Papertrey Ink has a variety of challenges up at the moment and I found one of them irresistible, where they ask to combine a couple of different floral stamp sets and create a bouquet on a card. You can find the post here. You know I like my florals 🙂 Here’s what I came up with:

It’s a similar card to the one I shared previously, with a Soft Stone base and pops of colour against the white panel, on the loosely put together floral arrangement. It’s what I feel most comfortable with. What I don’t feel comfortable with is how whenever I create a PTI - oriented card, I find my stash outdated and inadequate. Funny how I seem to have quite a few stamp sets, cardstock and inks, but the stamps, if any, I acquire always after long months of eyeing them, when the rest of the stamping community regards them as old and boring and happens to sell their personal stash for half the price. LOL
I always think of my American friends, I hope you know how lucky you are because what we get horrendous international shipping prices slammed on, you get with an achievable option of free shipping. Although it’s a good exercise in rationalism, being able to sieve through tons of product out there and picking only the rare gems that I truly know I will love and get a good mileage from 🙂

All in all, I hope you like the card. All supplies listed below, except from the Botanical Silhouettes stamp set which I believe was an exclusive Anniversary set and no longer available through their store. Peace out!

It’s been a confusing couple of months, craft-wise. I had my fingers itching more than once; I’ve been pulling out paper, stamps, touching them, but never actually stamped. I did enjoy the freedom of having more family time, I sent my older girl to school for prep year (which she’s loving!) and was more at peace with the attention I devote to my two little turkeys, and one big one 🙂
At the same time, my heart bled watching the first WPlus9 release of 2015 being another smashing success, knowing that this time it’s without me and that it was my conscious decision to make it so. I also turned down a few *amazing* Design Team inquiries, which honestly were some of the hardest decisions I ever made. There are certainly many perks of being in the midst of an action, so to speak, but life is about choices and I think I made mine wisely.

Last night I poured myself a drink (for encouragement purposes) and attempted a card. I LOVED it. I’m relieved to know that I still have it, because for someone who crafted like a mad person for years, I’ve gone a bit rusty for sure.
I based my card loosely on the inspiration from ric#77 (below) and went with the style I’ve been most comfortable with last year, using some of my favourite stamps and dies. Hope you enjoy 🙂

Inspiration:

I started by die cutting the ferns with the Hero Arts Palm die and sponging it with WPlus9 Lake House & Nautical Navy inks. I stamped the flowers from SSS / Mama Elephant Summer Garden set on a piece of old Teresa Collins patterned paper and fussy cut them. I do actually own the matching dies but I wanted to border to show around the petals.
I arranged them in a cluster on a white cardstock panel, along with the fern. I then placed the sentiment across the left side, mixing the WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello die with the matching stamp set. Lastly I die cut the branch from dark grey cardstock, with WPlus9 Foliage Frame die and tucked it behind the cluster. The panel was adhere to the PTI Soft Stone card base.

I will see if I can make it with another post sometime soon. Would it be selfish to say that my mailbox has been missing receiving blog comment notifications somewhat fiercely? *wink*