Butterfly Garden Card

Happy Friday, my sweet crafty friends! I hope you're on the verge of a glorious weekend. This busy-bee week flew by, but I'm confident this is the last time five silent days will flutter by between posts. That length is just unsparkly.

Earlier this week as I was commenting on some lovely cards, I stumbled upon a few challenge blogs I hadn't seen before. They're fabulous and listed below! I checked their weekly requirements and with those in mind, created one of my new favorite cards. This is for my sweet friend Dana, who loves butterflies as much as yours truly. The border flourishes I cut out replicate swirly lattices opening up into a butterfly garden. One reason butterflies are so stunning is that they're both whimsical and elegant, so I touched on both characteristics in this card. I wanted the overall theme to veer toward the elegant factor, so I embossed the interior gate panels and used liquid pearls (for the first time!) to decorate the main butterfly and line the ribbon. (I'm in love with this bottle of opalescent gorgeousness! I need to work on application, but that will improve with practice.) I think white-on-white is flawless beauty, so I made that butterfly the same iridescent white as the liquid pearls and as the lattice. Dana loves a pop of color, so I punched out some orange and green sparkly butterflies to incorporate one of the challenges. Since the paper is actually jellybeans, I was able to get a curve of white on the trims of the wings.

The black shadow base isn't the butterfly's shadow, exactly... it's to represent Dana, who so often has supported me, glued to my side, and made it possible for me to fly. :o) Something makes this card extra special. As I referenced in my introductory post last month, the avenues of creativity so often overlap in the most exquisite ways. As this card came to life, it inspired something for the writing side of me. A much needed spark for a story that's waiting in the wings to be written. Thank you, Dana! :o)

I bent the wings and pop-dotted the oval base for some dimension. (This was also the first time I used a genuine paper piercer! So much nicer than my previous way of using a needle, which loved to prick my fingers as I pushed it down.)

Here's the interior sentiment... carried along by the dancing butterflies. Her loving heart is beautiful. "Butterflies dancing beneath the afternoon sunshine carry your love from your heart to mine."

Thank you for fluttering by my blog today. Your visit sparklifies it beyond what I could ever add. :o) Tomorrow's Sweet Saturday is delicious, so be sure to check back soon! Chocolate chips and cinnamon will be waiting. :o)

Challenges entered:
 * Flutterby Wednesday (Use pink, orange, and green)
 * Getting Cricky (Anything goes)
 * Wacky Wednesday (Embossing)

Link-Up Parties! I'm including this at the lovely Alex's Made It Myself Mondays and Patches of Pink link-up party... please join in the fun! I haven't been able to play often of late, so I am excited to be participating once again. Inspiration abounds at both locations. :o)







Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Florals Embellished, Storybook
 * Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
 * Paper: Bazzill, DCWV, Papertrey Ink, SEI
 * Ribbon: Offray
 * Fiskars butterfly punch and corner punch
 * Miscellaneous: Liquid Pearls