Spring Fling Collection Day 1

Thanks for stopping by! Today we’ll begin introducing some new spring products coming to the shop in just a few days! Our Spring Fling collection is filled with pretty things for spring, Easter, and Mother’s Day. We’ll be sharing and showcasing everything over the next two days, and the new products will be available in the shop on Thursday, February 29 at 10am EST.

Youtube Live!

Before we get to everything we have to share with you today, just a heads up that Laurie will be hosting a Youtube Live tomorrow evening via our Youtube channel. Join Laurie Wednesday evening, February 28 at 7pm CST/8pm EST where she’ll be showcasing all of the new products from our Spring Fling. collection. Join us if you’d like to see everything up close! *Note the change of platforms…she’ll be hosting on Youtube again this release instead of Instagram.

Below is a quick look at the new products being showcased today. Click on the links below each product heading for more details and information (sentiments, measurements, etc.), or click HERE to see all of the new products in the shop. (**Please Note: although you can preview the new products in the shop, they will not be available to add to cart or purchase until 10am EST on Thursday, February 29).

BotaniCuts Lilacs & Seagrass Basket die

I’m always excited to welcome a new addition to our BotaniCuts die series! Lilacs are a long-time spring favorite and I’m excited to have these pretty spring blooms in our line-up. These are easy to assemble and fun to color in your favorite lilac shades. Our new Seagrass Basket will be a beautiful container for so many of your favorite blooms, including the new Lilacs! This die was first introduced for a class we taught at Taylored Expressions’ Stamp Joy event last October. So if you attended that event and took the class, you already own this die. After several requests from those that have seen the die we’ll be releasing it as part of our Spring Fling collection.

Click HERE for BotaniCuts Lilacs die info ($22)
Click HERE for Seagrass Basket die info ($24)

You have the option of weaving the basket pieces, or you can opt for a simpler construction of just layering the two pieces. I’ve put together a how-to video that shows these options as well as a couple of fun project ideas…

Spring Snowdrops stamp + stencil and matching die

Another favorite harbinger of spring are snowdrops! We have a pretty new stamp + stencil combo for creating a pretty snowdrop cluster. You can use the coordinating die to cut out the cluster as well as add dimension to the individual blooms.

Click HERE for Spring Snowdrops stamp + stencil info ($22)
Click HERE for Spring Snowdrops die info ($27)

All Occasion Script Sentiments stamp set and matching die

This set will be a great basic you’ll reach for over and over! We’ve had several requests for a basic sentiment set with a contemporary script font, and we’re happy to bring that with this release. This set is filled with sentiments that cover tons of every day occasions. The matching die will allow you to layer these over your designs and add dimension to your projects.

Click HERE for All Occasion Script Sentiments stamp set info ($16)
Click HERE for All Occasion Script Sentiments die info ($27)

Now it’s time to see these products put to work. Let’s get to the projects I have to share with you today, and then there will be links to check out what the team has been up to.

First off I have some BotaniCuts Lilacs projects…

This first card features several of the BotaniCuts Lilacs clusters arranged over a sponged blue background mimicking a blue spring sky! I put together a how-to video for this card that also shows how I color and assemble the lilacs…

Here are some close-ups and details of the card shown in the video…

The Lilacs die has two different stems that can be attached to either of the blossom clusters, giving you design options.
Use the individual leaves to add fullness to bouquets and clusters
Tumbled Glass and Broken China Oxide inks are great blues for making vibrant sky-like backgrounds. A few watercolor splatters always gives an artsy look.

Next up I combined the BotaniCuts Lilacs die with our Square Dance die to create the look of lattice.

Gray kraft (from Cardstock Warehouse) is currently one of my favorite neutral cardstock colors! Here I cut the Square Dance die from this cardstock, then brushed over it with white gauche to give it a white-wash look.
Pull out all your purple inks to sponge onto the Lilac diecuts. Lilacs come in a wide variety of purple shades…from bluish to pink. Using a variety of color makes them even more realistic!
The sentiment here is from our Scripted Sentiments set.

This next project combines the new BotaniCuts Lilacs with our new Seagrass Basket die to create a basket brimming with blooms that I can almost smell! Wouldn’t it be fun to find a lilac scented spray to spritz these with?

Create a basket-shaped card by adhering two baskets together by the bottom tab, the same way as shown in the video above for the gift card holder. Add Disc Magnets for a closure (but not if you’re going to tuck in a gift card as the magnet could damage the magnetic strip on the gift card).
Stamp a sentiment inside, or write a message for your recipient
Diecut the basket from gray kraft cardstock and brush with white gauche for a rustic white-washed look.
The sentiments used here are from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set and matching die.

Next I have several projects using the new Seagrass Basket. These first two projects are close-ups of the projects created in the Seagrass Basket video linked earlier in this post. This first one is the gift card holder…

The basket is a nice size to hold a gift card.
You can either glue the sides of the basket closed to create a pocket, or use a piece of twine tied around the handle to secure it closed. (You’ll want to avoid using magnets if you have a traditional gift card with a magnetic strip as the magnets could damage the card).
Our Garden Tub Filler die is a great way to quickly and easily fill up the basket.
The sentiment used here is again from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set, stamped onto the oval label included with the Seagrass Basket die.

This next project is a close-up of the easel card shown in the Seagrass Basket video

Here again I used the Garden Tub Filler die to fill up my basket. This time I used two diecuts – one I left intact and the second one I snipped apart and tucked in the pieces for more fulness.
Use some of the tiny blooms from our BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix die to add extra interest to the greenery.
The A2 Arches die was used here as a background behind the basket.
Pop-up easel cards are a super simple way to create an interactive and pretty display-able card.

Up next I’m sharing a set of four-season cards using the Seagrass Basket die paired with other dies from our line. There’s something for every season! I mentioned above that the Seagrass Basket was initially designed for a class I taught at Taylored Expressions’ Stamp Joy event. I made these cards to showcase at the event. The sentiment used on each of these was a stamp that was included in the class kit. While we aren’t making this sentiment available, you can easily swap it out for something from your sentiment collection. Several of the sentiments from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set fit on the basket label.

First up is the Spring version which was filled up with our BotaniCuts Pussy Willow…

My summer basket is filled with BotaniCuts Geraniums…

We have BotaniCuts Apples for fall…

And finally, for winter I used a mix of Botanicuts Juniper and Big Branches: Pine…

Have fun and get creative with all of the things you can fill your baskets with!
A set of seasonal thank you cards would make a fun gift. Create a boxed set using our Stationery Box die!
Keeping the layout the same from card to card makes these easier to mass produce and allows you to be creative with the basket contents without feeling the need to create a new/different card layout each time.

Next I have several cards using our new Spring Snowdrops set.

This first one is an elegant Easter card…

Our Cathedral die is always a great go-to for creating traditional Easter cards.
Use the coordinating Cathedral stencil to add some color behind the window diecut.
I always love lots of white for Easter cards, but a pop of color like the yellow ink sponged behind the window makes this card feel like a sunny Easter morning!
Layering the individual diecut blooms over the Snowdrop cluster adds lot of dimension.
The sentiment used here is from a new set we’ll be showcasing tomorrow called Easter Morning Sentiments. I stamped it here onto vellum, heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Next up is a pretty springy card using Spring Snowdrops…

Flowers with white blooms (like snowdrops) always present a little bit of a challenge! Here to keep my blooms white, but also add some interest, I stamped the bloom details using the stamp set onto vellum, then diecut them using the individual blooms die included in the Snowdrops set.
Bend and curl the bloom diecuts slightly to add dimension and interest. Adhere them with just a dot of liquid adhesive at the top of the bloom, leaving the bottom portion un-attached so they can curl pop out a bit.
Our Pathway stencil is a fun way to create some rocky ground for the snowdrops. I masked off the stencil so I could sponge ink over just select areas. Add shading with a colored pencil and some watercolor splatters to complete the look.

For my next card I wanted a more vibrant look, so I layered my snowdrop cluster over a bright coral background!

I love creating window cards. This is easy to do by diecutting a window from the card front (our A2 Arches die was used here) and then adding a sheet of clear transparency to the inside of the card.
Create some “dirt” by using a scissors to trim a wavy edge to a strip of cardstock. Then sponge it with dark brown and black inks and add some white ink splatters.
For fuller snowdrop blooms, diecut the “just the blooms” and stack a few layers. Here I used both pink and white vellum and layered them over the Snowdrop base. Bend the petals for dimension!
The hello sentiment was cut using our Typed Greetings die.

Next I wanted to create a pair of Snowdrop cards with a more rustic feel. I’m loving gingham lately, so I pulled out my Square Dance die and stencil set to pair with the snowdrops…

Create an easy gingham background using the Square Dance die and matching Square Dance Stencil
Create a matching envelope with a gingham flap using our Flappable stencils and envelopes.
To create white snowdrop blooms onto a colored background, use the stencil included in the set with white texture paste.
You can stamp onto texture paste once it’s dry! Here I stamped the bloom details using pale blue ink once the paste was dry.
Our Macrame Borders & Tassels die is fun for adding textural details. Cut from gray kraft cardstock and paired with the gingham, it resembles pretty table linens!
The “wood” strip along the bottom of the kraft card was cut using the Curio: Cover die.

Last but not least, a slimline card filled to the brim with pretty Snowdrop blooms. Perfect for a spring wedding card!

Give the snowdrop blooms a soft look by sponging them with pink ink using the stencil included in the set, then layer diecut vellum blooms over the top. I heat embossed the bloom details by stamping onto the vellum using versamark ink and white embossing powder.
Two Snowdrop clusters can be stacked to fill a slimline base. The Crimped Slimline die was used here as my background.
Add some gems for a little sparkle, perfect for a wedding card.
The pretty sentiment here is from the Scripted Sentiments set.

That wraps up my projects for today, but there’s more to see from the team!

Inspiration Team Blog Hop & Giveaway

Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action on my projects, you can hop along to see more projects from the Inspiration Team!

We’ll be giving away TWO $50 gift cards for today’s blog hop.

Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person).
Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ blogs for more entries (linked below – one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close Wednesday, February 28 at 11:59pm EST
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Thursday, February 29 here on the blog

Now for more the team blog links…