Sending You Sunshine!

I took all of my 4th of July decorations off the porch and the flags out of the flower pots last Saturday; in Utah we celebrate the 24th of July as well, AND in a patriotic fashion, so I usually keep it up all month long! I replaced all of the porch pillow covers with daisy and bee patterns so I was in that frame of mind when I made today's card!

I'm absolutely in LOVE with the new Dotted Hexagon Stencil Collection and knew the smaller size would be the perfect backdrop for the card I had in mind! I stenciled an A2 panel of Lemon Tart cardstock with Honey Nut ink, but cut it to 5 by 3 3/4 inches later. I wanted to make sure the pattern was straight and even, so I kept it at the standard A2 size just for the stenciling; if you have a better eye, then you could totally skip that step!

Once the background was ready, I set it aside to work on the daisy elements and the bees.  I die cut three bees using the Berry Best Mom die and then stamped them using the Berry Best Mom Mini Stamp Set in black and then added Harvest Gold ink for the stripes with some contrast using Honey Nut ink on one side, blending it out by tapping a blender brush over the top. It really adds some depth and dimension to the otherwise flat looking bees. I used an SU! blending marker (I can't remember the official name) and some Aqua Mist ink to color the wings.

I knew the flowers from the You Are My Happy stamp set would be the perfect size and style for what I had in mind, so I die cut each of the 4 sizes twice (and the leaves) using the You Are My Happy Die. I colored them using Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, and Honey Nut ink. I didn't use the stamps for the leaves, but rather colored them with Simply Chartreuse and Olive Twist ink and a blender brush.

I die cut the "daisy" type flowers and leaves using the Into the Blooms Die and then colored them with Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, and Honey Nut ink. The leaves are colored using the same ink as the small leaves I mentioned earlier. Once all of that was done, it was time to start thinking about a layout. I think I'm stuck in a rut; but I don't mind because it allowed me to use one of the fabulous frames from the Framing Florals Stamp Set ( I used the other one a few weeks ago for THIS card)

I stamped it in Honey Nut ink and then stamped the sentiment on the circle in black ink. I had fun adding flowers, bees, and leaves here and there until I was happy with the arrangement! I layered the focal panel onto a top folding A2 card base using foam squares. I added glitter and sequins to finish off this cheery card! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I wanted to thank you ONCE AGAIN for all of your sweet comments! I can't reply from a PC, and I can't reply on my phone; the ONLY way for me to reply is if I charge my OLD phone and reply to comments that way. It is so old and wonky that it takes FOREVER to leave one reply because it wants to shut everything down every few seconds! It's super annoying! Anyway, I'm not sure what to do, but I DO want you to know I read each and every one and they always make me smile! Thank you!