Fun With Flowers {Congratulations Cards}

Oh, it is that time of year... flowers bloom, a soft breeze blows through the trees and yes, people get married.  I love this season.  I would attend every wedding that I passed- whether I knew the couple or not- if I didn't think I would be dubbed the "crazy lady" in town.  Really, I don't need food and I will bring my own chair; I would be no bother at all.  I would be happy just to experience this occasion.

This summer of love has been especially dear to me.  My husband and I tied the knot in June and since then we have had two separate friends get engaged!  How exciting this summer has been!  In the spirit of the season I have made a few "congratulations" cards to send to our newly engaged friends:

I remember feeling such joy every time a new card came in the mail for us.  There is something about friends and family taking time out of their day to send you well wishes that gets me every time.

Want to know how I made them?

I'll start with the yellow dotted one:

{1} I used my Silhouette to cut out a basic card shape in the white (actually speckled) paper.
{2} Next, I cut a rectangle out of the yellow dotted paper to fit just inside the border of the white paper- also with my Silhouette.
{3} I printed the words "Congratulations" onto the yellow paper with my regular printer. 
{4}Then, I attached a shortened piece of lace onto the yellow card using spray adhesive.

{5} After that, I wrapped a piece of twine around the card twice, having the ends meet in the back and letting it set just at the top of the lace.
{6} I then attached the yellow paper onto the card.  Doing in this way makes sure that the ends of twine are not visible from the inside of the card.
{7} Now, here was the really fun part, making the flower!  I got the idea from the Silhouette Blog
 and I had to give it a try.  For instructions, see the link.
{8} After allowing the flower time to dry, I attached it to the card (using spray adhesive) and used a pen to push down the glued spots without crushing my flower!

{Can you believe that flat flower became this 3-D beauty?  Me neither!}

That's it!  Want to know my favorite part (no, it wasn't the flower)

This card was made using several pieces that we had in our wedding.  The speckled white paper was used in our invitations as well as in our favors and the yellow paper was used for our favor boxes.  The lace was on our invitations; the flower paper (which says "I love you" over and over again) was used on some of our guest cards; and the twine, well it was used everywhere! 

I LOVE that so many pieces from our wedding is being passed on to help celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding.  Maybe I am just sappy like that.

Onto the blue and purple card:

I was inspired by something "peacock" on the internet and decided to construct my card in those colors.

For the shape of the card and the flowers I used the same technique as before. These flowers however, came from a thicker textured type of cardstock than the last card did:

Because they were a heavier material, they required more "wetting" and started to bleed and fray as I folded them.  It turned out great though and the only difference was that these flowers look more like fabric than paper!

{Have I mentioned how in love I am with this flower making technique?}

This time I printed the "Congratulations" straight onto the speckled white paper.

Then I used some DMC thread (that's right... it is not just for needlework!) and wrapped it around the card three times.  Instead of tying it in the back however I made a bow on the front that looks like a couple of little leaves.  When the card is opened up, the string can be seen- but it's not tied back there so it still looks nice and crisp!

Lastly, I attached my flowers in the same way that I did the first card.

Aren't these flowers so lovely?

I cannot wait to make more of these flowers and if that means more engagement cards for friends then even better!  Okay, okay no pressure- I'll make a few birthday cards too.

What about you?

Besides on cards, how else would you use these flowers?  I can't wait to hear everyone's ideas and I am sure my house will be covered with these in no time at all!

Notice: If you have tried to comment on previous posts and were unable, the problem has been fixed.  Please feel welcome to share your thoughts with me and I am sorry for the prior trouble.

Sending my Love,
Kelsie Ann   


Link Love! This post is linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion