Butterfly Garden

I did this card for a Splitcoast color challenge (CC265), using Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise and Soft Suede (I used Close to Cocoa; it's what I had on hand that day).

The butterflies were die cut in the three challenge colors, then propped up on a die cut scalloped circle. I varied the height of the dimensionals to give the butterflies a sense of "movement". The turquoise card layer was embossed with a Big Shot and embossing folder. The picket fence border punch really adds to the garden theme.
I love to use stamps, especially to create my own designer paper, but on this card, not a single stamp was used except for a sentiment on the inside.


Happy Stamping,

Colleen


Stamps: none
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
Punches: Martha Stewart Picket Fence border
Other: Big Shot, Stampin' Up Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Scallop Circle #2 die, butterfly embosslit, dimensionals

Topiary Circus

I absolutely adore topiaries, whether they are real plants, artificial greenery or stamps. I was inspired by some cards on Splitcoaststampers to create a topiary card using a Stampin' Up! set called "Circle Circus." Because this was a Mother's Day card for my plant-loving, black-and-white-decor-loving mom, the color scheme was easy to choose.

I made a long card, my first ever, so it could fit in a standard business-size envelope. I worked my measurements backwards from that envelope size.

The base is Garden Green cardstock, then a white layer was added, stamped in black with Filigree Background stamp. On top of the next black layer, I added a white punched one, using Martha Stewart Lattice Border Punch. More garden theme! I used black ink on the various Circle Circus stamps, then punched out with SU's circle punches. The "trunk" of the topiary is just a strip of brown cardstock cut to fit behind the circles.

The pot took a little thinking. I looked at my various punches but nothing was working for me. Ultimately, I wound up using SU's Lots of Tags Sizzlit die cut. I cut it in half (convenient to have two halves, because I almost always make two cards of the same design), ran it through the Big Shot with Texturz Plate Perfect Details (to give it a lattice look), then sponged it with gray ink. I propped the pot up with dimensionals.

Colleen

Stamps: Circle Circus, Filigree Background

Cardstock: Garden Green, Basic Black, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray

Punches: Martha Stewart Lattice, circles - 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1"

Other: Big Shot, Texturz Plate Perfect Details, Lots of Tags Sizzlits, dimensionals