pinkfresh studio spring release blog hop

Hello all!  It's time for another Pinkfresh Studio Blog Hop!  This time we're celebrating the awesome Spring Stamp and Die release featuring lots of really cute sets!  If you're hopping along, you've reached me from Zsoka Marko's blog, and I know she had some gorgeous cards because I caught some sneaks of them!  Be sure to scroll all the way through my blog to the end because that's where the giveaway details are!

But first, let's focus on some cards and one of the new die sets, shall we?

All 3 of my cards today feature the die collection called "Love with Botanicals."  It's a great collection for card makers and I'll show you a couple different ways I used it.  The "love" is spelled out vertically so when you use the negative from the cut out letters, it fits perfectly onto a vertical A2 card (4.25" x 5.5").  That's how I've used it for my first 2 cards.

The word LOVE can obviously be tied to so many occasions and sentiments, but for these cards, I chose to make some fun wedding/anniversary themed cards by adding the sentiment STORY.  The Pinkfresh paper/scrapbook collection Let Your Heart Decide has quite a few embellishments with that word on them and I thought it would be a really sweet pairing to celebrate those special occasions.

I used paper from the 6x6 paper pads to create the card fronts, out of which I cut the Love die.  The first card features Flawsome from A Case of the Blahs.  I like the simplicity of black and white script paper, which I then paired with brightly colored embellishments.  The scene stealer is the colorful wood "STORY" from LYHD.  Behind it I've layered fabric and leatherette strips from the Be You collection, as well as a black and white striped epoxy heart.  Lastly, I added a tassel bow, also from Be You.

My LOVE cutout is left stark white to add a bold, but still soft, contrast.

The second 'Love Story' card features the same sketch design, but the elements and patterns are very different.  This card has an allover colorful floral pattern (Impulse from LYHD).  To avoid the LOVE cutout from getting lost in it all, I matted a pretty orange/coral stripe paper (Instinct from LYHD) behind it.

I then created a layered line of LYHD epoxy heart stickers in different patterns and colors that spread horizontally across the card.  These are backed with some gold metallic thread for a delicate shine.  You'll notice that the orange heart says "story" on it in gold script.

For my last card, I went in a much different direction, using the l-o-v-e letters themselves, and I displayed them horizontally instead of vertically--I love dies that allow you to have this kind of versatility.

I took all 8 letters that were cut out from my previous 2 cards, in Impulse and Flawsome papers, and matted them together with the floral pattern on top.  I adhered the scripted letters offset to the right so that they will still be seen.  Doing it that way also adds dimension.

I then added cuts from one of the botanical dies, trimmed from the Flawsome ACOTB paper, to the L and the E.  The floral has a longer stem that I snipped off before attaching to the letters.  The botanical dies are so dainty and I love them for how delicate they are!  They make a nice contrast to the blocky letters in the "love" die.

To assemble the card, I chose the-can't-go-wrong sentiment "love always", spelling out the latter word with rose gold Be You alphas.  I then added some soft texture with a strip of pale pink tulle that runs across the length of the card and even hangs over a bit on both sides.  Then I placed my LOVE letters, opting to pop them out with some dimensional foam dots.

Out of the trio today, this last one just might be my favorite, as I find myself drawn more and more to minimal cards with lots of white space.

That's all for me today, but there are still many more stops on your Pinkfresh Studio Spring Release tour.  In fact, the tremendously talented and sweet Julia Stainton is up next!

Before you head there, though, here's a briefing on the Blog Hop giveaway...

There is one Grand Prize winner who will win the entire Spring Stamp and Die release.  To be entered to win this, please leave a comment on the PINKFRESH STUDIO BLOG POST!

Each stop on the blog hop will be giving away a $25.00 Gift Certificate to the Pinkfresh shop.  To be entered to win these, please leave a comment at the blogs on the hop.

All winners will be announced on the Pinkfresh blog on Saturday, April 28th.  Comments close Friday, April 27 at 5pm CST.

There's also a promo happening in the Pinkfresh Studio shop:

You can pick up a FREE Party Animal stamp set with a $50 purchase using code FREEPARTYWITH50.  (That's one of my very favorite PF stamp sets!)

This code is valid from 4/23 at 12:01am through 4/29 at 11:59pm CST.  For the code to be valid, you must add $50+ to your cart, then the PARTY ANIMAL stamp set.  Your cart total will be $65+; then you will enter the coupon code at checkout.  (For questions about this, please contact Pinkfresh Studio Customer Service.)

Happy Spring and Happy Crafting!