I think it’s completely obvious that I am completely obsessed with the ladybug builder punch!  My original plan for a card for the Paper Players Challenge #592 didn’t look anything like the final product.  

Here’s my card:

Here’s the challenge banner:

You can see my other ladybug cards here, here, here, and here.  I told you I am obsessed!

Short and Sweet:

• The Evening Evergreen base measures 8-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches, scored at 4-1/4 inches to create a tent fold.
• AFTER I ran the Soft Succulent cardstock through my cut and emboss machine using the brick 3D embossing folder, I trimmed it to 4-1/8 inches by 5-3/8 inches.
• I wanted the brick texture to stand out so I used a blending brush and Evening Evergreen ink. After tapping the brush in the ink, I tapped it off on a piece of scrap paper because I wanted a dry-brush look. In order to highlight just the raised texture, I brushed on the diagonal. It took a few layers of ink, but it was much better to have a light hand to achieve the look I wanted.
• I wrapped a length of Evening Evergreen ribbon around the cardstock and tied it in a square knot.
• Next, I used a scrap of the Flowering Fields DSP (designer series paper) and cropped two circles using the new Stylish Shapes die set. If you loved the now retired Stitched Shapes die set, you will LOVE this set. Put it high on your wish list!
• Then I started on my bee. I punched a black body and two vellum cardstock wings using the ladybug punch. I cut one set of wings in half and turned them over to create the top set of wings on this bee.
• Every bee has to have a stinger and I cut a tiny corner piece of DSP to make this one.
• I trimmed the strips of DSP to 1/8 inch wide for the stripes on the bee.
• Finally, I added three black matte dots to the wings to cover my adhesive.

Finishing Up:

• I stamped the sentiment using Early Evergreen ink and trimmed it down to size. Then, I added a very thin mat of Early Evergreen cardstock for a mat.
• I used dimensionals under the sentiment and the bee. My favorite adhesive, multipurpose liquid glue, took care of the rest of the pieces.
• I trimmed a piece of Early Evergreen DSP to 2-1/ by 6 inches for the envelope flap. Then, I punched a 1 inch circle from the Flowering Fields DSP for the envelope seal and ran it through my XYRON create-a-sticker.
• With that, I’d finished this coordinated card, envelope, and envelope seal set.

Thank you very much for stopping by my blog today!

Have a Peachy Day!

Sue