Easter Blossoms mothers day card

This month's theme over at Make My Monday is Spring and the particular challenge this week is to make a mothers' day card. I've still got my brayer out and have been dying to try the blossom from Easter Blossoms against a vivid spring sky, and I thought it would work well for this challenge. Come and see how it looks:

I've used the brayer/resist technique again, which always makes the image pop. The rubber on the stamp is coloured directly with markers and stamped onto Whisper White card stock a couple of times. I went over the image with a Versamark pen and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. When the water-based ink is brayered over the top, the image resists it.

I've been asked many times for my brayering tips so here they are:
• Make sure your brayer is inked evenly all the way round.
• Don't work directly on a hard surface - a thick pad of paper works for me
• Always start brayering just off the edge of your card stock to avoid harsh lines
• Expect to ink up loads and loads of times and keep blending!

I sponged the edges of my blossom panel with darker ink to emphasise the depth of the sky, then mounted it on White card stock trimmed with the eyelet border punch. A seam binding bow adds to the feminine look and contrasts nicely with the Bashful Blue card base.

Doesn't this sentiment from Petite Pairs made a lovely mothers day message? I used my markers to colour the rubber before stamping and then cut the image out with a 1 1/4" circle punch. A circle cut with a 1 3/8" punch makes a perfect mat for it and I've attached mine with dimensionals.

Here's what you need to make today's card:
STAMPS: Easter Blossoms, Petite Pairs
INK: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist
CARD STOCK: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz
OTHER: Subtles markers, Pear Pizzazz seam binding, Eyelet border punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, versamark pen, clear embossing powder, heat tool
I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.
As part of the Sale-a-bration promotion, here until 31st March, you can choose a free stamp set or set of papers with EVERY £45 you spend. Click here to see all the fabulous Sale-a-bration freebies.


Last week I went to Northern Ireland to attend the funeral of my uncle - and I'm just thinking that the sentiment on my card today could have been his epitaph. He was a much loved and truly christian man and the amount of people paying their respects over the days after his death and at his funeral was phenomenal. Although he died quite suddenly, he had actually been ill with leukaemia for about six years. You never would have known it though: he just cheerfully got on with his life, popping in and out of hospital as if it were a social venue - and of course they loved him there. He was a real character who thoroughly enjoyed the company of others whether young or old, and as well as often instigating gatherings, he was the life and soul of them. He will be missed terribly.

Thank you for visiting me today and letting me ramble on. It's three minute Thursday here tomorrow so if you're looking for a quick card, this is the place to be! Hope to see you then,