Flower Power!

Welcome back, everyone!

I'm so happy you are checking out the daily inspiration from our marvelous design team!  I don't know about you, but it always helps me to browse through blogs & see what others are creating.  Sometimes it just sparks an idea for something YOU want to try!

Today, I'm sharing a wedding card with some handmade flowers.  It won't be long before those spring weddings will be here & you will need those beautiful wedding cards!   I love to keep wedding cards on the elegant side and adding flowers always adds so much.  The problem is, the flowers you can buy already made may not always match the shade of paper you are using or they may be far too large for your card. For some reason, pre-made flowers tend to be HUGE!  lol  I used to avoid flowers because I thought they were difficult to make or took too long.  With the Cheery Lynn Miniature Rose die, they are a snap!! Once you make the first one you will be hooked & want to add flowers to everything!! Trust me on this one!

To begin, cut your die, which will include 6 individual petals and the calyx for the bottom. You will want to cut the calyx from green paper as it will be your first layer. I have a photo of the supplies you need for your flowers just below:

You need a soft rubber mat. If you don't have one, you can use your mouse pad! Also, you will need some glue & a stylus. Once you cut your flowers, lay them on the mat, press your stylus into the center & roll around just long enough to make the petal "cup", then set aside. Cup all the petals & the calyx, then put a small drop of glue on the bottom of your first petal & lay it inside the green calyx. Do the same with the remaining petals laying them inside each layer & being sure they are not all exactly on top of each other. You want them spread out so your flower will be more dimensional. When you have the last petal in place, add a small pearl, tiny button or brad or anything you want for your center. You are done! How easy was that!! And how inexpensive!! Why pay $4 or $5 for a package of flowers when you can make your own!

This is a closeup of the  flowers from the finished card which is below.

Here is the completed card with the addition of the flowers I made. I added petals with Memory Box Tiny Tendril.  The happy couple was a stamp from Stampendous & I cut them out with Spellbinders Floral Ovals.  I matted the oval on the Cheery Lynn French Lattice Small Frame and glued that to my cardstock. Oh, and one last tip!  When you are cutting intricate, delicate dies if you put a piece of waxed paper on top of the die between your die & cardstock, the die will just pop out like butter every time!

I also used the Spellbinders Floral Oval to create the inside as well!  I hope this has sparked some ideas for YOUR cards!

I also hope you won't forget to go directly to the Dies R Us store to see what has been happening over there!  WOW, is all I can say!  Last week, we carried 19 brands of dies & already this week we are up to 22 and still counting!  Ladies, do the math!  If you are ordering dies from several companies and paying shipping to all of them, ordering them from ONE company will save you enough money to buy one (or more) additional dies!!  And the service is fantastic! (I started out as a customer!!)

See you next week, I hope!  And don't forget to check in each day to see the amazing cards the other gals will share with you!

Sherri