Butterfly Spectacle for a Special Friend by Jean Okimoto

Special friends deserve special cards - and Butterfly Spectacle makes it easy to create a quick card to celebrate a great friendship. Coordinating diecuts from Butterfly Ensemble and Morning Garden Butterflies add the finishing touches.

Hi, Happy Summer...Jean Okimoto here with a quick weekend card. I've gathered a few favorite go-to supplies for today's design. Dies from Square Basics cut the watercolored background and trim around Butterfly Spectacle. A die from Rectangle Basics cuts the greeting block. The butterfly die sets create great options for layering, stenciling and inlaid designs in addition to basic diecutting.

Lightly spritz watercolor paper with water. Paint it with diluted Kaleidacolor Dye Ink Refills to create a soft, watery background in shades to match some vellum from your stash. Set it aside to dry.

Cut Butterfly Spectacle from white cardstock. Trim around it with the 3-3/4" Square Basics die. Cut the watercolor paper with the same die.

Here's a tip - trim a sliver (about 1/16") from the edges of the watercolor paper. This provides a little wiggle room when adhering the layers and keeps any colored edges from peeking out along the side.

Cut orange, turquoise and pink vellum butterflies with dies from the Butterfly Ensemble set. Cut the butterfly centers from gold mirror cardstock with the dies from the Morning Garden Butterflies set. Attach the vellum butterflies - slightly offset - behind the Butterfly Spectacle.

Stamp the greeting - from the Open Studio Spring Lilacs set - on white cardstock with Brilliance Pearlescent Jade. Trim it with a Rectangle Basics die.

Attach everything to A-6 (4-5/8" x 6-1/4") card of textured white cardstock - use foam dots for the right side of the greeting. Add tiny gold gem stickers.

Butterfly cards are great for any celebration - or everyday greeting. Gather your favorite colors, Memory Box and Open Studio dies and some sparkly accents and create a stash of summer-y cards and be ready for any occasion!

Special thanks to everyone from last weekend's Summer Bliss class at Impress! Memory Box and Poppystamps designs, butterflies, flowers, pretty papers from Shizen Design, Distress Oxides...what's not to like about those great supplies? Thanks to Shari and Erin too, for filling our shopping baskets with everything to make more cards.

Thanks for stopping by - keep cool and have a great day!