Hello there! With the first day of spring only a few days away I thought I would create a couple of simple, cute projects using the adorable Basket Bunch Stamp Set (item 143186) along with the coordinating Basket Builder Framelits Dies (item 143228). This set is perfect for Easter but I wanted to show you that it’s great for other occasions, too. I love a stamp set that you can adapt, since that makes it an even better value for the money!

For my first card, “Happiest birthday,” I turned the Easter eggs into balloons!

To create the balloons, I placed the eggs the wrong-side up on my block, then inked and stamped them to get a solid color; the colors I used are So Saffron (item 126957), Soft Sky (item 131181), Pink Pirouette (item 126956), and Crumb Cake (item 126975). I then turned the stamp the correct way around and inked with Tuxedo Black ink (item 132708) to stamp the egg outline and detail.

I colored the bunny and the bow with a Blender Pen (item 102845) and the same inks I used for the balloons. (The Blender Pens are one of my favorite tools and are a great way for you to get the most out of your ink pads!)

The sentiment I used for this card is from the Cool Treats Stamp Set (item 142982). I love mixed font sentiments and “Happiest birthday” was a perfect fit for this card.

Here is a close-up. Even though this card is simple, there’s lots of dimension!

I created my second card, For Somebunny Sweet, using sticky notes as a mask so I could overlap the bunnies.

First I stamped the bunny in the center on my Whisper White Cardstock (item 100730) mat.

I then stamped the same bunny on a sticky note, making sure that part of the bunny was stamped where the adhesive strip would be on the reverse; then I fussy cut the image. I placed the “sticky note bunny” over the top of the first bunny to create a mask so that when I stamped the bunny again on either side, no ink would touch the bunny in the center. I colored them in using the Blender Pens and Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, and So Saffron ink.

For the sentiment I used another trick with a sticky note. I only wanted to use part of the sentiment so my card would be suitable for a birthday, thank you note, or a simple “Hello.” You can see below how I achieved this.

The tiny hearts are from another favorite stamp set of mine, Made with Love (138662). I also used them to create a subtle background on the Crumb Cake mat along with the tiny dots from this set.

My final project, “Thanks a bunch,” is a little envelope that I made using the Envelope Punch Board (item 133774)—another one of my favorite, must-have tools. Not only is it easy for making lots of different-sized envelopes, but it’s handy for making boxes, too!

Once I had created the envelope using Crumb Cake Cardstock (item 120953) I randomly stamped the little carrot all over the front of the envelope using Crumb Cake ink. Afterward I wrapped a strip of Designer Series Paper from the Brights Designer Series Paper Stack (item 138434) in Daffodil Delight around the envelope, then adhered a thinner piece of Crumb Cake Cardstock over the top. This creates a belly band which will keep the envelope closed.

I stamped the sentiment “Thanks a bunch” to the right and placed the stamped and die cut carrots to the left. I colored the carrots in with a Blender Pen using Peekaboo Peach (item 141398) and Pear Pizzazz (item 131180) ink. To finish, I die cut the grass using Pear Pizzazz Cardstock (item 131201).

Inside is a little packet of carrot seeds.

Both my aunty and I are growing our own vegetables for the first time this year; she has an allotment and I have a small plot in my garden. I wish I had a green thumb like her! I have a tendency to kill plants with kindness, so I think I will need lots of help and advice from her over the coming months—and this envelope of carrot seeds will be a perfect way of saying thank you!

Katy Harrison
2017 Artisan Design Team