Introducing NEW! Birds & Blooms Anniversary Set

I am very excited to introduce our annual anniversary set to you today, Birds & Blooms!

Whimsical wreaths and birds on branches in bloom are the focus of this new set.  It only takes four quick and easy steps to a multi-colored layered wreath image that will amaze you with its beauty and detail.   The elegant grace of the branch and the mix & match options for floral additions to it are user-friendly as well.  Not to mention the adorable little birds and their nest, which can be nestled into the wreath or the branch.  All of these things make this set a versatile collection that you will turn to again and again!

This set is a limited edition set, meaning that it will only be available for exactly one year (February 15th, 2013 through February 15th, 2014).  This set is exclusive for purchase with Rewards Points only, it cannot be purchased with cash.  Birds & Blooms can be yours with the redemption of 24 Rewards Points, beginning tonight at 10pm EST.  As I highlighted abit earlier, it will be available for a year, so you have plenty of time to save up your points and earn this set!  Have questions about our reward points system?  You can check out this page HERE or contact Customer Service for details.

Let me show you a few things I have created with Birds & Blooms!

I could hardly wait to ink up the wreath elements and see if they translated onto paper as well as I hoped when I designed the set!  I wish you could have been present when I first lifted the stamp from my paper after stamping the leaf layer, I was giggling like a school girl!  

The leaf layer in particular for the wreath is very detailed.  With tiny stitched leaves and a variety of sizes and shapes to each branch, you hardly need to add anything else to your project except for the companion floral layers of the wreath!  I stamped the leaf layer in Ripe Avocado, then added the largest floral layer in Scarlet Jewel, allowing myself to stamp twice before re-inking for a shadow effect.  I then added the tiny hydrangea-like floral layer in Autumn Rose, again stamping twice.  Last is the rosebud layer in Sweet Blush.  The sentiment was stamped in Dark Chocolate, right across the middle of the wreath.

All of these elements were stamped onto a Mega Mat Stack 5 die cut from Vintage Cream cardstock.  I softly swiped the edges with the Tea Dye Duo.  For a little unique touch, I adhered just the sides of the die-cut down with foam tape, allowing it "bow" upwards in the middle a bit for dimension.  Two small flags of Scarlet Jewel bitty dot paper were adhered to either end for balance.

The Sweet Blush layer on the card front was impressed with the Tiny Types Impression Plate.  Everything was adhered to a Classic Kraft card base.

Now for something really bold and bright!  I thought it would be fun to experiment with the wreath as an accent on either side of a card front and this is what I came up with!  I just LOVE this card and how it really gives another whole use for the  wreath image!  I stamped the leaf layer in New Leaf, then added the largest floral layer in Raspberry Fizz.  I then added the hydrangea floral layer in Orange Zest.  Last is the rosebud layer in
Limeade Ice. 

The Headline Alphabet letters were die-cut from Stamper's Select White cardstock and stamped with the coordinating images using Raspberry Fizz ink.   I adhered them in place with small bits of foam tape. The companion sentiment underneath (from Over Under Easy) is stamped in True Black.

I cut strips of Orange Zest striped paper to create an accent on either side of the card.

Everything was mounted onto a bold Limeade Ice card base.

Now to transition into a softer pastel project, a little something for the bride & groom.

Oe of my favorite details in this set is the two-step nest.  There is a solid layer to stamp first, then a detailed line-drawn nest to go on top in a darker color.  I did this with Fine Linen & Classic Kraft here.  There is even a little stamp to add three eggs to the next, which I did here in Aqua Mist.  The adorable little birdies are stamped in Harvest Gold and Melon Berry, with a tiny heart at the top of the stack in Sweet Blush.  I added a touch of Prisma Glitter to the heart with a 2-way glue pen.

I added varying stripes of Sweet Blush, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold and Aqua Mist to the Classic Kraft card base.  I punched small notches on either side of the card to add button twine and tie it in a bow around the card.

Note that the focal point was stamped onto a piece of Vintage Cream cardstock that was die-cut with one of our popular Half & Half dies.

My next project goes back to the wreath again!

This time the layers were stamped in Simply Chartreuse, Lavender Moon, Winter Wisteria and Spring Rain.  I added a few adhesive pearls for some texture.  All of this was stamped onto Vintage Cream cardstock.

The sentiment was added using Charcoal Palette ink.  One of the little birds was added on top of the sentiment with Spring Rain ink.

The four corners of the cream layer were notches with a circle punch.  Everything was adhered to a Winter Wisteria card base.

My next project is something I really had fun experimenting with different color schemes.  I ended up with a beautiful mix of Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Pinefeather and Sweet Blush!  To begin the design, I die-cut the Aqua Mist cardstock with the Card Base-ics #1 die and followed up with impressing it with the Picnic Plaid impression plate.

I stamped the branch image repeatedly onto Aqua Mist card front using Pinefeather ink.  Then I heat embossed with Blush Zing! powder on VersaMark stamped flowers.  Hawaiian Shores & Berry Sorbet were used to add more layers of blooms.

In the center of the card, the tabs of the card front hold a white layer stamped with one of the frames from Label Basics in Hawaiian Shores.  I added the "Hello" from Birds & Blooms in Berry Sorbet and the companion sentiments in Pinefeather.  The little bird was stamped in Sweet Blush.  I cut out three small flowers and accented the corner of the frame.  Before I adhered them, I added tiny leaves stamped in Pinefeather.

Everything was mounted onto a Berry Sorbet card base!

For my last project today, I thought I would focus on a one layer card.

I stamped the sentiment first in True Black, then taped a strip of typing paper over it to use as a mask.  I stamped the branch image and several of the leaf images in Ripe Avocado.  

I used a sponge dauber to add an extra thick layer of Ripe Avocado right along the edge of the mask for added definition.  When I was done with that, it needed something else to define the sentiment area, so I stamped a single line from Faux Ribbon in Terracotta Tile at the top and bottom.

Flowers were added in Terracotta Tile, Orange Zest and Berry Sorbet.  The bird was stamped in Berry Sorbet and added just above the sentiment.

As a final note, I just wanted to add (cause I know you'll ask!) that there is not a die collection being released for this set in February.  However, we will eventually be releasing dies for Birds & Blooms in the near future.  Also, the Design Team will be showcasing this limited edition set with additional projects a bit later on in the month!

Thanks for joining me tonight and I hope you enjoyed the projects I presented to you!  We would love to hear your initial thoughts of Birds & Blooms!  Is there a particular project that just *speaks* to you?  What part of the set is your favorite… the wreath, the branch, the birds, the nest or even the sentiments?  I appreciate you stopping by and enjoy the rest of your night!

WITH A GRATEFUL HEART WREATH CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms 
• PAPER: Classic Kraft, Sweet Blush, Vintage Cream, Scarlet Jewel Pattern Pack (bitty dots)
• INK: Ripe Avocado, Sweet Blush, Autumn Rose, Scarlet Jewel, Dark Chocolate, Tea Dye Duo
• OTHER: Tin Types Impression Plate, Mega Mat Stack 5 Die
• FINISHED SIZE: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

BRIGHT & BOLD THANKS CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms, Headline Alphabet, Over Under Easy
• PAPER: Limeade Ice, Stamper's Select White, Orange Zest Pattern Pack (stripes)
• INK: New Leaf, Limeade Ice, Raspberry Fizz, Orange Zest, True Black
• OTHER: Headline Alphabet dies, 
• FINISHED SIZE: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

JUST MARRIED CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms 
• PAPER: Classic Kraft, Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Melon Berry, Sweet Blush
• INK: Classic Kraft, Fine Linen, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Melon Berry, Sweet Blush
• OTHER: 1/4" circle punch, Rustic Jute Button Twine, Half & Half die, Prisma Glitter
• FINISHED SIZE: 4" x 5-1/2"

WISHING YOU WELL CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms 
• PAPER: Vintage Cream, Winter Wisteria
• INK: Simply Chartreuse, Winter Wisteria, Lavender Moon, Spring Rain, Charcoal Palette
• OTHER: pearls (Paper Studio), 5/8" circle punch (EK Success)
• FINISHED SIZE: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

MY DEAR FRIEND CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms, Label Basics
• PAPER: Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Stamper's Select White
• INK: Pinefeather, Berry Sorbet, Hawaiian Shores, VersaMark, Sweet Blush, Fresh Snow
• OTHER: Card Base-ics #1 die, Picnic Plaid Impression Plate, Zing! Embossing Powder (Blush)
• FINISHED SIZE: 4-3/4" x 6"

GRATEFUL HEART BIRD CARD

• STAMPS: Birds & Blooms, Faux Ribbon
• PAPER: Stamper's Select White
• INK: Terracotta Tile, Ripe Avocado, Berry Sorbet, Orange Zest, True Black
• OTHER: sponge dauber
• FINISHED SIZE: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"