Aloha, all!
A favorite stamp set in the current Stampin’ Up! Mini Catalog is called, Dragonfly Garden. And my favorite image in the stamp set is a group of flowers, growing in a garden, which is exactly what I think of when I want to attract Dragonflies to my garden. Of course, in my perfect Dragonfly Garden, there has to be a pond. But I can make believe there’s one there somewhere.
From One Set of Papers to Another
I began the design for this card with the idea that I was going to use the Dandy Garden Designer Series Paper for he background. And that’s where the planning for this card stopped. I couldn’t quite figure out how I was going to construct the card front with any of the papers in that set. Of course the first thing I started doing was flipping through Pinterest and other online sources for ideas. I saw a card made with one of the beautiful Ornate Layers Dies on not one but three occasions. I’m sure I saw other great ideas, but this die-cut frame was what grabbed me each time I saw it.
The problem with this die and the Dandy Garden papers was that the only designs in the paper that worked with the frame were not a color that I had in mind for this card. But a brand new set of papers was going to work beautifully. The paper set is Butterfly Bijou, and will be available for everyone to see – and purchase! – at the beginning of March.
The sheet of paper that I chose featured three colors that were going to go perfectly with the floral stamp from the Dragonfly Garden Stamp Set: So Saffron, Blushing Bride, and Mint Macaron. This sheet from the Butterfly Bijoy paper set looks just as if someone had done a watercolor wash over a piece of watercolor paper to create the most gorgeous background!
There’s Still a Piece of Dandy Garden Paper In the Card!
Before I put the Dandy Garden Paper away, though, I had to snatch a dragonfly from one of the dragonfly prints. And, no, I did not fussy cut this little cutie. The Dragonflies Punch punched it out of the Designer Series Paper perfectly! Both the large and small dragonflies printed on one of the sheets work with the punch. Unfortunately you can’t punch both dragonflies out at the same time because of the way they are printed. But it’s still easier that cutting those critters by hand!
A Special Happy Birthday
I made this card for a special person, my husband’s aunt. Her birthday is coming up in just a few days. One of her favorite things to do is to walk in a wilderness-type area on the property on which she lives. Certainly there are flowers and birds. But there’s also a large pond and it attracts some beautiful insects including – you guessed it! – dragonflies. I can just see this scene out where she walks.
I found a birthday greeting that I thought would go perfectly with the other elements of this card in the Timeless Tulips Stamp Set. Because I organize my stamps by name, it seems that my two favorite birthday greetings sit right next to one another. One is in Timeless Tropical and the other is the Timeless Tulips. Works for me! I especially like this particular sentiment because of its size. It fits nicely on a 1/2″ strip of cardstock. And I can mat it with a 3/4″ strip of a coordinating color cardstock. In this case I used Mint Macaron, the cardstock I used for the card base for the card. I added two Rhinestone Basic Jewels to give the card a little bling.
The Bottom Line
I love that Stampin’ Up! seems to have been doing more in the way of “natural” designs. That includes its Designer Series Papers as well as its stamp set. I was thrilled with the Dragonfly Garden set with its coordinating Dandy Garden paper set. Then there is the Enjoy the Moment Set featuring seed pods. You’ve seen some work I’ve done with that set here. And now there’s the upcoming Butterfly Bouquet suite. Of all of them right now, the Dragonfly Garden is my favorite. You can click on its picture in the slideshow below and learn more about it and coordinating product in my personal Stampin’ Up! store right now! You will love all the products that go with it.
Whatever you are doing this week with your stamping, I hope you’re having fun with it!
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