After I created an\u00a0anniversary card for my parents (see immediately prior post), my hubby pointed out to me that his parents’ anniversary was coming up soon too!\u00a0I remembered this adorable Mama Elephant “Honey Bunny” stamp set<\/a><\/span> that I bought\u00a0over a year\u00a0ago and never had a chance to make a card with it for two Easters. Don’t you hate it when you are dying to use a seasonal stamp set and then the season comes and goes with the stamp set never touching ink?<\/p>\n

<\/a>For the inside of the card, I printed the quote that inspired this whole card (we also used it in our wedding program) by Antoine de Saint \u00a0Exupery, “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outwards in the same direction.”\u00a0Doesn’t that quote go perfectly with these two bunnies who are holding each other, enjoying a lazy spring day under the shade of a cherry tree laden with new blooms?<\/p>\n

I used MFT black licorice hybrid\u00a0dye\u00a0ink to stamp out the image on 140 lb Strathmore watercolor paper and used a Pentel waterbrush<\/a><\/span> and Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain to watercolor the bunnies. \u00a0I fussy cut them out even though I have the coordinating dies, because the watercoloring feathered out beyond the image and looked messy. I inked the edges to cover the white edge of the paper and added DecoArt Snow Writer to add some fun fluffy looking dimension to the tails.<\/p>\n

For the card front, I used\u00a0the third largest of the\u00a0Diemond Dies Cross Stitched Circle Die Set<\/a><\/span> and cut out a partial circle from more\u00a0watercolor paper. Then to create a background, I used a blender tool to color the circle with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, and Mowed Lawn. \u00a0I added a bit of grassy detail with the fine tip side of a Tim Holtz Distress Marker in Mowed Lawn. I wanted this circle inset so I cut a piece of white card stock to fit the kraft card stock base with a little of the card base showing on one side for some balance against all scene I was creating on the other side of the card. \u00a0I used the same Diemond Dies Cross Stitched Circle to cut out the area of the card front for the inset. Then I connected and popped up the whole card front with double sided foam adhesive.<\/p>\n

I used the Diemond Dies Cherry Blossom Branch and Flowers Die Set<\/a><\/span> to create\u00a0the feeling of a springtime tree in full bloom under which the bunnies could be gazing out together. I die cut the branch twice, once with craft card stock that I inked up with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain and a second time with black card stock that I offset just a tad to create a sense of a shadow on the under side of the branch. Then I die cut a bunch of the little flowers on white card stock that I inked up with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Spun Sugar. I used the medium sized embossing Stylus Tool Tip<\/a><\/span> and my Spellbinders Tool ‘n One<\/a><\/span> to add some dimension to the flowers and then dotted the centers with tiny, sparkly iridescent adhesive rhinestone gems from Recollections. \u00a0I glued loads of these flowers onto the branch and also\u00a0added five (I generally try to use things in odd numbers because it seems more pleasing to my eye) extra blossoms to the inside of the card\u00a0for extra\u00a0interest.<\/p>\n

Note: My readers can get 10% off and free worldwide shipping on all orders of $35 or more at Diemond Dies<\/a><\/span><\/strong> by using the coupon code “thankskristina” at checkout.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The following is a process video (not including the coloring–it was getting way too long) of creating this card:<\/p>\n