Bee mine

I love all the hearts and flowers and pinks, reds, and purples of Valentine's Day, but I also think it's fun to take a non-traditional approach. Yellow and black might "bee" a little too non-traditional for some people, but I think it works.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Honey Bee, Pick a Pennant
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody ink pads; light Daffodil Delight Blendabilities marker
Accessories: Detailed Bee dies, Beach House washi tape, Regals enamel shapes, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute). foam tape (3M)

When I saw the Honey Bee Bundle in the latest Stampin' Up! catalog, I thought it was so cute. I love the images and sentiments in the stamp set, and I love that the dies cut out the stamped images as well as a couple of coordinating images, including the honeycomb shape on my cards. I cut two honeycombs out of black card stock for each card (I made four of this design) and adhered them near the middle of a white card base.

I inked up the hive stamp with Daffodil Delight ink, added a bit of Mango Melody around the edges, and then stamped the image on white card stock. I looked through some of my alphabet stamp sets and discovered that the letters in the retired Pick a Pennant set were the perfect size to fit between the lines on the beehive. Yes! So I stamped the punny "bee mine" on the right side of each hive.

I stamped two bee images using black ink (the stamp is designed to create the color gradation on the wings) and colored the stripes with a yellow marker. I die cut the hives and bees and used foam tape to adhere them over the honeycombs on the card bases. I placed a strip of yellow washi tape along the bottom of each card and, to create a little more valentine-y feel, I added a little enamel heart just below the sentiment.

What do you think? Do you gravitate toward red and pink for Valentine's Day, or do you like to try something a little different? Thanks for stopping by!