The trouble with silhouette-style dies is that there’s always the temptation to try to add detail. I’ve experienced this myself with the Meadow Dies (and the similar Harvest Dies). For today’s project however I managed to keep it really simple. Adding the soft background was a breeze using the Beauty Of The Earth Designer Series Paper (DSP). The finished card is certainly hard to miss.

MEADOW FLOWER

My project began as I was experimenting with the Meadow Dies and scraps of coloured cardstock. I started with the daisy-style flower die and cut it from Shaded Spruce Card. Next I cut just the flower head section from Melon Mambo Card, followed by the bud. Finally from a scrap of Mango Melody Card I cut the flower centre using the separate die from the Meadow Dies set.

Now I needed to do a little trimming and assembly using Paper Snips and Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

From the Shaded Spruce piece I cut off the flower head leaving just a little of the petal/stalk. Next I trimmed the Melon Mambo flower head to remove the excess stalk. Then using liquid glue I glued the remaining flower and stalk together.

Turning to the small Melon Mambo flower bud I trimmed off one edge so there were just two pointed sections at the top. Then I glued this piece behind the Shaded Spruce bud to give the impression of petals just starting to peek through. Finally I finished the main flower by attaching the Mango Melody piece to the centre.

With the flower complete I knew where to find the perfect background; in the Beauty Of The Earth DSP pack. My initial plan changed a little when I found a 2″ x 3-1/4″ scrap of the blue ‘sky’ design I’d planned to use. It was much smaller than the size I’d originally had in mind, but it sparked an alternate idea.

So, using liquid glue I mounted the small piece of DSP onto a 2-1/8″ x 3-3/8″ piece of Basic White Card. Then I glued the assembled flower on the DSP with the end of the stalk extending past the bottom of the background. Then I set the layers aside while I prepared the rest of the card.

JUST BECAUSE

For my sentiment I chose “just because” from the After The Storm Stamp Set. Then using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped it onto Basic White Card.

Going back to the Meadow Dies I selected the included ‘label’ die and used it to cut out my sentiment. I then cut out two more pieces of Basic White Card with the same die, and glued all three on top of each other.

For my card base I used my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Basic Black Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Now I was ready to add the assembled flower layers using liquid glue, followed by the stacked sentiment.

That just left the inside of the card and the envelope to decorate and for that it was back to the Beauty Of The Earth DSP.

First I cut a 3-4″ x 5-1/4″ strip of the blue ‘sky’ design and glued it to the right-hand edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. Then I glued the layer inside the card base.

For the Basic White Medium Envelope I needed a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece of the DSP and I glued it to the flap. Then with my Paper Snips I trimmed of the excess DSP using the edge of the flap as a guide. With that done my “just because” card was complete.

This was another of those projects that started out with just a basic idea that evolved as I worked through the stages. Had I not found that small piece of DSP the card would have had a much larger background layer and looked very different. Sometimes it’s good to let go of the original plan. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Meadow Dies with the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set (not used today). Ordering the two items using a single ‘bundle’ item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying them separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option.