Last week a friend loaned me The Greetery's  Botanic-cut: Morning Glories. I had a lot of fun ink blending the flowers and assembling them. I ended up making three sets of them, and die cut a couple more from white for later. I chose the purple ones for today's card knowing that would work for the Double D Color Challenge. You can use one of more of the colors in the Inspiration Board.

I also decided to give the trellis card design a try. I originally saw it on Bibi Cameron's blog, but since then several card makers have used the design as well. Everyone's is just a bit different. 

Cutting the strips off the card front is the first challenge. I used five as shown in Bibi's blog, but I think next time I'd try four instead.

Luckily, I had a die cut sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio's Farm Fresh stamp and die set which fit on the top section perfectly. Most of the cards I've seen elsewhere have stamped their sentiments on one or more of the slats on the trellis. Although I didn't photograph the card standing up, it does stand up easily and looks great.

In addition to the Double D Challenge, I'm sending this on the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes, and to the Triple B Challenge: Birds, Butterflies and Blooms where using their Inspiration Board is totally optional as long as you use 1-3 birds, butterflies and blooms. It's my first time playing along with the Triple B Challenge and I opted not to use the Inspiration Board this time around.

I had just enough time yesterday to pull out two new products from The Greetery to create a card for The Flower Challenge. The prompt this time is "Use Your Favorite Flower," and the link closes later today. 

I have lots of faves, but the hibiscus is right on top of the list. Typically in the summer I have one in a pot on my patio. This year I wasn't able to find one the right color and also the right size, so I'll have to settle for now for the new Botani-cut, Hibiscus, from The Greetery. 

I must say I'm quite impressed with how easily these dies are to assemble. I die cut them from Spellbinders white Specialty Flower cardstock. It has an interesting texture, but is very easily shaped to produce more 3-D like flowers. After die cutting them, I used some Pinkfresh Studio inks to ink blend each of the pieces and then assembled each flower. The background is also one of the new products from The Greetery–the Woven Cane Background die. I must say die cutting this makes quite a mess, but I knew I'd love it. We have several caned chairs that I inherited from my great-aunt's home which I love.  

I added the Woven Cane Background to a white card base and then arranged the florals. The foiled circle sentiment is from one of the Pinkfresh Studio collections of premade sentiments and fit perfectly tucked in with the flowers. 

This is also another entry to Darnell's NBUS June Challenge! I'm doing a better than average job of using new (or old and unused) products.

As you know, I enjoy playing along with different card challenges. It's not often, however, when the challenges align with my need for specific cards. Usually I add the card I've made for a challenge in my box of cards "to send" without anyone particularly in mind. This week, however, there were challenges for three cards I needed to make. First off, Maddy's birthday card. Her birthday isn't until July 7th, but Matt and his family left for a three week vacation yesterday so we celebrated here before they left. I made a very summery birthday card which fits for Addicted to Stamps: Birthdays and The Four Seasons Challenge: Summer.

I've had these popsicles dies from My Favorite Things since last summer, and this is the first time I've put them to use. I added clay sprinkles to the middle one, and some glittery sugar to the other two.

I had a harder time deciding how to design the card but settled on an old dotted embossing folder by Cuttlebug and a Stitched Rectangle (Simon Says) layered on a Raspberry Fizz card base. The sentiment is also from My Favorite Things, Every Flavor of Happy. This card is also going to Darnell's June NBUS for never before used stamps and dies!

Next up is an anniversary card for dear friends. CAS on Friday's current challenge is Love–just perfect. 

This card came together quickly thanks to a box filled with envelopes of already die cut or stamped elements. I already had the red embossed panel (Honey Bee Pierced Fluttering Hearts) with the circle cut out of it, and the sentiment banner, so it was just a matter of finding a piece of black and white striped paper (My Favorite Things) and die cutting a red heart. I used my Gina K Master Layout 1 dies to create the layers for the white card base.

I like this card enough that I'll probably use the design again.

Finally, Shopping Your Stash has an interesting challenge right now called Sentimentally Yours. They're looking for cards where the sentiment is the focus. Our beloved Music Director and organist at our church is retiring at the end of June. I thought this older Papertrey Ink stamp, Year of the Psalms: February was perfect for my note of appreciation and thanks.

After embossing the sentiment in silver on watercolor paper, I taped off the edges and watercolored an ombré panel in blue. I layered that with a thin border and added it to a navy card by Memory Box which has a white interior perfect for writing a note.

There are a couple more challenges out there that match my card needs, so I'll be back in a day or two with some other offerings.