This photo inspiration challenge made me think of my Grandmother. She was a talented gardener and I was always amazed by how she could take an arm full of cut flowers, toss them into a vase, tweak a stem here and there and the bouquet would look amazing. I’ve inherited her love of gardening but I never quite got the flower arranging gene.

I pulled out several stamp sets to create the image. I started with the large flower from the You’ve Got This stamp set (Retired). I created masks so that I could make the center flower look like it was in front of the other two. The vase is from the Country Home set, it immediately came to mind when I saw the photo. The little blue flowers are from the Varied Vases set (Retiring Soon). Finally, the greeting came from the New Wonders Hostess set which is also retiring soon. I love the “Just popping in to say…” greeting. The flowers are colored with Stampin’ Blends.

I used a distressing tool on the edge of the whisper white layer, and flicked the edges with Purple Posy ink. The ink was defective and doesn’t work well to stamp with but it seemed to work okay for flicking. I really like using the Purple Posy cardstock for the card base. It’s a light enough color to be able to stamp on the inside without adding a white layer. The greeting is matted and then popped up with dimensionals. I’ve added some Noble Peacock Rhinestones for a little sparkle.

I would place this card in the Shabby Chic and Vintage style because it has an antique look. It has the distressed edges and sponging. Adding a piece of ribbon under the greeting might have been a nice addition but I didn’t think about until after the card was completed. Ribbon is something that I don’t reach for as a rule, but I do have an entire drawer full!

PRODUCT NOTES: I used some old oval punches for the greeting but the Layering Oval Dies would work well. Also, the background is lightly colored with a Balmy Blue Watercolor Pencil from Assortment 2, which will be available in the next Annual Catalog.

Product List

You’ve Got This Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139575] $28.00	Varied Vases Photopolymer Stamp Set [146644] $26.00
Country Home Photopolymer Stamp Set [147678] $21.00	New Wonders Cling Stamp Set [149426] $13.50
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Rococo Rose Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [155885] $0.00
Purple Posy Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [149566] $9.00	Petal Pink Stampin’ Blends Markers Combo Pack [147272] $9.00
Balmy Blue Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [148544] $9.00	Smoky Slate Stampin’ Blends Markers Combo Pack [145058] $9.00
Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends Markers Combo Pack [147274] $9.00	Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [148547] $9.00
Old Olive Stampin’ Blends Markers Combo Pack [144597] $9.00	Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2 [149014] $12.50
Purple Posy 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [150881] $8.75	Rococo Rose 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [150882] $8.75
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Noble Peacock Rhinestones [149494] $5.50
Layering Ovals Dies [151771] $35.00	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00