Birthday Bouquet

Back again with another August birthday card I just made for the latest Simon Says Stamp (SSS) Wednesday challenge "Midsummer Blues" using Memory Box - yay! It also works for the Watercolor Wednesday Challenge (WWC) where it's All About Occasions #284! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; 

Paper Studio Primary ;

Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb

Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips Birthday

Dies - Memory Box Bella Bouquet & Seaweed Stalks (both retired);

Creative Expressions Hobnail Vase & Queen Anne's Lace (both retired)

Other - Yasutomo watercolors; Honey Bee gems; washi by unk;

Tumbled Glass Distress Ink; Chipped Sapphire Distress pen

This card's another example of starting with one idea and going completely in a different direction.  I had pre-ordered some A Jillian Vance Design slimline dies and they arrived while I was in Arizona. My neighbor kinda groaned taking in my mail with all the crafty deliveries that week - LOL! Anyway, I wanted to use the Slimline Stitched Plaid Background so diecut one in a light blue and formed a cardbase from white on which to mat it. I was going to add some Hero Arts leafy vines but remembered my sister Kari has most of my Hero dies at my satellite studio. Hmm, now what? The SSS challenge asks for Memory Box so I perused my home stash. Found a lovely flower bouquet die - pretty sure I've used it, although I couldn't find a blog post with it. Won't call it NBUS to be on the safe side.

The flower bouquet seemed too delicate for the plaid background so I masked off the card edges, blended Tumbled Glass over it and drew/doodled a frame (had to artfully conceal a boo-boo at the top). Thought I could cut a vase on the Silhouette but then remembered this lovely Sue Wilson vase die - perfect!! Stuck to that package was the package of Queen Anne's Lace dies so they came into the design too. Finally, I wanted a few more greens and guess what - seaweed makes good filler like the weeds the florist pops in!! Used another of the sentiment strips (hand-cutting the flag ends) from Simon Says Stamp to finish.

Thanks to WWC & to SSS for these fun challenges and thanks to you for stopping by! TGIF!!