Avant Garden

Hello, Crafters.

Just over 24 hours left and we say goodbye to Sale-a-bration (SAB) for another year! 

It's been a great time and the gifts this year have one of the best selections we've ever had!

While I'm disappointed to see SAB go, I'm a perenniel optimist so I always think that when one door closes, another one opens and Stampin' Up! is never short on surprises! 

I surprised myself yesterday working on my swaps - I've made a total of 67 so far! 

Two or three more days and I should be there, including the extras I'm making for my customers! 

I'm planning a video to show how I made my swaps, and if I have time, I'm going to make a stepped-up version to share with you.

I've already made part of it, I just need to finish it off!

The swap video should be uploaded on Sunday 9th April.

If you feel a sense of déja vu with today's card, you'll be right - it's based it on a card I shared here on 29th December 2014! 

Back then the card was my take on a make-n-take we made when we went to the Stampin' Up! 2015 Sale-a-bration Roadshow in Basingstoke in December 2014. 

The SAB stamp set I used back then was called Lotus Blossom, and today's SAB stamp set is Avant Garden. 

Like the 2015 stamp set, today's flowers had to be fussy cut but they were quite straightforward! 

I started my card with a base of Peekaboo Peach Cardstock (CS), with a layer of Whisper White CS and a top layer of Peekaboo Peach CS, which I dry-embossed using the Petal Burst Embossing Folder. 

I adhered all three layers together using Tombow. 

I took a 2¼" strip of Whisper White CS and, using the brush end of my Peekaboo Peach Marker Pen, "drew" some squiggle lines from side to side!

To create the flowers I stamped two stems and four leaves onto Whisper White CS using Old Olive Ink. 

Then I stamped two flowers using Peekaboo Peach Ink, and then again on top of each other! 

This is relatively easy to do because they're photopolymer stamps. 

The double stamping can be omitted; I did it because I wanted my flower heads to be darker than the rest of the Peekaboo Peach colours. 

The stamp set in 2015 was two step stamping so it was easy to achieve the darker colour.

Finally, I stamped the stamens inside the flower heads using Soft Suede Ink. 

Once I'd finished cutting out all the shapes, I adhered in place on the stripe Whisper White paper I'd created. 

I used some Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon and tied a bow around near the base, and then I adhered the strip to the card front using Tombow. 

I took a strip of Whisper White CS that was 7/8" wide and stamped THANKS in Soft Suede Ink from the Thankful Thoughts Stamp Set. 

The design of this card would be suitable for most events e.g. birthdays, get well, etc.

I added three butterflies from the In the Meadow Stamp Set in Peekaboo Peach Ink.

I fishtailed the right hand side, rounded the left hand side, and then adhered it to the card front using Dimensionals.

My finishing touch was to add a piece of Whisper White CS inside the card and I stamped a flower head in the same colours as on the front of the card!

That's it for today! I'm off to my studio now to make the next batch of swaps! Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

JanB.