Garden Goodness is one of those stamp sets that doesn’t always get a lot of attention. Because I love any stamps with Fruits or Vegetables, it was a must have for me.  I brought it along on a group craft retreat I was on just before our “shelter in place” started!  On our retreats, we always have a “group project” we work on. It is usually a sampler because some of us are card makers and some of us are scrapbookers. And a sampler fits everyone’s skills and supplies!  While I don’t really understand this, some people use things other than Stampin’ Up! Who knew?

For this trip, the project was to make a sampler with a “vegetable” theme. So, of course I packed Garden Goodness as well as Slice of Happiness. And along with those, some retired DSP I thought would be great for a vegetable theme project. Here is the sampler we made:

My contribution were the peas and the artichokes patches. But the “patch” that intrigued me was my friend Jayne’s Bell Peppers in Pumpkin Pie and Crushed Curry. Are they gorgeous? That was the inspiration for my card. I have been trying to make cards that I could send to friends stuck at home during our “Shelter In Place” time. So, the sentiment from Garden Goodness was perfect. Then I wanted to use the Basketweave 3D Folder for the background. That seemed to be perfect for a vegetable themed card. I kept it all colorful with a Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie pepper on a Pear Pizzaz Background.

So, there you have it. A bright, cheery card ready to send to someone to brighten up their day and let them know I am thinking of them. Just what a hand made card should do! And the project? It’s is now in a shadowbox frame and proudly hanging in  my kitchen, where it makes me smile!  Didn’t everyone do a fabulous job?

Stampin’ Tip – Adding some texture to a card really helps when you are not using embellishments or DSP. A 3-D Embossing Folder makes detailed, deep designs that give your card a rich look. And a stitched, die cut circle is always going to stand out more than a plain circle.

What I Used To Make This Card: 

This is not a joke! Ornate Garden Suite is finally here! Its a sneak peek set that will be in the 2020-2021 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, but for the month of April, you can buy the entire suite of products! Choose the bundle and get everything or just pick what you want. You have choices in beautifully designed papers, stamps, dies, ribbons and embellishments that we can enjoy crafting with for hours! Such happiness!

I have to say Ornate Garden is the complete opposite of the look I usually like in stamps and papers. There have been lots of die sets in the catalog with very intricate, ornate die cuts and I just passed over most of them. Certainly, they are all beautiful. But it wasn’t until this set was previewed to Demonstrators last month that I finally decided, “this one I want”.

My card today is fairly simple for a suite of products this “ornate”. But I think that is one of the things I love about the suite. You can be as ornate or simple as you like. Its all a matter of layering with this suite. In this case, I love the paper so much, I wanted to keep the sentiment and layering frame small so the paper could be highlighted.

The DSP layered with the detailed frame and the sentiment die cut with a stitched rectangle, it gives the card a vintage, handmade look I really like. The narrow Old Olive ribbon from the suite sets it off. And the sentiment is perfect for sending to friends to let them know you are thinking of them during these trying times when we can’t see each other like we used to!

I invite you to take a look at the suite today! I am sure you will love everything you see! Click on the image below to learn more.

What I Used To Make This Card:

Next Month’s Paper Pumpkin is Perfect For Sending Encouragement And Love to Family Far Away During These Trying Times. Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe by April 10th. 

I love this card because I finally got to make something using Mango Melody! The paper from Tropical Oasis DSP was just the thing I needed to showcase this wonderfully bright color which looks perfect for tropical theme designs.

I also wanted to do a small “collage” of items to set off the small sentiment. I like finding something “soft” to add with the “hard” items like card stock and embellishments. The Whisper White Crinkled Ribbon is great for the “soft” part. And was it a problem this ribbon is white? Not at all! It can be easily colored using a Stampin’ Blend!

After re-coloring, I wanted the ribbon to really pop and using a strip of card stock is a perfect way to do that. The sentiment was die cut with a die from Ornate Frames. But it wasn’t staining out, so I took another die from the set and die cut it in Old Olive card stock to pop the sentiment.

Some die cut leaves from the In the Tropics Dies along with a Tropical Oasis Trinket and sticker from the Tropical Oasis Memories & More pack were arranged with a scrap piece of the ribbon. You can see I kept the collage small and compact. This allows the beautiful DSP to show.

Stampin’ Tip: You can recolor any ribbon using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. I recommend testing a scrap to make sure the color blends well. Then, always start with the lightest color in the Stampin’ Blend and color using the side of the brush tip. Keep your strokes long and even. Let the ribbon air dry a bit. If you think you need a second coat of ink, go back and try it on your scrap.The crinkled ribbon in this sample was colored with one coat of the light Stampin Blend in Mango Melody. 

What I Used To Make This Card: