VC Blog Hop!

Welcome to my pitiful blog! If someone could explain to me how to make my own stuff on the sides of the pages, I would love that!

This is my first Blog Hop, and it is the first Annual Blog Hop for VC Rocks! VC is a super-fun group of stampers and SU! addicts. I have so much fun all summer in our virtual hotel, doing swaps, taking classes online, and so much more!

I have been so impressed by all the different punched bouquets out there, that I decided to make one of my own with daisies and black-eyed Susans. For our first VC Blog Hop, we are featuring retiring colors and/or Summer Mini products. I am using both!




Materials:

Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun, Yo-Yo Yellow, Green Galore, Gable Green (all retiring), Chocolate Chip, Whisper White.
Ink: Going Gray (retiring) and Chocolate Chip used for sponging and inside greeting.
Ribbon: Wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain
Punches: 5-Petal Flower, 3/4" Circle, XL 2-Step Bird, Scallop Edge
Big Shot: Square Lattice embossing folder (Summer Mini), Little Leaves Sizzlit, Birds and Blooms Sizzlit 4-Pack
Adhesives: SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals

Directions:

I made this up as I went along. I started with the flower pot, made from Creamy Caramel CS, 11" x 4.25"

1. Score at 5.5"
2. Fold in half, and measure about 1/2" in from the folded corner on both sides, and make a small mark with a pencil.
3. Cut straight from the open corner to the mark you made on both sides. This gives the pot the tapered look.
4. Punch Scallop Edge punch on both open ends.
5. Fold ends about 1" down and crease with bone folder to create lip of flower pot.
6. Sponge all edges with Chocolate Chip classic ink.
7. Use two small pieces of Sticky Strip to keep the pot closed. Put them inside the lip of the pot vertically, close to the edge to be sure you have room for your card to move up and down. You can also use some Sticky Strip to keep the lip of the pot down. Set pot aside.
8. Punch daisies and black-eyed Susans from Whisper White and Summer Sun card stock. Two punches for each flower.
9. Sponge one of each pair of white flowers very lightly with Going Gray classic ink. Do the same with the Summer Sun flowers with Chocolate Chip.
10. Mount the sponged pieces behind the clean ones. This implies shadow and gives definition to the petals.
11. Run Yo-Yo Yellow and Chocolate Chip cardstock thru the Big Shot in the Square Lattice embossing folder.
12. Punch circles out of the textured pieces with the 3/4" Circle punch. Adhere to flowers.
13. Punch the branch and wing from the XL Bird punch with Green Galore and Gable Green. I did two of each color.
14. Run some more Gable Green and Green Galore thru the Big Shot using the Little Leaves Sizzlit die. I used just one of each color. I also have a couple of the larger leaf from Birds & Blooms, but you don't need to do that.

Now we need to make the pull-out card. My inside card is 5.25 x 3. You might need a different size, because you'll cut it to fit your pot so that your flowers are positioned correctly when the card is in the pot.

15. After making your inside card piece, plan where you will adhere your flowers and leaves. Put three flowers on the edge of the pot, up high enough that you can see your scalloped edge, and three on top of the pull-out card. Be sure that they will sit the way you want BEFORE you adhere. I used a Dimensional on the center flowers.
16. Cut a pieces of Whisper White CS to go on the pull-out for your greeting. Mine is 3.25" x 2.5" and I would like it better if I had mounted it on some Chocolate Chip! So you do that. ;o)
17. Stamp your greeting in Chocolate Chip.
18. Adhere Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon to the pot, and you're done!

So... you likely arrived here from Stampin' Stace. Your next hop will take you to Maddiebug Designs. If you'd like to start the Blog Hop from the beginning, start here: www.vcrocks.blogspot.com

I will have blog candy!!! Oooooooooo what will it be???