Flowers in the Corner

It's May and there is a lot to celebrate. Spring has finally sprung nationwide (although I was fortunate enough to see snow in Utah just 2 weeks ago). Graduations are happening and Poppystamps has a brand new release. I'm entering several challenges with this graduation card. It is meant for a girl who is like another daughter to me and  features several of the new PS dies. I love the way this card by Kay Miller @kaym2015 for The Color Throwdown Challenge in 2016 combines a tiny frame and flowers.

One of the challenges I am entering is the Card Concept Challenge. They have this gorgeous inspiration photo and ask you to tell what style of card you are doing. 

Until I clicked on their definitions link, I was clueless about what "style" I had picked. I really love their definitions and they will help me in the future. Today's card is Clean and Layered. I chose it because the photo is bursting with gorgeous flowers and greenery on a blue-gray background. It's like spring crammed into a square. That is what I am representing here.

I am also entering the As You Like It Challenge. I chose this design because I love squares and tiny, little details surrounded by clean space. I love miniatures (how I never owned a doll house growing up, I'll never know) and so coloring and layering *tiny paper blossoms* (ahem) on top of a stitched square frame was right up my alley.

Other challenges I am entering are:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Feminine

Freshly Made Sketches #534

I started with using the second and third smallest dies in Art Impressions Nested Stitched Squares die set to cut a frame from Stampin' Up!'s (retired) Baja Breeze cardstock. I knew I wanted greenery so I used Tim Holtz's Garden Greens die set and cut three pieces from Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb cardstock with those dies (the two green leaves and the vanilla-colored sprig). I colored these with Copics (YG95, YG97) and the vanilla was from a Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend marker.

Next, I broke open three of my brand new Poppystamp dies: Layered Fringe Flowers, Layered Lovely Flowers and Petite Blooms Flower Set. I used the smallest of these dies and colored them with a combination that was primarily Copic or Dick Blick alcohol ink markers. I watercolored one flower that had been cut from Canson XL watercolor paper with Stampin' Up!'s retired Berry Burst ink and also used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on some of the yellow centers. I used a splatter stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Awesomely Artistic and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets with Soft Sky ink to apply a controlled splatter to the background. I layered my flowers and leaves under and on top of the frame using foam adhesive tape and the same Neenah cardstock for my card base. I just loved the sentiment of "At Last" from Stampin' Up!'s And Many More stamp set and added that - stamped in black - on the side of the frame, per both the sketch and Kay Miller's card. I added a few sequins to catch the light and I was done.

This is a very different type of graduation card, but I think "Daughter #4" will like it (FYI, I have 2 daughters, but 3 other girls who are best friends with my daughters who my husband and I refer to as "#3, #4, and #5" - we love them all).