Summer Blooms by Janet

I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with picnics, BBQs, and good company. Since our family lives far away, we spent the day with some dear friends—friends with benefits. (No, not those kinds of benefits!) The perk? They have an amazing pool and generously invited us over to enjoy it. It was such a fun, refreshing way to spend the holiday!

While the 4th may be behind us, it always feels like the official start of summer to me. So I kicked things off creatively by making a card in classic red, white, and blue. Nothing says summer quite like that bold trio of colors!

I was especially excited to dive into the new and vibrant 6090 - Patriotic Paper Pack. Unlike most of Art Impressions' soft and pastel collections, this one is rich, bright, and full of striking patterns. While I love Ai's paper packs, I really hope we see more paper packs like this one in the future!

I started by creating the iris planter focal point. For the base, I stamped the long, narrow planter from the 5923 - Farmhouse Container Set. To keep things clean, I masked off the top of the planter using Post-It Labeling & Cover-Up Tape (available in the Ai Store). This technique allows the flowers to be added into the planter without any unwanted overlap.

Next, I stamped the row of irises from the 6061 - Tulip Floral Set. Yes, it’s labeled as a tulip set—but there are other blooms in there, including the beautiful irises I used for this card. After stamping, I removed the masking tape to reveal a seamless composition of the planter filled with irises.

For the planter, I wanted a galvanized metal effect, so I used chunky strokes of grey Copic markers to give it a textured, industrial look. The irises were colored using one of my favorite blue Copic combos, and I added greens to the stems for contrast.

To tie in the metallic theme, I heat-embossed a silver sentiment directly onto the planter. It’s a subtle touch that really shines in person—even if the camera doesn’t quite capture it! This close-up shows it off a bit better.

Once colored, I carefully fussy-cut the entire piece—scissors for the edges and a craft knife for the intricate inner cuts. It took some time, but the result was totally worth it. I added foam tape to the back of both the planter and the blooms for dimension and set it aside.

For the background, I selected three coordinating patterns from the Patriotic Paper Pack and layered them with red and blue cardstock. I popped up the center square with foam tape and added the sentiment-embellished piece right on top.

To finish, I scattered a few iridescent flat sequins around the flowers for a touch of shine and sparkle. The final result is cheerful, polished, and full of personality—just the way I like it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Don't forget to find your favorite stamps, dies, and accessories at the Ai Store! Make a visit today.

Happy crafting!

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