Sunny Garden Birthday- SU only card

Hi everyone! I hope this weekend is treating you well. We are having gorgeous weather in our neck of the woods so my family and I are headed off for a day of fun outdoors. Before we leave, I have a card and tag to show you first. The card and tag themselves are rather simple but I used a couple new techniques that I want to talk about just a bit. Let's take a look!
And an angle shot of just the card...
And just the tag alone...
First, I will tell you a little about the materials I used. The lovely print paper is from Sunny Garden DSP. This assortment has grown on me since it came out. You may recognize the patterns in this pack as those used in last year's Cottage Wall DSP. They changed the color scheme to reflect this year's palette. When I first saw it in the catalog, I thought it was rather "meh." I didn't even order it until recently and even then, it was more to challenge myself than anything. Well, these prints are much prettier in person! They look great when used singly or in combination and they really come together well with the coordinate solids. Too much fun!
Another point I want to mention is the line of "stitching" across the middle of the card...where the 2 prints meet. This faux stitching is part of the new In Stitches Jumbo Stampin' Around wheel. As I have talked about before, I unmounted the rubber and then snipped each line of stitching apart for easier access. The Craft & Rubber Scissors we used to use to trim our new stamp sets work well for this job. I used a little Dotto adhesive to adhere the rubber to a clear block. I love the results! The card and tag feature just one of the 6 types of stitching included on the wheel. I stamped it in Poppy Parade on the card and the tag uses it in Blushing Bride. Once I stamped it, I trimmed it by hand because I wanted it thin enough to just sit in the middle of 2 strips that I punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch. You get a totally new look with a tool that isn't even very new, huh?

I stamped my sentiment in Peach Parfait ink onto Whisper White CS and then I trimmed it by hand, just outside the border line that is part of the image. This birthday message is included in the super versatile set called Perfect Punches. Talk about a go-to set! Every image in this set coordinates with a matching punch, making it a very easy set to use on lots of card types. To set off the image, I punched a wide oval from Blushing Bride CS and then mounted those ovals onto a scrap of Poppy Parade CS and hand trimmed again.

The last thing I want to draw attention to is the little cluster of blossoms under my card sentiment. If you follow paper crafting at all, you have probably seen the plethora of 3D flowers and buds that are being done right now. There are several dies and tools out there to produce these rolled blossoms shown here but as you would expect, they are all very pricey and somewhat one dimensional in their function. I like to get several uses out of the tools I purchase.

The flowers I used here are made with an old fav of mine...the SU 1 3/4" scallop circle punch! I cut a free hand spiral (as shown below) and then rolled it with a quilling tool which can be found in most craft stores. You can also very easily use a pair of tweezers. I just happened to have the quilling tool laying around so I used it but it is not a must. After rolling, you secure the blossom with a glue dot and voila! The ones I used here are finished off with a few Real Red brads ( from the Brights brad assortment) and leaves which I punched from a few scraps of Pear Pizazz CS with my new Build A Blossom punch. This punch is way too much fun! I really hope it makes its way back to the catalog next summer. For now, it is available in the Occasions Mini until April 30th so don't miss out. This is a great addition to any paper crafter's tool collection. There are limitless combos for flowers and leaves as well as other shapes for punch art projects. I don't know how I lived without it all these years! The brads are attached to the buds by squeezing just a few drops of Crystal Effects into the very center of the bud and then just poking the unopened brad into the glue. You could also use the Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive here too.
Since this card is a birthday card, I decided a matching gift tag might come in handy. I used scraps from the card to create a simple tag that won't seem so simple when it sets off a wrapped gift alongside the card. I inked up part of the "so happy for you" image from the same named set (included in the Sale A Bration catalog right now!) in Basic Black for the tag but you could also use a happy birthday image here if desired. A length of ribbon (1/4" Pretty in Pink grosgrain) finishes the tag and we are ready to make someone's day!

I think that about sums it up. This is an easier project than it looks to be. Just a little effort on your part can make someone's day very special. Isn't that what card making is all about? ;) Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Edit: I forgot to mention a very important point about this card and a loyal reader immediately noticed the issue. Thanks to Susan for reminding me! :) Mailing these types of 3D flowers can be a problem so you have to choose location for the embellishment very carefully. I would not place flowers like these very close to the top of the card...where it will inhibit the flap of the envelope from closing. Also, if you cut the spiral in the scalloped circle so that the width of the strip is no more than about 1/4", it won't stand up as high. Overall, my recommendation for a card with this type of embellishment would be to give it locally but if you are careful, it could be sent through the mail to someone special. I hope this info helps!