Hop into Spring!...

It's my pleasure to welcome you to this month's Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop! If you've hopped over from the fabulous Carla Bazehow's Carla's Scraps, you're right at the beginning of the Hop as I'm stop number 1! We hope you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for papercrafted creations showcasing all that Stampin' Up has to offer. Should you hop off course, simply click on any links in the Pals Hop Line-up below and you'll be back on track! We're thrilled to have you visit and please feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like telling us what you think of our Spring and Easter-themed Hop...there are 18 blogs in all. Happy Hopping!


To view an image up-close, please click on the photo.

For my Hop project today, I decided to keep things simple with a very "springy" Easter card. I wanted to try to see what I could do with my Big Shot, and I hope you enjoy the results. For this card, I began with the idea of a springtime basket. This is actually very easy to do if you have a little patience. I started with a regular folded greeting card base (in lovely So Saffron) and sketched the shape of a basket, leaving a fold at the very top of the basket to allow for the card to be all one piece. Next, I sketched out a window in the front panel of my card base, using a hobby knife to cut it away. (Bean Tip: Don't worry if your cutting isn't perfect...what you put in the basket will hide any minor flaws!)
To simulate a "woven" basket, I traced the bottom shape of the basket onto two more pieces of So Saffron and cut one in horizontal strips and one in vertical. Before gluing them to my card base, I sponged on a bit of So Saffron Classic Dye Ink along the edges of each strip for some shading. When it came time to glue down the strips, patience did come in handy (but again, it didn't have to be perfect)--any pieces that stuck out a bit were simply trimmed away!
Next, I broke out the Big Shot and the Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die, and I zipped through a few pretty spring colors, layering each bloom twice for extra petally goodness. I also ran some Kiwi Kiss with the terrific Birds & Blooms Sizzlit to make some leaves. To finish off these cute flowers, I first ran some Close to Cocoa Cardstock through with a Textured Impressions folder before punching out circles. I "arranged" my daisies in the basket, gluing them to each other to hold it together.
For my sentiment, I wanted a little sign that I could poke into my arrangement. I used the Lots of Tags Sizzlit for a nice shape and stamped my sentiment. To match the Soft Sky background on the inside of the card, I sponged a bit around the edges. To make the "signpost," I just cut a long, thin strip of cardstock and folded it in half to give it a little more sturdiness. Finally, I tied on a bit of organza ribbon. Happy Spring & Easter to you!
BEAN NOTES: (Unless otherwise noted, all materials are Stampin' Up)** Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment) Stamp; Close to Cocoa and So Saffron Classic Dye Ink; So Saffron, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Soft Sky, Almost Amethyst, Barely Banana, Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, and Pretty in Pink Cardstock; Sizzix Flower Daisies #2 Bigz, Lots of Tags Sizzlit, Birds & Blooms Sizzlet Dies; Sponge Dauber; 5/8" Circle Punch; Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder; Green Organza Ribbon (generic) HAPPY BEANS: Hobby Blade, Big Shot
**To order these or any other current Stampin' Up products, please email me HERE.

More inspiring ideas await you at Mike Funke's Stampin'-Style, stop number 2 on the Pals Hop. Hop on over and see Mike's very cool and creative ideas. Thanks for "hopping" by!

Regina Mangum -- You're Here!
Mike Funke -- Stampin-Style
Martha Stewart -- Seasons of Stamping
Anne Beale Yancey -- Mukibug
Liz Hughes -- DIY Paper Creations
Mary Fish -- Stampin' Pretty
Jason Casper -- Jason's Stampin' Pad
Melanie Collins -- Oops a Daisy
Kris Kilcoyne -- Kween Bee Kreations
Tricia Gillam -- Soul Stamper
Barbara Furlong -- The Love of Stamping
Gina Shaw -- Cards by Gina
Kim Lampone -- Stamp, Scrap, Get Kreative
Debbie Pierce -- Stampin' Sunshine
Ann Schach -- The Stampin' Schach
Kalshelia Lloyd -- Stampin' Fabulousity
Lourdes Torres -- Cozy Crafty Corner
Carla Bazhenow -- Carla's Scraps