Spring is Just Around the Corner!

Hey there, stampers!

It is almost spring... just 14 more days after today and it will arrive.

Are you ready?  We've had some nice rain the last several days, but today is bright and sunny.  The daffodils have long since bloomed, the almond orchards have popped with white blossoms and the flowering plums are covered in pink, so it seems like spring has sprung here, but probably not in the colder Northwest where many of you live.  If you are still having cold rainy days, hang on because spring and warmer temperatures are on their way!

Here's my "Ode to Spring" in card form.  This is one of the projects we made at a recent event and I think it would be perfect for a spring birthday...

The top photo shows the card closed and the bottom one shows the card opened.  This is a very fun and easy type of card to make... a Z-fold card.  

You start with half of an  8 1/2 by 11 piece of card stock (cut it at 5 1/2).  Score it at 2  1/8 and 4 1/4.  The focal panel that you stamp on is 3 inches by 4 inches and the colored mat behind it is 3 1/4 by 4 1/4.

The skinny panel under the stamped panel (it is yellow in this example) measures 1 7/8 by 5 1/4.

The inside panel is 3 inches by 4 inches.  

Now that we have the measurement out of the way, here are the details on the supplies I used:

Stamp set, including the sentiment, Paint Play, p. 161 of the annual catalog

Card base, Powder Pink card stock

Contrasting skinny panel, So Saffron card stock, embossed with the new Petal Pair embossing folder on page 23 of the Occasions catalog.

Mat for stamped panel, Flirty Flamingo

Ink colors:  Powder Pink, Flirty Flamingo, So Saffron, Soft Suede, and Old Olive

Ribbon, Powder Pink 1/2 inch Finely Woven Ribbon (bottom of page 198 in the annual catalog)

Scalloped Oval, Layering Oval Dies, top of page 214 in the annual catalog.

Punched piece for sentiment is the Pretty Label Punch on page 207 of the annual catalog.

I'm hoping that you'll get out some stamps, ink, and paper and make a few bright and springy birthday cards for those upcoming March, April, and May birthdays.  And even if the weather isn't spring-like, a card like this can bring a breath of springtime to a winter-weary soul.  

Make the week ahead a good one by setting aside some time to be creative.  You'll be happier if you take a "time-out" to play!

Don't forget my March Special.... 17% off your online order of $50 or more when using this Host Code 2X9DKBDC.

Hugs to all,

Susan