gingham and butterflies

Have you seen Graphic 45's  new Secret Garden papers? Oh, my word, they are fabulous! Such pretty prints and tags in the pack. I used just 3 of the papers for my card today, and I have oodles of ideas running through my head for more.
For today's card I used the sketch from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #180. I will also enter this in the Addicted to Stamps and More #37, which was to create anything you like but you MUST use markers; and also the Coffee, Chocolate & Cards Challenge #35- Bring on Spring-a spring inspired card.

Now, I don't know what spring is like where you live, but here is MY YARD on this beautiful spring day. (So I could make a snowman card, right? :) The sun actually peeked out while I was out taking this picture. There is a flower garden between those 2 trees, and sometime in the next couple months it will be a mass of purple and gold crocus blooms. The bottom branch on that tree on the left is 6' off the ground, and it's buried!

This is my grandson sledding on the pile a couple days ago (we actually got more snow after that)-when it was actually sunny. Sooooooooo! Bring on Spring!!!!

But I'm thinking spring mostly brings to mind flowers, and blue skies and warm balmy breezes and butterflies.

So, this is my take on a spring card. This stamp is from a retired Stampin' Up set, Summer by the Sea. I so love this set. 

I started with the Graphic 45 8x8 paper pad, I just had to dig into it. Then I found the Coffee, Chocolate and Cards challenge-spring, and the Sweet Sunday Sketch, and just from the inspiration picture there I knew what I wanted to do with this. I stamped the image on Gina K white cardstock and colored it with Copics. I cut the image out with Spellbinders Classic Squares and cut a piece of SU yellow (So Saffron?) cardstock with Spellbinders Labels 15. I rounded the corners of the image panel with EK corner punch. I added some Pebbles Pastel chalks to the background of the image panel. I had colored the girls' dress with markers, but it just wasn't working for me. I was thumbing through the 6x6  G45 paper pack, and decided to try paper piecing the dress-LOVE how this turned out. This little girl is all ready to go chasing those butterflies.  These little yellow butterflies are from an EK success border punch and I colored them with Copics. All three DPs are from the Secret Garden papers. Sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy Birds & Roses set. The sketch is a square card, but I have chosen to make an A2 card as this will be the beginning of another box of cards for Operation Write Home.

Papers: Graphic 45 Secret Garden, SU cardstock, Gina K cardstock.
Stamps: Sweet N Sassy Birds and Roses, SU Summer by the Sea (retired)
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Bamboo Leaves
Accessories: Copic Markers, Spellbinders Classic Square dies, and Labels 15 dies; Martha Stewart Deco Shells Border Punch, SU scallop circle punch, Paper Wishes Gems Dazzles, Momento Markers
Enjoy! Please leave a comment-I love to hear from you.