My friend Joyce, the owner of our only independent local brick and mortar craft store, recently gave me a sample of her newest paper collection called Softly Spring. The collection includes 12 pages of soft pastel and floral designs. The paper is beautiful, but I initially wondered if I really needed more florals in my craft room.
However, once I began working with the collection, my answer quickly became a definite YES! This pack of paper inspired me to go through my stash of spring floral stamps and die cuts and bring some of those older supplies back to life.
One thing I especially love is the 8×8 size. It’s perfect for card making because it’s easy to cut all of your A2-sized bits and still have enough paper left for another design. In addition, all designs from beau Q Creations are printed on sturdy 100 lb card stock. This weight holds up to inking and lightly wet techniques. It also provides enough structure for all those fun fold cards we card makers like to make.
Here are a few of my favorite prints from the pack:
Card #1: Darling Daffodils
The first card I made features the Darling Daffodils from Lawn Fawn. The dimension peaking out from the arch worked beautifully. Meanwhile, the pastel flowers floating across a soft cloudy sky perfectly frame the focal point of the card.
Card #2: Tulip Teacup
Next, I went through my stash looking for tulips that might coordinate with the tulips in the paper. I found this set from LDRS and using all of the included masking tools built the cup of flowers. I colored the plants using my Distress Water Color pencils to match the whimsical watercolor of this Softly Spring pattern.
Card #3: Happy Spring
For my third card, I used the Happy Spring die cut set from Stamps of Life. I cut all of the background pieces from Softly Spring paper. Then I blended coordinating Distress Oxides colors to match the paper perfectly. To finish the card, I added a few tiny flowers and a cute bunny from beau Q’s Bunny paperclip collection.
Card #4: Easter Bunny
Finally, I created a card where the front panel is replaced with clear acetate. This allows the beautiful patterned paper on the inside to show through. Once again, I used my Distress watercolor pencils to give a similar soft color effect to the Hero Arts bunny and flower stamp.
And the best part? I still have plenty of paper left in the pack, which means I’ll be able to keep creating with these beautiful Softly Spring designs for quite a while.