A freshly picked carton of blueberries brings to mind sunny mornings, country markets, and the simple joys of summer. For today's project, I was inspired by those sweet seasonal moments and created a charming aqua blueberry carton overflowing with plump, juicy blueberries, all set against a soft watercolor background.
Fun Fact: The watercolor paper that I'm using on this card was hand-painted by me and has been reproduced and featured in the Honey Bee Stamps Signature Surfaces Paper Pad, making it easy to add artistic texture and color to your handmade cards and paper crafting projects. The gentle washes of blues and greens and soft organic details create the perfect backdrop for the vibrant berries, allowing the focal image to shine while adding a fresh, watercolor feel.
I'm using the following Perfect Picnic Release Honey Bee Stamps products for this 5" X 7" card:
Lovely Layers: Berry Basket Honey Cuts Dies
Berry Sweet Summer stamp set and coordinating Honey Cuts dies
For the basics... my Honey Bee Stamps featured project below is made from Neenah 80lb Solar White cardstock for the card base and card front panel. All of the black ink stamping was done using Honey Bee’s Bee Creative Intense Black Ink. I use Honey Bee Stamps Bee Creative Precision Glue and for when I want more dimension, Bee Creative Foam Dots With Tab for adhering my elements together. My blender brushes (large and small) are a must for ink blending color on the background, too. For white highlights, I use my white acrylic pen. My card is 5" X 7" in size.
Check out my REEL and watch me put this card together. after reviewing these details.
To make this 5" X 7" card, I die cut the berry basket elements (make sure to die cut two side pieces) using the Lovely Layers: Berry Basket Honey Cuts Dies. I used a light aqua cardstock for both the berries and the basket and a yellow-green cardstock for the leaves. I used Distress Oxide Inks in Salvaged Patina (for the basket) Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves, and Prize Ribbon (for the berries) and Mowed Lawn (for the leaves) to color the die cuts. I used my blender brushes (large and small) to add the color to the cardstock. For the berry basket, I also used my BG72 Copic Marker to add additional shadowing to the crevices of the basket.
I love the look of organic items so I splattered paint over all the carton die cuts before assembling the carton. I used white ink, black watercolor ink and a bit of aqua green. I used a paper towel to smudge and lighten the black dots to make it look imperfect, and perfect at the same time!
Now here is the fun part. This basket actually folds out and in for realistic dimension on this card! I cut two sides from the Lovely Layers: Berry Basket Honey Cuts Dies and used my Scor-Buddy Mini Score Board to score down the middle of each one. I folded them and glued them to the side flaps of the basket front. This will allow the basket to collapse when in the envelope. Now lets work on the background...
Card Front Background
I created a number of the backgrounds you can now buy with the Honey Bee Stamps Signature Surfaces Paper Pad. Both the top and bottom watercolor papers for this card are in this pad! You get two of each in on pad. If watercolor inks and coloring are intimidating to you or you prefer not to make the mess, you can buy these looks right here in one pad and achieve the same look!
For this card, I used a green/blue watercolor pattern for the bottom and a simple blue streaked paper for the top. I love how these papers bring out the bold blues of the berries and the basket. They are a perfect mix for summertime! I attached the papers to a white A7 card base made from Neenah 80lb Solar White cardstock. I attached the berry basket on the sides using double sided Scor-Tape. This tape will keep the carton in place with each hand pull/tug by the recipient.
I attached the berries to the card, above the carton and on the carton. I also added a cluster of berries on the left side of the carton, at the bottom. Next, I stamped, die cut and attached the sentiments using precision glue. These perfectly fitting sentiments are from the Berry Sweet Summer stamp set and coordinating Honey Cuts dies.
Let's Get REEL!
You can watch my REEL here where I put together this card. It's a great way to see how the carton folds and looks on the card!
You can shop the entire Honey Bee Stamps store here, If you decide to place an order, please use the links in this post so that Honey Bee knows which ideas inspired you! When you spend $100 or more, you are eligible for a FREE BEE, too! (While supplies last!)
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