February 2011 Release Day 2: More Flora & Fauna I

Welcome back to day 2 of the Wplus9 February Release. We are back for another sneak peek at Flora & Fauna I. If you are just joining us, be sure to check out the details here. I am overwhelmed with the response to this series! Thank you all so much, and keep 'em coming!

Today I want to give you a closer look at the large Dogwood stem and the Swallowtail Butterflies included in the set. For my fist card, it's all about the butterflies, in a trendy color combo of yellow, gray, and white.

I honestly don't know what I was going for here when I started, but I like the way it ended. For the base, I stamped the smaller open butterfly image in Versamark onto a gray card base. I started in the lower right corner and progressed up to the top left.

For the focal image, I stamped the same image but in a larger scale using So Saffron ink (Stampin' Up!). I added my sentiment (you'll see more of that tomorrow) beneath the image. I then matted it with some matching cardstock, allowing it to peek out from beneath at the top and bottom.

For some added interest I trimmed out a strip of patterned paper from The Thrift Shop collection (October Afternoon) and a scalloped strip of gray. I stitched these together with two sloppy rows of straight stitches. After adhering them to the card base, I wrapped it with twine and adhered the focal panel.

The two little buttons were the finishing touch. I love the sophistication of the gray scallop punched strip over the matching gray cardstock.

Next up, I wanted a super easy, bold, clean design. I decided to use all neutrals - tan, black, and a touch of silver. I paired these colors with the large Dogwood stem...and it was a match made in design heaven!

I seriously had a hard time deciding whether to post this or submit it. But I just had to share it! I stamped the large stems once from the bottom up on the left side. I then turned the stamp about 45 degrees and stamped just the top blooms in the corner. I cut the top panel about an inch or so narrower than the card base and distressed the right edge before adhering it to the card base.

I finished it off by adding the small side view image of the Swallowtail butterfly and some Perfect Pearls (Ranger) to the edges of the flowers.

Left wanting to see more? The ladies have outdone themselves this month, click on over to see what this talented group has been up to with this set:

Elise Durenberger
Hannah Craner
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Maile Belles
Savitri Wilder
And our special Guest Designer this month: Sarah Martina Parker

Don't forget, leave me a comment by 11:59 pm Saturday, January 29th letting me know which birds/flowers/butterflies you'd like to see grouped together. Or anything you'd like, you can leave a comment each day. I'll pick one random winner all comments to receive Flora & Fauna I. Winners will be posted here, be sure to check to see if you've won. Thanks for joining us and be sure to stop by tomorrow to see two new sets also being released on February 1st!