Graphic Stylized Design with The Fresh Picked Collection

Hello crafters! Joan Bardee here to share some fun colorful cards made with the Fresh Picked Collection. Recently I’ve seen a lot of graphic stylized designs – large florals, fruits, or other images – manipulated so that they fit into a rectangle or other shape like a puzzle. Some describe this design as mid-century modern. You can see examples by checking out my Pinterest page here. In addition, the November Large Die of the Month Towering Blooms is also in that style.

The Fresh Picked Collection has that bold aesthetic and I absolutely love it. The collection consists of 4 die sets – Buttercups, Daffodils, Berries, and Anemones. There is a companion set of sentiment dies and a Columns embossing folder. The floral and fruit die sets in the collection each make a complete card front – each die fits into the card front in a particular way. Pick your colors and the card is almost done. I took advantage of the ease of that design in my first two cards, but I created my own design for the 3rd.

I made the first 2 cards in the same way:

Select colored cardstock for the pieces and card front.
Die cut all the pieces.
Do it all over again because I can never make up my mind.
Using the package as a guide, adhere the pieces to a card front with either glue or foam tape.
Add embellishments.
Be happy and brag to my husband that my hobby is better than his (guitar).

I chose not to ink blend the edges of the pieces. I prefer the “flat” look with this collection (and my ink blending the edges of things skills are weak), but adding ink blending to the edges of the pieces also looks fantastic. Embellishments are optional. In fact, mid-century modern design does not include sparkle, but I couldn’t resist.

Daffodil Thanks

Gosh, I love how bold this is and how the leaves in Fresh Picked Daffodils fit together. I also love how there is a small border around the entire card front formed by the set.

Used Spellbinders Color Essentials cardstock in Beeswax, Poppy Field, and Persimmon, as well as a yellowish green cardstock from my stash for the flowers and leaves from Fresh Picked Daffodils. The panel is Spellbinders Alabaster (my favorite cream cardstock). Die cut each piece twice, except for the sentiment, which is a 4-layer stack. Adhered the flowers and leaves with foam squares. Added gems to the flowers.

TIP: I can tell which of my cardstock is Spellbinders with my eyes closed just by touching it. It is so much smoother and stiffer than anything else in my stash. Hold a full sheet of cardstock by a corner and see how floppy it is. Spellbinders holds its shape. This makes it a great option for card bases and fine die cuts, and it is perfect for hot foiling.

Pink Buttercups

Buttercups are yellow but … we can make them any color we want, so I chose Spellbinders Pink Sand and Fruit Punch cardstocks and paired them with Spellbinders Cosmic Sky leaves. All the leaves and flowers are in two layers and adhered with Bearly Arts glue (no foam tape). The sentiment is from Fresh Picked Sentiments. Embellished with Spectrum AB Color Essentials Gems.

TIP: Change the colors to suit the mood of the card. The Fresh Picked Collection makes beautiful sympathy cards just by using more muted shades and an appropriate sentiment.

Simple Anemone

Love the simplicity of this card. It was inspired by a card made by Laura Bassen.

Selected one flower from Fresh Picked Anemones and die cut using Pink Sand, Fruit Punch, Onyx, Peridot, and white cardstock. Used the Essential Arches Etched Dies to cut a window in the gray A2 panel. Hot foiled a sentiment from Mini Everyday Sentiments Hot Foil Plate & Die set with white opaque foil onto Onyx cardstock. Adhered the gray panel, the flower, and the sentiment with foam tape onto an A2 white card. Added a few clear embellishments.

Thanks for reading and thanks to Spellbinders for having me.

Spellbinders Supplies:

Other Supplies

Cardstock, paper trimmer, embellishments.