Dreamy Blues and Bold Blooms

There’s just something so satisfying about taking a few moments in the craft room to let creativity take the lead. Today’s card was one of those happy projects where everything came together like magic—and I got to play with some brand-new goodies that will be available very soon!

The new In Colors Cloud Cover (165621) and Secret Sea (165624) are truly a dreamy duo. These shades of blue are soft yet striking and made the perfect base for this floral-focused card. I paired them with the gorgeous Florals In Bloom Designer Series Paper (DSP) (165175), which offers an array of coordinating elements. I die cut two large flowers using the coordinating Pretty Florals dies (165178) and then fussy cut a leaf from the same floral cluster—yes, it was worth it!

For a bit of added texture, I ran a small panel of Cloud Cover cardstock through the Glass Embossing Folder from the new Glass & Gardens Embossing Folder set (165597). The texture is beautiful—clean, detailed, and just enough to make your elements pop without stealing the show. I can already tell this one’s going to be a go-to!

The card base is Secret Sea in a landscape orientation, topped with a Basic White panel. In the lower right corner, I stamped the “Thinking of You” sentiment from the upcoming The Right Words stamp set (165316) in Secret Sea ink (165285). It’s such a clean and heartfelt sentiment that works beautifully for a card like this.

The layout of this card was inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches #683, and I’m also entering it into A Cut Above’s April Challenge. I love how these challenges help spark new ideas and offer just the right nudge to try different compositions or product pairings.

To build the layout, I added a full-width layer of Secret Sea cardstock above the sentiment and split it with two Cloud Cover panels—the one that was embossed and one not—with a narrow band of Secret Sea peeking between them. On the left, a square of floral DSP provides a pop of pattern, while the embossed right panel features the layered floral die cuts and that sweet little leaf.

And for a bit of sparkle, I added three Rhinestone Basic Jewels nestled in among the flowers. Inside, I mirrored the layout with a Basic White panel matted with Cloud Cover and finished with a striped strip of DSP along the right edge.

Measurements (all in inches):

• Card base – 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, scored and folded at 4-1/4
• 1st layer (Basic White) – 4 x 5-1/4
• 2nd layer (Secret Sea) – 2-3/4 x 5-1/4
• Squares for on top of the 2nd layer (Cloud Cover) 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 – one of the squares is embossed
• DSP layer to go on side that is not embossed – 2-1/4 x 2-1/4
• inside card – Basic White 3-3/4 x 5 and coordinating cardstock (Cloud Cover) 3-7/8 x 5-1/8, strip of DSP 1/2 x 3-3/4

I have a short video showing the creation of this card, step-by-step:

It was such a joy to bring this card to life—and even more fun to test-drive some of the beautiful new products coming soon. I hope this inspires you to take a little creative time for yourself today.

Supplies used: