Hello crafty friends!! Today, I'm on the Cut It Up Challenge Blog. This week's theme is makes you happy. When I was a little girl, growing up in Southern California, there were a lot of flowers around. My favorite was the bird of paradise. It was my mother's favorite, too. This flower makes me happy and also think of her. So, it was a no-brainer to create this card for our theme. 

I began with Spellbinders' Bird of Paradise die set. I cut out many components from Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb cardstock. You can always use colored cardstock to cut out the diecuts but, as I've said many times, I usually prefer to cut out of white cardstock and ink blend the pieces to achieve the exact color combos I'm looking for. I use 110lb because it's more sturdy than 80lb. This makes it easier to ink blend on because it's not as fragile.

Here are the pieces after ink blending. I used Altenew inks for all. I initially made so many becuase I had planned to make a 5x7 card, but only ending up using a few of the components. I will use the rest on another card. I used three greens on the leaves, stems, and buds, and four oranges on the flowers. 

I took a piece of purple cardstock with a blue undertone for my background. This color matches the one on the flower. I added Hero Arts Script Bold Prints and their white pigment ink to add interest and texture to the panel. I had initially planned to just use a plain piece of cardstock, but it seemed to lack something. Little details like a background stamp or embossing folder can add so much to your project!

I added some layering here: a piece of white cardstock on top of the purple and a Spellbinders diecut to ground the flower to. All of these add texture and dimension to the finished project. I like the white on white as it gives a classy look to it.

Assembled plant and background. I thought about adding foam squares to pop up the flower, but I ended up gluing it to the background surface. I left the edges of the leaves and flower not adhered, so the do curl up a little. This isn't seen well here, though.

Final card. I added a simple sentiment to the bottom right-hand corner. I believe it's from Pinkfresh Studios. I did pop that up with trimmed down foam squares. I made this card for a family member who is going through an unexpected very difficult time. I hope it makes them smile. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me from the contact page or leave a comment below. To see other beautiful cards from Cut It Up Challenge, click here.