Hey there! My name is Shannon Hatch from Birmingham Alabama. Thanks so much for hopping by in the Stamp It Group June Blog Hop. The theme this month is Summer or Patriotic, so I chose to go more summery. First and more importantly, how are YOU doing? I hope YOU, your family and friends are holding up under the circumstances, staying healthy and supporting anyone that needs it.

Sunflowers and Daisies are my most favorite flower of all! They are strong, resilient, and can really hold up under the summer heat and possible drought conditions that are potentially built into the season, at least in the South. Its a roller coaster ride out there these days, full of emotion… its very hard to keep focused. Anger and Sadness are unfortunately appropriate emotions for this chapter of all our lives. I think John Lennon has a song focusing on a very similar issue and it is called…..”Imagine”. Since I cant sing, today, I will declare the Sunflower (and the daisy) a symbol of happiness, hope, strength, beauty, resiliency, all mixed with a bit of wisdom and grace (even if just for a moment – a breath of fresh air). We were all created equal, the healthy need to help the ill, the strong need to help the weak and lost. No more, no less.

I’m not a real flowery card mindset type, but this “Flowers for Every Season Suite” really hit me, as I said, I am a Sunflower and Daisy kind of girl. Well….this suite is loaded with both. As is the “Ornate Garden Suite”, which I used both die sets, from the collection, on this card. I used a bit from each suite, but only because they play so well together. I also dabbled in the “Forever Greenery Suite” which can’t help but offer a helping hand to most anything. In this case I used one of the Greenery Combo Mini Embossing Folders. (There is a hint in the word mini….) a mini die cutting/embossing machine, perfect for travel, are coming your way very soon from Stampin’ Up!. Stay Tuned! I was inspired to pull all these elements together to create a Gate Fold card. Also not my usual go to, so you have just experienced a miracle, a personal growth! Who knew! Combine all of this growth with the new 2020-2022 In-colors…..come on folks….its a winning combo.

I so hope you enjoyed this card, and didn’t mind too much me standing on a soap box…but when so much hangs in the balance…what are YOU gonna do? Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed what you saw and I hope with all my heart that you are doing well and hopefully left viewing this card with a bit of a smile. See you soon with something fun and new, until then keep crafting, exploring and creating. Stay healthy and helpful. Love to all.

Product List

Flowers For Every Season Suite Collection (English) [154132] $180.50	Celebrate Sunflowers Bundle (English) [154065] $51.25	Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English) [152517] $24.00	Sunflowers Dies [152704] $33.00
Ornate Garden Suite Collection (English) [154153] $136.75	Ornate Thanks Bundle (English) [154115] $46.75	Ornate Borders Dies [152724] $34.00	Ornate Style Bundle [154119] $52.00
Ornate Layers Dies [152726] $37.00	Forever Greenery Suite Collection (English) [154143] $105.00	Greenery Embossing Folders [152716] $8.00	Lovely You Bundle (English) [154070] $42.25
Lovely Labels Pick A Punch [152883] $23.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Flowers For Every Season 6″ X 6″ (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152486] $11.50	Bumblebee 8-1/2X11 Cardstock [153077] $8.75
Just Jade 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [153079] $8.75	Cinnamon Cider 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [153078] $8.75	2020–2022 In Color 6″ X 6″ (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [153070] $11.50	Bumblebee Classic Stampin’ Pad [153116] $7.50
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin’ Pad [153118] $7.50	Misty Moonlight 1/4″ (6.4 Mm) 2020–2022 In Color Ribbon [153624] $6.00	2020–2022 In Color Enamel Dots [152480] $8.00	Paper Trimmer [152392] $25.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00