Timeless Tulips - Fast forward to Spring

Spring is still quite a way away.  It's snowing outside and the temperature is anything but warm - but I'm thinking Spring.

These thoughts were helped along with the new stamp set from the Mini Catalogue which just went live - Timeless Tulips.

Tulips have always been harbingers of spring, peeking their heads out of the ground even before all of the snow has departed. So, let's fast forward Spring.....

These tulips were stamped with Grapefruit Grove and Calypso Coral marrying the two.  These are Stampin' Up's Distinctive stamps, so all that wonderful detail is there upon stamping- nothing else is needed, although I did add some Early Espresso with my Aqua painter to emphasize some features.

The leaves were stamped with Pear Pizzazz and Mossy Meadow, again marrying the two colours.  Again, some stripes were added with Early Espresso ink.

Coordinating with this stamp set is the Tulip Builder punch, which was used to punch out the two larger flowers and the leaves. The smaller bloom and stems were fussy cut.

The card base is Soft Suede, a perfect colour to show off these wonderful soft colours.  On this is added a piece of Whisper White card stock  die cut with the Stitched Rectangle die. The center of this piece is die cut with a Stitched So Sweetly die that looks like a window.  This allows the dark colour of the base to peek through and provide a perfect foil for  the floral arrangement.  Before adding it to the card base, some texture was added using the Subtle Texture Embossing Folder.

After the flowers , stems and leaves were assembled they were arranged in a bouquet and tied together with some braided trim. Using dimensionals they were attached to the card front over the die cut window.

The sentiment "Happy Easter, Happy Spring.  Happy, Happy Everything", stamped with Soft Suede ink on Whisper White, was matted with Soft Suede and adhered below the leaves using dimensionals.

A few randomly placed Champagne rhinestones, as well as the application of Clear Wink of Stella  on the tulips, provided the finishing touches to the card.

Supplies Used:
Stamp:  Timeless Tulip
Ink:
Flower:  Grapefruit Grove and Calypso Coral with accents of Early Espresso
Stem and Leaves:  Pear Pizzazz and Mossy Meadow with accents of Early Espresso
Sentiment:  Soft Suede
Papers:  Soft Suede, Whisper White
Accessories:  Subtle Texture Embossing Folder, Stitched So Sweetly die, Stitched Rectangle Die, Tulijp Builder Punch, 3/16 Braided Linen trim, Champagne Rhinestones, Clear Wink of Stella, Dimensionals

Hello Spring - Folded Paper Frame Card

I know this is wishful thinking.  I know Spring is months away still.  Yes I wish for Spring.

The Fable Friends stamp set is really about Easter, and Easter this year is in April - a month where Spring is just around the corner.  So I made this Folded Paper Frame  card below with my wish for Spring on it.  I used the tutorial with Splitcoaststampers here to make the folded frame.

The chipmunk holding a flower, from "Fable Friends", was stamped on a 2 3/4" piece of Whisper White and coloured with blendabilities. The dots on the background are stamped in Pool Party and are from "Waterfront".

This art piece is mounted on a 3 by 3" piece of Pacific Point card stock and set aside while I made the frame.

Using the score board, a 4 1/4 by 4 1/4" piece of Gingham card stock, was laid on the board with two of the corners on the 3" score point.  Each corner, in turn, was scored at 1" and 1 1/2", then folded into the center after which the tip was folded back to form the frame.

The frame was unfolded and the image piece was inserted and adhered in the center.   Dimensionals were placed on the inside folds closest to the edge before they were folded to the center to give the frame more volume. Each tip was then folded back and held back with a dimensional.

The completed frame was mounted on a 3 1/4 by 3 1/4" square of Pacific Point card stock and mounted on the embossed Whisper White layer of the 5" square card front.  The Whisper White layer was embossed with the dot to dot embossing folder before it was added to the Pacific Point card base.

A double bow made with the SAB blue organza ribbon was added with a glue dot on the left side of the frame.

The sentiment, from "Fable Friends", was stamped with Pacific Point ink, matted with Pacific Point card stock and adhered to the card front under the folded paper frame.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Fable Friends, Waterfront

Inks:  Black Memento, Stampin' Blends (Daffodil Delight Light and Dark, Crumb Cake light and dark, Old Olive light and dark, Night of Navy light, Smokey Slate, Pool Party light)

Papers;  Pacific Point, Whisper White, Blue Gingham DSP

Accessories:  Blue Organza ribbon (SAB), Dot to Dot embossing folder, Dimensionals, Score Board

My Geraniums Think it's Spring!

The weather outside is frightful....
Does that sound familiar?
Spring is here - according to the calendar- but someone forgot to tell the weather man (or Mother Nature) because its cold, raining (with a risk of freezing rain and snow pellets) and just miserable.
However, my geraniums think it's spring, and they are blooming, blooming, and blooming!!

I over -winter my geraniums (and my neighbour's) in my basement under growing lights.  In the fall, after pulling them out of the flower beds or planters, I repot them using fresh soil, and cut the plant down to the soil line. This part I find extremely painful because the plant is full of flowers and they look absolutely gorgeous!  To prevent transplant shock, I water them with a mixture of water and transplant fertilizer and put them in my basement under the lights.  A timer monitors the length of time for light/darkness.

Over the winter I water only once a month!  After March 1st I increase the frequency of the watering to every other week.

I can't believe how well they are doing!  They certainly know its spring and are as anxious as I am
to get out into the garden.

Aren't the colors gorgeous?

And the size of the blooms? I was quite astounded  to find, upon measuring, that the largest bloom is 5" in diameter.

The other geraniums (red, coral, white, etc) are blooming as well, but this plant is performing the best.

Believe it or not, some of my geraniums are 20 years old - and counting.

Life Begins in the Garden - Try Stampin' on Tuesday #265

As well as a sketch challenge with Try Stampin' on Tuesday, there was an optional theme to include: " spring is here."
What better place to celebrate Spring then in the garden, which by the way I am itching to get into.

To better suit my image, I turned the sketch on its side.

The base card is Old Olive, layered with Whisper White.  In the upper left hand corner, I stamped the image of the sun from "Kinda Eclectic"  Then I built the rest of the card.

The image of the little girl gardening was stamped with Black Memento, and coloured with copic markers.  Some Marina Mist was sponged lightly on the sky, after which I stamped some insects from "In the Meadow"

Two 2 3/4" circles were die cut using the Circles framlets.  The DSP are both from Pretty Petals DSP.  They were attached and layered as indicated in the sketch.

The image was then adhered to part of the circles using dimensionals.

A 1/2 by 3 3/4" strip of Night of Navy was placed at right angles to the image.  The sentiment was embossed with white embossing powder.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: An All Night Media stamp, Kinda Eclectic, In the Meadow
Inks: Black Memento, copic markers, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Versa Mark
Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Circles Framelits, dimensionals, Wink of Stella clear glitter

A Spring Lever Card - SUO Challenges #144

This is my first attempt at a Lever Card, and I will admit it was not easy.  I used the tutorial with Splitcoaststampers and I found that very helpful.

The challenge with SUO this week is "Welcome Spring"   and what is more of a harbinger of spring than a Robin.  So, I made the colouring of the bird from Honeycomb Happiness into that of a Robin and used several other SAB stamp sets to make a spring card.

 

Supplies Used: 
Stamps: Honeycomb Happiness, In the Meadow, Perfect Pairing
Inks: Black Memento, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Markers: Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive), Marina Mist
Papers: Calypso Coral, Pretty Petals DSP, Whisper White, Old Olive
Accessories: Curvy Corner Trio Punch, dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Feels Like Spring to Me - Try Stampin on Tuesday #258

Oh I wish it did feel like spring - that is on a consistent basis.  This winter has been so -what?? I don't know how to describe it.  One weekend the temperatures are above normal; the next weekend there are cold weather alerts.
Yes, I'd love for it to feel like spring, and the frog on the card agrees with me.

• Base card is Ment Macaron, with an off set layer of Pretty Petals DSP

• image is  by Impression Obsession.  It is stamped with Black Memento ink on an off angle piece of Whisper White cardstock and coloured with Copic Markers.
• The strip of DSP is the reverse side of the striped DSP
• The embellishment is a flower made using a Petite Petal punch and a small flower punch from the Itty Bitty punch pack.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: It Feels Like Spring (I.O)
Inks: Black Memento, copic markers
Papers: Mint Macaron, Pretty Petals DSP, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Petite Petal Punch, Flower Punch from Itty Bitty Punch pack,rhinestone brad

Hello Spring - Sketch Frenzy Friday

I keep waiting for spring to arrive!  Our horrendous winter was brutal, cold and loooooong.  Even when spring arrived on the calendar, winter still wouldn't give up its grip.
This is the long holiday weekend in May - traditional planting time - and last night there was a risk of frost! Wouldnm't you know it!
I'm just itching to get into the garden, but I'm going to wait until next weekend to plant just to be on the safe side.
The card I made for the sketch with SFF reflects my desire for Spring! Note: I chose not to place a sentiment on the front of the card

Stamps: Springtime Hello
Inks: Black memento, Blendabilities(Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzelberry, Old Olive) SU marker (Soft Sky)
Papers: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Epic Day This and That DSP
Accessories: Circles framelits,  Zig zag folder, dimensionals

Welcome Spring - The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #202

Spring is scheduled to arrive (by the calendar) on Wednesday, however Winter is not done with us.  Tomorrow 2 storm fronts will collide over southern Ontario and dump up to 10cm of snow.  Yuck!!
The sketch challenge with The Sweet Stop here has a spin to it - Springtime - a concept I eagerly embraced in the card I made.

 

I started by punching a 2 1/2" circle in Whisper White and embossing it with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  Then I stamped 3 Daisy images from the stamp set "Best of Flowers" using Black stazon ink on a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock and coloured them using ink pads (Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, and Marina Mist) and an Aquapainter. Each flower was then cut out and adhered to the circle on top of a stem and leaves die cut using the Big Shot. I just love bling, so I put some dazzling details on each of the flowers.

I then punched two butterflies with the small butterfly punch out of Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP and attached them above the flowers.  A strip of 3 rhinestones was placed on the butterflies.

The circle was attached to a scalloped circle of Certainly Celery using dimensionals.

The base of the card is Certainly Celery layered with Whisper White cardstock.  The DSP is Sunshine and Sprinkles and the ribbon is 1/8" Regal Rose taffeta ribbon.

The sentiment is computer generated, punched out with the 1 3/4 by 7/8" oval punch and layered with a green Modern Word Label punch.

Here is a summary of the materials/supplies used to make the card:

Stamp: Best of Flowers

Inks: Black Stazon, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip

Papers: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP

Accessories: Leaf & stem die, 2 1/2" circle punch, Scallop circle die #2, Square lattice folder, Small butterfly punch, 1 3/4 by 7/8" oval punch, Modern Word Label punch, 1/8" Regal Rose taffeta ribbon, rhinestones, Large rhinestones, dazzling details, dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.

Happy Spring - Challenge 113 LNS - Spring is in the Air

Officially spring arrives on March 21, still too many days away for me.   Challenge 113 with the LNS group here - Spring is in the Air.  We were to use our flower stamps. However, I was thinking tulips as an early spring flower, so I used the Owl Builder punch to make a tulip instead. This card was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest, which after tracing it back through many pins, was originally made by Valida.

Stamp:  Sentiment computer generated
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Always Artichoke
Papers: Tangerine Tango, Sycamore Street DSP (SAB), Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Top Note die, Oval framelits, Mat pack & Paper piercer,  polka dot folder, Owl Builder punch, Decorative Label Punch, 1 3/4 by 7/8" oval punch, 5/8" Always Artichoke seam binding, dimensionals, rhinestones, white gel pen

Welcome Spring - Challenge 167 LNS

For this challenge I took various elements from 3 of the hostess stamp set "Up in the Air" to create this composite picture of Spring.

Stamp: Up in the Air
Inks: SU markers (chocolate chip, Wisteria Wonder, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, More Mustard, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake)
Papers: Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Berry Blossoms designer series paper
Accessories: Boho blossom punch, 3/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon, rhinestones, dazzling details, stampin' dimensionals

Robin & the Season of Friendship

I have been home from the hospital for a week now and its been a tough week.  I've been in too much pain to be able to sit at my work table to create any cards. The spirit is willing, but the body has other ideas.
So I decided to re-post another of my favorite spring cards, a Robin in the Season of Friendship tree.
Last year I thoroughly enjoyed using the Bird Builder punch to create many species of birds.

Today's bird is a Robin - a bird well recognized in this neck of the woods.  Robins usually migrate south for the winter, but some have actually stayed behind to winter in my back yard - crazy bird!! But then its been a mild winter and an early spring.

Yesterday I had my morning coffee on the back deck and couldn't help look for my friend, and sure enought there he was up in the tree, creating that beautiful melody of his.

Stamps: Season of Friendship, You're a Gem
Inks: Soft Suede, Tangerine Tango, Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso marker
Papers: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Framed Tulips embossing folder, Crystal Effects, Stampin Dimensionals

Spring has Sprung - The Paper Players #85 and challenge 162 LNS

I think we all the know the little poem (and I promise I won't finish it):

Spring has sprung

The grass has riz

I wonder where the birdie is...

The challenge with The Paper Players here is to make a spring card, and I couldn't help thinking about robins.  Some 'fat' ones have returned to these northern climes already and I enjoy their early morning vocals.  My card, for this challenge, features a robin.

This card is also for the LNS group where the challenge is "your favorite color combination" - in this case Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette, and Baja Breeze

Stamps: Nature Walk, Pursuit of Happiness

Inks: Black Stazon, Basic black, SU markers

Papers: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Beau Chateau designer paper

Accessories: Aqua painter, 1/2" Baja Breeze seam binding, Antique Brad, Dazzling details, dimensionals