Alexandra Renke :: Spring Joy

We're only 2 weeks into April and it's been a whirlwind of projects!  It's been so good for me, though, since I was having a pretty bad creative slump in February and early March.  I think it's gone, at least for now, and I won't miss it one bit!  I've been giving my die cutting machine and inks a workout like never before, too, and finding a newfound respect for them.  Today I have a card duo that also features dies, along with some of the prettiest springtime papers I've ever seen.

When Alexandra Renke released her spring line it was full of gorgeous images and watercolored florals.  The pink wreath paper I'm using today makes me wish I had a replica of any of the features beauties to hang on my front door!  I paired it with some other papers, and a floral frame die for some pretty spring joy mini cards.

I started by cutting the Frame with Blossoms out of some neutral papers.  I especially love the soft aqua dotted paper, but this crosshatch gray and cream has been a go-to pattern from the very beginning, as I used it on a couple of other projects, too, seen HERE.

With the blue paper, I cut the border and inside of the frame the crosshatch, then applied a few pink flower die cuts around the edge.  'Joy' is cut from the same paper and reminds me of the beautiful pink blooms we're already starting to see around our city.

On the other card, I left the frame interior blank, so the bright white of the card was my background.  The 'Joy' is cut from the pale blue while the floral frame border is cut from gold glitter paper.  Extra pink florals stand out against their backdrop.  There is also a light layer of pale pink tulle on both cards for extra texture.

I've got a couple more projects to share leading up to Easter--one of my favorites features violets and I was so happy to get that die since that's the name of my oldest niece who'd having a birthday next week.  It was perfect timing!  Enjoy your spring days and I'll see you next week!