbinders corners were added to complete this card. 

I hope you like the way I altered the Madison Window to create a whole new look for this window die.  I bet you can come up with some very creative ideas too.  I do want to let you know that if you haven't gotten your Windows dies yet, Joan's Gardens now has a lot of them in stock.  They  have been so popular and she has had a hard time keeping them in stock, but now there will be no waiting if you order them.   You can also purchase all the other supplies I used to create this card from Joan's Gardens.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by my blog to see my projects.  I appreciate all your sweet comments.   Have a wonderful weekend.

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You've Been So Sweet

This card was created using a new punch you can order from Joan's Gardens.  It is called "Mega Giant Snapdragon Petals".  This punch is not shown on Joan's Blog, but if you want it you can either email or call her to ask for it.  The embossing folder I used is the Marianne (DS0913).  It was backed with a piece of purple card stock.  The flower was created by punching three different shades of purple card stock.  Each petal was conditioned and shaped using the tools from the Flower Tool Kit then assembled in layers.  The leaves under the flower are from the Cheery Lynn "Stacker Flower #1" Leaf (SF-1).  The ferns were die cut using the Cheery Lynn "Pair of Ferns" (B118) dies.  In the center of the card I added a small doily die cut using the Cheery Lynn "Nautical Wheeler Doily" (DL180) die.  I used the doily from the center of this die cut.  On top of it I layered a JustRite sentiment from the "Vintage Floral Labels" set. It was die cut using a Spellbinders scalloped circle die.  The sentiment is white embossed on purple card stock.  The pretty butterfly was layered using the Memory Box "Moonlight Butterfly (98260) and the "Kaleidoscope Butterfly" (98261).  Up in the left corner I added one of the Marianne "Corners" (LR0143). 

Sometimes I receive emails from my Followers telling me they can't find certain products on Joan's Gardens blog.  Many times she sends me products and I end up using them before she has a chance to post them.  She puts shipping out your orders her priority.  I always use products you can purchase from Joan, so if you don't find it in her store, please just call or email her about it.  I usually list product numbers so she knows exactly what I used.  Also with the hike in postage, I'm sure you all appreciate that Joan only charges you actual postage with no extra fees.  

Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge

It is time for a new challenge at Joan's Gardens.  This week we want you to create a Get Well Card that includes a basket of flowers.  Also please use green and white for your main colors.

For my card I used a piece of design paper from the Kaiser Craft "Chapter One" paper pad.  The lattice is the Cheery Lynn "French Lattice Frame" (FRM132).  I matched a green piece of card stock with one of the greens in the design paper to back the frame.    It was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The basket I used is one of the new Marianne Design Baskets (CR1208).  I filled it with daisies using the Cheery Lynn "Darling Daisies" (A196) die.  There are three sizes of daisies and I used mostly the smallest with just a few of the middle size.  Behind the basket of daisies I inserted two of the Marianne leaves (LR0192) and in the front I added two Marianne "Ivy" (LR0126).  Yellow Stickles was added to the center of all the daisies.  The tag used is the Spellbinders "Fancy Tags Two".  The get well sentiment on the tag is from JustRite.   

I hope you will join us this week in our challenge.  Be sure to go over to Joan's Blog to read all the details about this challenge and see what the prize will be this week.

  Below are pictures of the dies used for the basket of flowers.  

 Cheery Lynn Darling Daisies (A196)

Marianne Design Basket (CR1208)

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I Thought of You Today

Do you love baskets?  I do, and was so excited to receive the new Marianne Design baskets.  This is the CR1206 basket.  This die comes with a little rose and a rose leaf die.  There are a total of four new baskets (CR1206); (CR1207); CR1208); and (CR1209), plus there is a die (CR1210) that has a lot of small flowers and leaves.  How fun is that!   The embossing folder I used is the new Marianne DS0916 embossing folder.   This is a 5.5" x 6" card.  Along the left side I added a strip of card stock that was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The pretty border between the two pieces is the Cheery Lynn "Queen Anne's Lace" (B160) border.  It goes so well with that embossing folder, doesn't it.  I layered a piece of red card stock behind the cut out portion of the embossed folder.  The basket was die cut using white card stock.  To fill in the open areas of the basket I added a piece of ivory card stock behind it so it would show the design of the beautiful basket.  The little roses and leaves were die cut and embossed in my die cutting machine, then arranged in the basket.  A few pieces of the Martha Stewart "branch" were tucked in between the roses.  The sentiment is from the JustRite "Vintage Floral Labels" stamp set.  It was white embossed on red card stock, cut out with scissors and attached to a Spellbinders scalloped square.  Spellbinders corners were added to complete the card.

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Get Well Wishes

Today I have a new embossing folder from Joan's Gardens to show you.  This is the Marianne Design (DS0915) embossing folder.  Joan has two new embossing folders in from Marianne Designs, so be sure to check the out on her blog.  

I wanted to create "Dogwood" flowers for this card and add them to the pretty Memory Box "Woodland Branch" (98187).  To create these dogwoods, I used the large Punch Bunch Cherry Blossom (also called Sakuras) punch.  A dogwood only has four "individual" petals so I cut out petals from this cherry blossom die cut flower.  The dogwood also has that "dip" in the tip of each petal so this was the perfect punch to use.   Since my dogwood is pink, I wanted to shade it with a magenta color so I used JudiKins "Ruby" Mica Gloss" mixed with "Pear" Mica Gloss" to get the exact color I wanted.   These bottles of Mica Gloss are available from Joan's Gardens.  For each stamen in the flowers, I punched out two yellow and two green "Mini Suns", shaped with the tools from the Flower Tool Kit, and added to the center of each flower.  

I did not want to cover up too much of the pretty embossing folder so I used the little doily that is in the center of the Cheery Lynn "Polynesian Sails Oval" die. You get two doilies with this set.  It was just perfect for the sentiment I used from the JustRite "Spring Words" stamp set.  This is a new set from JustRite and it has 20 Clear stamps with great sentiments. The border I used at the top of the card is the Cheery Lynn "Lace Edger" (B153).  The birds came from two different Marianne die sets (LR0204) and LR0205).   The birdhouse was in the (LR0204) set.  

I wish all the springtime cards we are creating would hurry and bring us Spring.  We did see a couple of robins yesterday, so hopefully warmer weather is on the way.  

As you know, you can purchase all the products I use from Joan's Gardens.  

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Heartfelt Thanks

Today I am using a very cute Memory Box die called "Heart Canopy" (98283) with the Memory Box "Twiggy Tree" (98143).  Don't you love all those little hearts!   This "Twiggy Tree" is such a cute die, and is very versatile, because there are different "canopies" you can get to go with it.   I used a piece of light pink design paper that has a lattice print in it to die cut the "Heart Canopy".  To color the hearts behind it, I found a piece of floral vellum in my stash that had some glitter in it and thought it would create a cute multi-color background.  I really like how it turned out.  You could try lots of different design papers to see what effect you like the best.  Another cute thing you could do is add a piece of tape on the backside and sprinkle glitter into each heart.    The "Twiggy Tree" was die cut using a light green "sparkly" card stock.  The fence is the Memory Box "Wrought Iron Fence" (98164).  I had to die cut two to fit across the bottom of the card.  The punched border was created using the Martha Stewart "Double Arches" punches.  Remember the flowers I made the other day using the Cheery Lynn "Sweet Williams" (D 137) dies? This is one of those flowers I created in that tutorial.    It is always nice to make more than you need for use at a later time!   The sentiment is from the JustRite "Fancy Tags" stamp set.

I hope you are having a great weekend.  I have been busy rearranging my craftroom - what a  big project!   My son and his family are arriving in a few days, so hopefully I have everything back in place soon.  It looks like a hurricane hit it right now!!!

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Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge

It's time for a new Challenge at Joan's Gardens.  This week you are to design a "Springtime" card.  The color theme should be blue and white.  Please include some kind of lattice.

For the background I used the new Cheery Lynn "French Lattice Small Frame" (FRM132).  Cheery Lynn also has a French Lattice Large Frame (FRM133).  Both of these frames are so pretty to use for backgrounds.  The stamp used is the Memory Box "Chrysanthemum Frame" (G1857).  This is the frame used on one of the Memory Box videos you can watch at Joan's Gardens. You can click here to watch this video. Joan does have a good supply of these stamps in stock.  It was white embossed and colored using Distress Inks.  The birdhouse, fence and bird were die cut using the Marianne (LR0205) dies.  Also one of the birds is from another Marianne die set that has another  style birdhouse, a bird facing the opposite direction, and a die for grass (LR0205).  The border down the right side is the Cheery Lynn "Flower Chain Border" (B132).   A pretty silk bow was added to complete the card.

I hope you will join us in our challenge again this week.  Please go over to Joan's Gardens to read all the details and see what prize she will be giving away this week.  We love to see your entries.

Heartfelt Creations Floral Cross Collection Release

 Today is the official release of the new Heartfelt Creations "Floral Cross Collection".  There are 6 new stamp sets plus a beautiful new exclusive Spellbinders die set designed for Heartfelt Creations.  This collection includes Lily and Clematis flower stamps and matching dies plus much more.   You can purchase these stamps and die set from Joan's Gardens.  Please go over to Joan's blog to see this new collection.  She has furnished a lot of information about the stamps plus has a special offer to save $20.99 if you purchase the "I Want It All" Floral Cross Collection.

This set includes this gorgeous cross stamp, and the die, to cut out the cross with the beautiful scroll work.  I decided to design a gold and white card to show off these products.    The card stock I used is a mirror gold card stock.  As you can see, I designed an easel card that is 5.5" square when closed.   The background was embossed with the "Couture Creations Embossing Folder" (C0723032).  The cross, from the "Cross & Lilies PreCut Set" (HPC 3450) was gold embossed three times.  I used scissors to cut out some of the flowers in the design to make them dimensional on the cross, plus added some to the corners.  On the bottom of the easel card I layered a piece of the gold card stock.  On top of it is the Heartfelt Creations "Layered Elegant Swirl" (HCD 716) die cut.  I wanted the group of lilies to be a "pop-up" so added a small tab behind them so they would pop up when the card is open.  This group of lilies is from the "Butterfly & Lilies PreCut Set" (HCPC 3455).  It was cut out with scissors and glued to the front of the pop-up tab.  

This picture shows what the card looks like when closed.

You can see a couple of other cards I created using this new collection over at Joan's Gardens.  I will be posting directions for them later this week.  Tomorrow we have the Challenge at Joan's Gardens so will post instructions for the next card on Friday.

All the products I used on this card can be purchased from Joan's Gardens.

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Sweet William Tutorial

I think most of you enjoy when I show you how I create my flowers so today I am going to show you how I created the large white flower above the Marianne Design "Anji Corner" (LR0200).    The dies I used for the large white flower, is the Cheery Lynn "Sweet Williams" (D 137) dies.

I have been working on creating flowers with this die for several days and took a picture of all the supplies I used.  The paper used is the flower card stock Joan and I like to use for flowers because it is a perfect weight for shaping.  What I found out is that this card stock is thin enough to allow you to use two layers at a time so die cutting can go much quicker.  The other supplies used are a white terry cloth, an extra fine mist "Spritzer".  This one is made by Judi Kins.  The Cheery Lynn Sweet Williams dies, and tools from the Flower Tool Kit along with the black shaping mat.  If you like to create lovely shaped flowers, and don't have the Flower Tool Kit from Joan's Gardens, I highly recommend it. This tool kit has everything you need for shaping your flowers in one little kit.   I use these tools every day. I am also working on the Non-Stick Craft Sheet.

After die cutting a lot of Sweet William flowers, I misted each side to get them a little damp.  This helps to shape the petals easier.  I misted about 10 at a time, otherwise they might dry out before you start working on them.  Use the self-closing tweezers in the kit to "crinkle" each petal.  Place the tweezers right in the center and push the sides in toward the tweezers.  Kind of twist around the tweezers to get a good crease.  Each petal will look slightly different after creasing.  You can see the difference in the petals after creasing in the picture on the right.  This is a quick and easy way to get the dimension you want for a life like flower.  You can stack as many layers as you want, depending on the fullness you want to achieve.  Before stacking, be sure to put each layer on the shaping mat and press down in the center to "cup" it.  The more you press down, the more "cupped" it will become.  For the very center, you can add glue all around the inside (top) of the flower and press it together, holding until dry.  This will create your closed center.  Add glue to the center of your stacked flower and press down the closed center you just created.  I think this flower could look like a mum, a carnation or maybe a bachelor button, depending on the color of card stock you use.  It is so fun to create life like flowers with a few flat petals.  

Now for everything else I used to design this card.  I used the Marianne "Anji Corner" (LR0200) under the flower.  This is a 5.5" square card.  I placed the corner with the wide edge about an inch from the bottom of the card and ran it through the die cutting machine, then ran it through again to emboss it.  I had two pieces of card stock stacked to do this.    The reason was because I wanted to use an embossing folder to emboss the top portion of this card.  I cut off the very bottom of this piece right below the Anji  Corner and used  the Marianne (DS0909) embossing folder on that top portion.  I can use that cut off corner for something else later.  Since I die cut the two pieces together, now I can attach the embossed portion back in perfect position around the die cut "corner".  Where is was cut off does not show, because it is covered with the small flowers.  

Behind the large white flower, I die cut a Marianne (CR1201) doily, then die cut a Spellbinders (purple) Scalloped Circle to place in the center of the doily.  For a "frilly" look, I added the Memory Box "Quinn Flourish" (98267) over the purple circle.  The flower was glued in the center.  Along the bottom I created two shades of roses using the Cheery Lynn "Medium Rose" (B154).  The leaves under these roses were die cut using the smaller Marianne leaves (LR0156).  To add a little fullness, I added some small lavender flowers that were punched with the  Punch Bunch "Super Giant Mega Lilacs/Daphne" punch.  In the center of these little flowers I added lavender "Liquid Pearls" by Ranger. Two lavender Cheery Lynn "Mini Butterflies" (DL112) were added.  A few Kaiser Craft white pearls were added to complete the card. 

Do you enjoy me going through all these detailed instructions to help you learn how to create dimensional flowers?  I hate to bore you with very long blog posts, but if these instructions are helpful to you, I will continue doing these little tutorials. 

Tomorrow I will be back with a card designed with the new Heartfelt Creations Release.

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Cute Birdhouse

This was such a fun card to design.  As you know, Joan's Gardens is now selling stamps and dies from My Favorite Things.  The products I used are:  My Favorite Things "Contempo Cage and Stamp Set", "Homespun Birdhouse and Stamp Set", "Branch with Leaves", and "Fresh Cut Grass".  The flourish is the Marianne Design (LR015) flourish.  The small flowers were punched with the Punch Bunch "Super Giant Mega Lilacs/Daphne" punch.  The Sizzix embossing folders used are the "Birds and Wreath", "Bricked", and "Beaded Ribbons".  

This is a 5"x7" card.  I started by embossing the background with the Sizzix "Birds and Wreath" embossing folder.  I used chalks to color the inside of the oval blue.  The birdhouse pieces were die cut using different colors of card stock and embossed.  Below is a  picture of the stamp set and the die cuts in this set.  I used the "Bricked" embossing folder to emboss the body of the house and the "Beaded Ribbons" to emboss the edge of the roof.  There is a stamp in this set that you can use for wood grain if you like.  I die cut the house using a light blue card stock then used "Weathered Wood" Distress Stain to rub over the embossed area.  I love how quick and easy it is to color using these stains - they have a sponge in the top and you just rub them on the card stock. In the embossing folder there are area's were there are not bricks, and I used one of these sections for the doorway.  I'm not sure that looks good or not.  You can kind of see that area in the picture below - it is kind of in the upper middle.  That area was colored in with a Copic grey marker.  The birdhouse was glued together and attached to the middle of the oval embossed area with dimensional dots.  

The bird I used is from the "Contempo Cage" dies.  It was sponged, the wing glued on then attached to the birdhouse with a dimensional dot.  A small Kaiser Craft black pearl was added to the eye.  The branch was die cut using brown card stock and sponged with brown Distress Inks for shading.  The leaves were die cut, shaped, and added to the branch.  The flowers were created by using the Punch Bunch Lilacs/Daphne punch.  I love having this punch because it has different sizes of small flowers and leaves.  In the center of each flower I glued in a small yellow bead.

Under the scene, I used one of the sentiment stamps from the Contempo Cage and Stamp Set.  The sentiment reads "You're So Incredibly Tweet".  Along the bottom edge I added the Die-Namics "Fresh Cut Grass" die cut. 

All the products I used on this card can be purchased from Joan's Gardens. 

New JustRite Fleur De Lis

Have you seen all the new JustRite stamps you can order from Joan's Gardens.  They include are a lot of new beautiful background stamps that cover the entire page. For my card today I used the "Fleur De Lis Background Stamp" (CL03565) and the "Fleur De Lis Labels Twenty" Set of 13 stamps (CL02210).   I white embossed both the background and the label on bright blue card stock.  The doily behind the Label is the Marianne (CR 1204).  

For the flowers I created, I used the Marianne (LR0 128) dies for the larger petals.  I love how these petals are ruffled the edges and the die even embosses the beautiful lines on them.  To shape the flowers, you only need to use the stylus in the very center of each one to shape them.  So quick and easy for a beautiful flower.  In the middle of each flower I used the Cheery Lynn "Miniature Rose" (B152) die.  In the very center of the flower, I used a Medium Sun punch.  I wanted to show you that you can mix and match your flower dies to come up with different types of flowers.  By using the Miniature Rose dies I was able to create a "fuller" looking center in the larger flowers.  The leaves behind the flowers are the Marianne (LR0156) and (LR0206).  Down the right side of the Fleur De Lis background, I added the Cheery Lynn "Francesca" (B159) border.  

You can purchase all these pretty stamps and dies from Joan's Gardens.

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Pink and White Rose Plus Blog Hop Winner

One of my favorite new dies from Joan's Gardens is the Marianne Design "Anji Corner" (LR0200).   EDIT:  I have had a couple of emails wanting to know where to get this die.  Here is the direct link to it at Joan's Gardens  .   I have been wanting to use it on all four corners on the front of a card.  In order to do this you need to have two of the corners because if you use only one, you will end up "smashing" the embossing on the other corners. This is a 5.5" square card.   I placed two dies at the top, taped them down, then ran the top half of the card back through to emboss them.  I repeated this process on the other two corners.  Doesn't it make a gorgeous background!   In the center I added the Marianne (CR1204) oval doily with adhesive tape.

The rose was created with the Super Giant Begonia Petals punch following the same procedure as in my Rose Tutorial.  The other petals are cream colored and the center petals are pink.  I added some leaves with a new die I just received from Joan's Gardens, Marianne (LR0156).  I love the delicate look of these leaves.  Behind the top of the rose I added two Marianne Leaves (LR0192).  To complete the card I layered the Memory Box butterflies "Kaleidoscope Butterfly" (98261) and "Moonlight Butterfly" (98260) and placed it above the rose. 

All the products I used on this card can be purchased from Joan's Gardens. 

I want to announce the winner of the Heartfelt Creations  stamp set from the Alumni Design Team Blog Hop.  The winner was randomly chosen from the comments left on Marsha's blog.

That lucky person is.....

NAN  G

 Nan please email Emma Lou at emmalou@heartfeltcreations.us and let her know you are the winner of the January Alumni Blog Hop to receive your $25 gift certificate to Heartfelt Creations.

Have a great weekend.

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Red Flowers

Today I have designed a black and white card with a red focal point.  The flower dies I used are the Cheery Lynn "Pulmeria" (B 134).  Below is a picture of the die. This is not a new Cherry Lynn die but a very fun die to use.  Below I will show you how I created these flowers.

Cheery Lynn Plumeria B 134

The Plumeria flower die has five petals on it.  Each petal die cuts separately so you can create your flower. This die is very useful to create different types of flowers because each petal cuts separately.  You can create different flowers according to how many petals or layers you would like to add.  I love products you can use in many different ways. Each  of these petals has a small hole in it so you an build your flower using a brad, but I like to glue the petals to keep them in place.   I used the "Punch Bunch" small snowflake for my base. This snowflake has six points.  I wanted to create three flowers, so I die cut one extra flower to use an extra petal on each flower.  Above you an see the pieces I used.  The stamens are the Punch Bunch Large and Medium "Sparkle".  I used one large and two medium for each flower.  To make them "frilly" I cut down each point, then shaped them on the Black Flower Mat then stacked them.  The Flower petals and leaves were also shaped on the black mat with tools from the Flower Tool Kit.  

I used a piece of old design paper I had for the background.  The pretty rectangle doily under the flowers is the Marianne Design (LR0- 117) die.  The Heart is the Cherry Lynn "Two of Hearts" (DL 128) die.  The corners were die cut using one of the Marianne Designs (LR0143) corners.  To complete the card a black and white bow was added.

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Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge

Let's do something fun this week for the Challenge at Joan's Gardens.  Valentines Day is almost  here and most everyone starts thinking about chocolate.  I thought it would be fun to create a cute little pouch for one of Joan's favorite candy bars -- the Hershey Bar!    This week I am giving you the directions for creating the basic pouch and you can be as creative as you want to decorate it, insert a Hershey bar, and enter it into the Challenge at Joan's Gardens.

This picture shows the Hershey Bar inside.  You pull up on the bow and it pulls the candy bar out.  

 This envelope is for the "King Size" bar.  The bar, in the package measure 2" by 7" (2.6 oz).  I know there are several size Hershey bars but I chose this size because it was a little larger and gave me more room to decorate.  Below I will give you the size for a smaller pouch.

Directions for the 2.6 oz Hershey Bar.  Cut card stock  7 1/2" x 6 1/2" for pouch.  Score down length at 3" and 6".  This leaves you with a 1/2" tab down the side  for closure.

For a band around the pouch, cut a piece of card stock 8" x 2 1/2".    Score down width at 3 1/8" and 6 1/4".  I used the Cheery Lynn "Lace Edger" (B 153) border die along the lower side.  This picture is of the back so you can see the die cut border.  

Here are the instructions for a smaller Hershey bar.  Cut card stock for the pouch  6"x7".   Score at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2 " down length.   For the band, cut a piece of card stock 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" and score down width at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2".

This picture shows open pouch with score lines.  It also shows you where to place the ScoreTape (or other strong adhesive) for closure. Pull the liner off the tape on the bottom and fold over to seal the bottom.  Next fold in the side tab, take off the liner on the opposite side and close.  This creates your pouch. You need to punch holes at the top for the ribbon to go through.  They should be centered.  The hole will depend on the width of your ribbon.

Cut a piece of ribbon approximately 30" long.  Push ribbon through both holes in the top and pull up until the ends are the same length.  Next you push the Hershey Bar down into the pouch, between the ribbon, all the way to the bottom, pushing down the ribbon with the Hershey Bar.  Tie a pretty bow at the top.  To pull the Hershey Bar out, just pull up on the bow.

Products I used to decorate my pouch:  Memory Box "LaRue Heart" (98255); "Grand Heart" (98254) and "Heart Chain Border" (98277).  Spellbinders "Ribbon Banner"; Cheery Lynn "Olive Branches" (B147); "Medium Rose" (B154); "Lace Edger" (B153).  Craft Lounge "Granny's Truffles" for the sentiment; Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder; Kaiser Craft Pearls; Sheer Ribbon (5/8" wide) 30 inches long.  All these products can be purchased from Joan's Gardens.

Hope you will join us this week for this fun challenge.  These little covered bars are fun to give for a cute Valentine to someone special.  Please go over to Joan's Gardens to read all the details about the challenge and see what the prize will be this week.  Remember, if you are the winner, you will be in the drawing for the $100 Gift Certificate to Joan's Gardens that will be presented at the end of the year. 

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Beautiful Butterfly

More new dies to show you today.  I love this new Marianne Design (CR1205) Butterfly you can now purchase from Joan's Gardens.  Isn't it gorgeous.  It is large enough to make it the center attraction on a beautiful card.  I have die cut two butterflies and stacked them for a lot of dimension.  This is a 5.5" x 6" card.  The design paper I used is from an old Kaiser Craft 6" paper pad called "Lilac Avenue Collection".  The butterflies were die cut using a light lavender pearlized card stock.  I wanted them a slightly different shade of lavender so it would really be the focal point of the card. 

I did add a lot of pretty die cuts to the left side of this card.  I love how you can add a lot of die cut pieces without it getting messy looking.   I have been using the beautiful new Marianne "Anji" border (edge) a lot lately, which you see in the upper middle of the card.  This makes such an elegant looking card.  Along the left side of that border I added the Marianne (LR0 201) border.  It is hard to see in this picture.  The flower was die cut using the new  Tim Holtz "Mini Tattered Floral Set" (657488).  These flowers match the larger die cuts but are much smaller.  In the center of the flower I added two of the Punch Bunch Med "Sky Flake" stamens.  The card stock colors used on the left side of the card are a light a dark plum color that matches the colors in the design paper.  Under the flower you can see another new die from Marianne Designs (LR0206) Ivy.  Behind the top of the flower I added the Marianne "Garden Branch" (LR0 051); one of the Marianne "Leaves" (LR0192) and two of the "Decorative Elegance" (LR0157) leaves.  In the right side corners, I added two Spellbinders die cut corners.  To finish it off, I added a few Kaiser Craft sticky back lavender pearls.  

Here is a side view to show you the dimension on the card.

As you know, you can purchase all these products from Joan's Gardens.  Hope you enjoyed seeing another purple card.  The project I have for you tomorrow for the challenge at Joan's Gardens will be fun (and it is not purple!).   See you then.  Thanks for stopping by.

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