A change in the garden

This is about the time of year when I post our first garden update. Well, the update this time is that we're not planting a garden, at least not a vegetable garden. We just didn't have the energy or motivation to plan, plant, and maintain the veggies. But we still have to do something with the garden space -- other than let it be a giant patch of weeds. So we're going to plant a variety of sunflower seeds instead, and with any luck we'll end up with a mini field of blooms. I don't know how it will turn out, but it looks really pretty in my head! We did a little work weeding and clearing this week, and we were planning to finish that and then plant the seeds this weekend. But now we might me getting rain and thunderstorms, so we'll see what happens.

At any rate, since I don't have pictures of real flowers to post, I thought I'd share a couple of sweet, cute flower cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Petite Pairs
Paper: Lovely Lipstick, Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Lovely Lipstick
Accessories: Outside In Stitched Flower, Stitched Flower Frame, Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Hillside Borders dies (Lawn Fawn; Princess assortment sequins (Craft Medley); Bitty Blooms punch pack; Dimensionals; Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I kept this card very clean and simple with a two-tone flower and a green hillside on a light blue background. I had a lot of fun combining various stitched dies from Lawn Fawn to add some visual interest and the idea of texture. I couldn't leave the card completely unadorned, so I added one pink sequin with the stamped sentiment in the middle of the flower.

I wanted to fill up some of the white space inside the card, so I decided to add a few little flowers. I looked through my dies and punches trying to find something that was similar to the flower on the front of the card. The Bitty Blooms punch pack had a perfect little flower - and a leaf to boot.

I punched three flowers -- two light pink with a dark pink center and one dark pink with a light pink center -- and and leaves, glued the little pieces together, and added them inside the card. I think it's the perfect little detail.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: It's Your Birthday
Paper: Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive card stock; Brights 6" x 6" Designer Series paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Stitched Flower Frame and Outside In Stitched Flower dies (Lawn Fawn), Daffodil Delight double-stitched ribbon, Sparkling Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

I stuck to the bright colors for this card, but switched to a blue and yellow flower instead of pink. And I added a little die-cut smiley face to the center of this flower, which I think is pretty cute.

For the background I used two pieces of patterned paper on a black card base: Bermuda Bay stripes on approximately the top three-fourths of the card and Daffodil Delight polka dots on the bottom portion. I covered the seam in the paper with a strip of Daffodil Delight double-stitched ribbon. I stamped the sentiment on the yellow patterned paper and adhered the flower and leaves near the top of the card. I finished off the card with a few of my favorite clear sequins.

Thanks for stopping by today for a little flower fix!