Spring in your Step!

..... Don't want to speak too soon but we may have seen the last of the snow which has been clinging stubbornly to the hills around my home for the last 2/3 weeks. My daughter and I went for a walk on Sunday without our coats on so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The daffodils which seem to occupy every roadside verge in Wales these days are picking their heads up after their premature snowy burial cruelly stopped them in their tracks and the blossom is starting to appear on the trees which means I'll start sneezing any time soon!

At the beginning of January I made this simple flower garland and at the time Spring seemed like a very distant prospect, but I kept the photo's waiting for the right time and here it is!

The dies used where all from the Botanical Sanctuary and English Garden collections designed by Scrappy Cat for Sizzix and they are all Sizzlit dies. Click on the links above to see the individual collections.

All of the flowers and butterflies were die cut from quality, smooth heavy weight white card. I started by cutting two shapes. Trim around the flower heads of one of the die cuts and put to one side.

Use an assortment of Distress Inks to colour the foliage, I have used the colours Mustard Seed, Crushed Olive and Faded Jeans but feel free to use any die inks that suit the purpose. Build up the colour starting with the lightest first until you have the result you desire.

Use a spritzer Bottle filled with water to spray onto the inked die cut creating a mottled effect. Use your preferred ink shades to colour the flower heads, mist as before and attach to the complete die cut once dry. To Add a little pizazz use a light dusting of Spray and Sparkle glitter varnish.

Choose a selection of your favourite flower and butterfly die cuts and use the same inking techniques on each, try blending the ink, particularly on the butterflies to create interesting two tone effects. Once you have your assembled die cuts attach each one to a plain garland made of twigs.