Flowers, A Frame and A Smile :)

Welcome to my first blog post...

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I don't know about you but I spend a lot of time (maybe too much) watching YouTube videos, browsing Instagram and checking out the Facebook groups for beautiful card ideas.  Bing........ I see something, I must have it! Can you relate?

This particular a-ha moment involved the amazing Honey Bee Stamps Zen Bouquet set.  I had to have it.  So versatile, so fun to color.  I could hardly wait.  Fast forward to delivery day and then the day I get to play.... screeeeeeeech....wait I can't make cards that look like the other beautiful cards I have seen online.  I need to stretch myself and make my card not someone else's.  Sound familiar?  

I started by gathering the layers of the card which include:

• 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white 100lb cover card base
• 4"x 5 1/4" gold mirror card stock
• 3 7/8" x 5 1/8"white 100 lb cover , embossed with the Gemstone Next Level Embossing Folder by We R Memory Keepers
• Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper large enough to die cut the tag.  
• Center oval of tag for sentiment
• scrap gold mirror card stock for smile die.

I created the frame by die cutting the Anastasia Tag die out of Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper.  I then placed it in the MISTI with the large Zen Floral Stamp and stamped the image with Versa Fine Onyx Black ink.  It was a Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker kind of day :)

After I finished coloring I popped the frame up on the embossed panel with some Scotch foam tape and then went on to give this card a message that would brighten anyone's day.

I took the center cut oval of the tag die cut and stamped the sentiments from the Smile Stamp set once in Delicata Gold Ink and then ghost stamps in the VersaFine Onyx Black Ink.  I used the MISTI to create the ghost stamping technique completely by accident.  I had decided I wanted the black instead of the gold.  A happy oops happened and yay :) ghost stamping that looks terrific. 

I balanced the stamped sentiment with some flowers from the stamp set.  The sweet Smile die, also from Honey Bee, die cut in gold mirror cardstock is a great finishing touch for any card.

Supplies

• Zen Bouquet Stamp set, Honey Bee Stamps
• Smile Honey Cut, Honey Bee Stamps
• Smile Stamp set, Honey Bee Stamps
• Anastasia Tag Die set, wPlus9 
• Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
• GEMSTONE Next Level Embossing Folder, We R Memory Keepers 
• MISTI, My Sweet Petunia
• Gold Mirror Paper, Bazzill Paper
• 100 lb Cover Cardstock
• Foam Tape, Scotch