Hi all! I’m on the Pinkfresh Studio blog today with their new Ornate Rectangle Frames die set! They add an elegant touch to simple card designs. The simpler the card design, the more those frame die cuts shine. I spent some time ink-blending them in a blue-green shade of mint, and then I added them to a card with pretty purple wildflowers. With a few finishing touches, my card was ready. If you have any questions at the end of this, I’d be happy to respond!

I started using the Ornate Rectangle Frame die set on heavyweight white cardstock. At first, I left them in the panel I cut them from to make it easier to blend my colors. I used Ocean Breeze with Mint applied right on top. Then I used Meadow and just a touch of Emerald City the further out I went. I applied more Ocean Breeze over the green inks to keep it the shade I wanted. If spending time blending colors is not something you’re interested in, use Pinkfresh’s Island Oasis family of teal shades or the Garden Stroll green collection of inks for similar results.

When I was done ink blending, I took the frames out of the jig and applied washi tape to the back of the die cuts to hold the two larger frames to each other. I did the same to the two smaller frames. I then adhered the larger frame, including the interior piece, to an A2-sized cardbase. I took the interior die-cut piece from the smaller frame and applied some shimmery embossing powder, Halo by Wow!, just around the outside border for a subtle sparkle. I taped some fun foam to the back and centered it on my cardbase. I applied two layers of thin foam strips to the back of my smaller green frame and stuck that down, too.

Then I made my flowers. I pulled out another new release by Pinkfresh Studio: Farm Fresh. I stamped them out and colored them using the gorgeous new shades of purple: Sheer Freesia, Wisteria, Hydrangea, and Opulence. I threw in a little Soft Lilac, too, a slightly warmer shade of purple, to keep things varied and interesting. I used the Garden Stroll collection of inks for the greenery. I stamped with Detail Black over the colored flowers, then die-cut them out twice. I glued two layers together to strengthen them. I applied small pieces of foam tape to the back of the blooms and cut the stems to adhere them to my card.

I used the Basic Banners: Celebrate stamp set, and the Basic Banners die twice for a sentiment with a shadow layer. I also used Pinkfresh’s new Clear Drops: Emerald City to add more interest and whimsy, and I was done with my card!

I hope some of these design choices have inspired you to make something new today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Anne