Sweet Pea Fun

 I've had my Sweet Pea Stitched Felt sitting in my drawer in its pretty little package since I bought it in early January.  Every once in a while, I would take the pieces out, admire the simplicity of the design and the intricate stitching on the thick, soft felt.  Then, I'd put the little flowers and buds and leaves neatly back in the package. 

Like the Filigree Brads, and the crocheted Fleurettes before them, which I ordered when the catalog came out last July, I wasn't ready to use them quite yet.  They were destined to be part of a special project…something unique…something beautiful…someday.  Not today.  Not yet.

But, seriously, what am I waiting on?!  Shouldn't I seize the crafting day?! 

YES!

So, a couple weeks ago, I started playing with my prized purchases.  And, what I realized was that they WERE just as fun to use as I knew they'd be!  Which led to the more questions like, Have I really used them all already? and How many packages should I put on my next order? 

You've already seen my first use of Filigree Brads on my Butterfly Easter Basket.  Today, I'll show you some of the samples I created with the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, which is available in the Mini Catalog  through the end of April. 

My first attempt was using them to embellish the Stem Sayings stamp set.  I've had difficulty designing with that stamp set because most flower images are too big to fit on a card along with such long word stems.  But, Sweet Pea works wonderfully with these stamps!  The perfect sizes!  The background paper and hand-cut leaves are from the Designer Series Paper Stack, coincidentally called Sweet Pea, and also in the Mini Catalog. 

As I flipped through the DSP Stack, I came across one pattern that had the same simple flowers printed right on the paper.  So, I used that as my background and highlighted three flowers with Sweet Pea Felt.  I used the Vintage Labels Sale-A-Bration set for the greeting and the little Stitched Felt bud as an accent.  This works OK as a card, but I think it would make an amazing scrapbook background for Spring!

I was liking the way the colors and the circles in the Sweet Pea paper coordinated well the Sweet Pea Felt, so I did a simple paper quilt card using strips from several of the 48 different patterns.  That's right, there are 48 different patterns in this Stack!  You actually get two each of 24 double-sided sheets! 

It's a great value for only $24.95!  Normally, a pack of 12 sheets of Designer Series Paper is $9.95.  You can see all the patterns up close at my online store (hit the "next" button to see them all).

Along with Sweet Pea Felt, the Sweet Pea paper works well with stamp sets like Trendy Trees, Circle Circus, Good Friend, Cheep Talk, and Dreams Du Jour, to name a few.  The Polka Dot Impressions Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Bird Punch, and On Board Bird Book fit the theme, too! 

I love it when all the products get along!  That is one of the top reasons why I think Stampin' Up! is awesome—everything coordinates so well with so many other items, making them exciting to mix & match! 

Tomorrow, I have one more Sweet Pea Felt project, featuring a new technique giving an impression you won't be able to resist.

Stamp with you soon!  ~Angie