Warning: this is a long post. I had so much that I wanted to say about this card and I just kept going! So, grab a coffee or some other beverage and read on. 😎
I recently got the Pansy Dies, and once they were here I just had to play with them. Since the days are longer, nice and sunny, and getting warm, it seems like the right time to be thinking ahead to purchasing outdoor flowers. I don’t typically include pansies in my purchases, but I do enjoy seeing them in other garden displays. A brief side-note… I remember when I traveled to The Netherlands for work several years ago. I was there in the middle of November, otherwise known as “stick season” in Vermont when all of the plants have died or gone dormant. So I was caught off guard when I saw some employees planting pansies outside the front of the hotel I was staying in. Planting pansies outside in November! My mind was blown. 😮
I spent some time looking online at pictures of pansies and found LOTS of different colors for these pretty flowers (the internet is a great resource for finding colors in nature). I replicated several of them that I loved, and here are the pansies that I created:
I used this recent card sketch as the inspiration for my card layout. I used a stack of the large, Basic White diecuts from the Seasonal Layers dies instead of the rectangle focal image on the sketch. I colored it with the amazing Blending Brushes in a color that coordinates with the diecut pansy to soften it a little bit. Then I diecut a circle from the Stylish Shapes in a coordinating green, cut it in half and used the halves to extend the focal layer.
Some of the parts that I used for these cards are on the retirement list and will not be available for long (if they aren’t already sold out). I used So Saffron cardstock for the purple and yellow flower that I featured at the top, as well as the edge of the front petals on the rust/yellow pansy, and that’s one of the retiring colors. Other colors that I used on these various pansies that are retiring are: Blushing Bride, Pacific Point, and Rich Razzleberry. The Seasonal Layers dies are already sold out, and no longer available. If there’s something that you want, you can shop the Last Chance list here.
The Stamparatus is another item that was on the retiring list that has already sold out. I have a tip that I want to share that features the Stamparatus, but if you couldn’t get one before they were gone you can use another stamp positioning tool or some other device you have that has raised edges and a 90° corner. You can’t tell from the picture, but I used strips of the striped patterned paper on the sides of the card. The mind assumes that it’s a full piece across the front of the card, but I’m frugal and I use strips instead to save paper. This tip that I’m sharing is to help get the edges of the patterned paper to line up with the edges of the card base. The Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue is perfect for this task so you have a little time to adjust the paper position to get it just right.
Place the card base in the corner of the Stamparatus so that the top and left edge are flush with the sides of the tool. I used a magnet on the bottom right of the card to keep it from shifting while I worked.
Put some Tombow liquid glue on one of the patterned paper strips and place it on the left edge of the card base. Use the top and left “walls” of the Stamparatus to align the edges of the patterned paper with the edges of the card base.
Turn the card base so that the top is on the left edge of the Stamparatus, and the right edge is against the top “wall”. Note: I do this so that the top of the patterned paper strips are both aligned with the top of the card. This way if the patterned paper is a little long (or the card base is) I can trim in the same spot for both pieces.
Put some Tombow liquid glue on the second patterned paper strip and place it on the right side of the card base – which is across the top of the Stamparatus. Use the top and left “walls” to align the edges of the patterned paper with the edges of the card base.
There you go – easy peasy way to get things to line up!
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