Flowing Flowers Quick and Beautiful

Gosh, I love this card so much! I created a favorite card layout … you know how much I love a good layout and one that I can cut out quickly. I didn’t have anything cut out in piles ahead of time and so I used a measurement that prevented my having a lot of scrap left over. In fact, the only thing I had left over this time was a skinny strip from the bottom of the sheet.

I know many card makers enjoy the paper crafting and expression in art, and I like that too but the main reason I make cards is to put a letter in the mail. Note Cards don’t give you much room to write and, as much I love Note Cards, I needed A2 cards for catching up this month. I love embossing the front panel of a card base, and it occured to me that embossing the flap of the envelope would be extra fun! What do you think?

And then, I remembered that adorable little bee from Beautifully Happy. Stamped above the Flowing Flowers, and then again after embossing the envelope flap. Wheeeee! I just can’t stop smiling!

Embellishing the panel ….. BEFORE YOU ATTACH IT ….. I used punched pieces of vellum and a sweet little trifolded ribbon piece. Working with 1/8″ ribbon is challenging, but it’s the “swish” I needed up in that corner.

I gotta talk about this white card stock. It’s THICK! I bought a package from Scrapbook.com a few years ago at the recommendation of a friend. It’s really bright white, quite heavy, and of course it has to be Neenah. I went back quickly and bought two more packages. It really makes the difference when attaching the vellum and ribbon with the mini staples.

I have a warning for any of you wanting to emboss with this Little Ladybugs folder: The embossing folder is about 1/16″ too long to put through the Big Shot without being extra careful because it just barely fits through the opening. Embossing the card base and envelope required swinging the folder 90 degrees, and that is when it happened ….. I actually shaved a smidgeon of the embossing folder off on the fold. ***SCREAM*** So, next month I will buy a new one and do a little shaving of the width myself. Someone in the Woodshop will help me, I’m sure.

Okay, so let’s get to the particulars:

Use your Dimensionals to attach this panel to the card face. Add a white panel on the inside of the card for your letter. Emboss your envelope flaps and then stamp the little bee nestled in the bumps of ladybugs.

Yep, I made 18 of these. The white panels are 3-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ which means you get 6 panels per sheet of white cardstock. Cut 1/2″ off the length of the white cardstock, then cut the width down to 4-1/4″, and cut those pieces every 3-1/2″. If you like your stamped panels to snug inside the card face a little tighter, feel free to cut them 4-1/8″, but I didn’t.

Making cards again like this without my darling little Toby there in the Nook with me is very painful. It took me several days of laying the stamps and paper out, and walking away. One day I scored and cut card bases. Another day I cut three sheets of cardstock for the 18 stamped panels. Days went by and I finally embossed the card bases, envelopes, and screamed at myself for cutting my brand new embossing folder! I’m out of practice! I used my Stamparatus to stamp the sentiment on the front panels and went several days without doing anything else. But then the sun came out and the birds returned to the feeders I have outside my window. I picked bright ink colors and got all 18 panels stamped. The sunshine, the birds, and those bright ink colors were just the medicine my grieving heart needed. It’s almost five months without my little sweet boy.