See how I made this die cut summer wreath card with multiples of just two die cuts!

As many of you may know, I make many of the sample cards you get to see on the Rubbernecker website and in their booth at their live shows. Recently, we were refreshing some of the cards and I was asked to make a die cut summer wreath card based on this beautiful project from the talented Allison Arbour.

To make this card I used the Rubbernecker Wreath Set, and just one of the blossoms from their Small Flowers #3, set to make the wreath. Yes, it is lush and luxurious and yes, it was made with just those two dies. When you use an element en masse, you can easily create a rich look of abundance with very little effort. I accented the wreath with a little birdhouse element with their Large Bird House die set, added a couple of occupants with their Small Birds die set and placed the scene in a frame element made with their Outside Scallop Frame. The sentiment is from their It’s Spring Time Clear Set. (The scallop background layer was made using the retired Nested Scallop set.)

Let me share the details of the making with you so you can see how truly easy this is to make.

Card Base, Scalloped Layer and Frame

• Use white cardstock to cut an A2 sized card base and scallop layer (retired Nested Scallop set).
• Secure the scallop layer in the MISTI and stamp the sentiment using Nocturne ink.
• Apply ATG adhesive to the back of the scalloped layer and attach it to the card base.
• Use yellow cardstock to cut the Outside Scallop Frame.
• Apply thin strips of cardstock to the back of the frame and attach it to the sentiment layer.

Die Cut Summer Wreath and Flowers

• Use green cardstock to cut the Wreath Set base and several sections of the holly leaves.  Pro Tip:  I used the holly because of the full leaves.  I know we only think of holly for winter projects but the leaves look so pretty with the summer flowers.
• Place the holly branches face up on the molding pad and press in the center of each leaf using the leaf tool.  Pro Tip:  You can use your fingers to gently bend the leaves to create dimension.

• Begin attaching the branches to the wreath base using glossy accents.  Make sure to over lap the branches to cover the ends of each section.
• Continue you adding branches until you have completely covered the base with one full layer.
• Start filling in the wreath by adding a second layer of branches all the way around.  
• Fill in any open spaces with a third layer as necessary. Here you can see how just adding layers of the same shapes creates that lush look.
• Cut several sections of the Small Flowers #3 using aqua cardstock.
• Place the flowers face up on the molding pad and form them by pushing down in the centers using a small tipped stylus.
• Attach the flowers to the wreath using glossy accents, adding as many or as little as you like. Again, using the same element over and over adds a tremendous amount of texture and depth and creates that look of abundance with just one shape.
• Attach tiny yellow circles to the flower centers using Connect glue.  Pro Tip: I use Connect glue for these instead of glossy accents so the dried glue won’t show.  I use glossy accents to attach the holly branches because it creates a much stronger hold.  Pro Tip:  I save all the tiny negative circles when cutting eyelet dies to use for flower centers.  
• Attach the wreath to the to the card base using a generous amount of glossy accents.

Birdhouse and Birds

• Cut the birdhouse sections using Kraft and aqua cardstock.
• Apply Pecan Color Fuse Ink from Set #3 to the birdhouse using a mini applicator.
• Cut a small piece of Kraft cardstock, color with the Pecan ink and attach it to the back of the birdhouse using small pieces of mounting tape to cover the open hole.
• Use rolled up double stick tape to attach the roof section to the birdhouse.

• Tuck the birdhouse in behind the wreath branches and attach to the card base using small pieces of mounting tape.
• Use yellow cardstock to cut the Small Birds.
• Apply Mango Color Fuse Ink from Set #2 using a mini applicator.
• Color the beaks using a black marker.
• Attach the birds to the card base and wreath using small pieces of mounting tape.

Were you surprised at how easy this was? Are you itching to try one yourself? Here’s what I used today from Rubbernecker:

5500-02D outside scallop frame Die [ RBB ] Nested Rectangle Scallop Die Cut 5028D [ RBB ] 5217-03D Wreath Set Die [ RBB ] 5505-03D large bird house die [ RBB ] 5309-09D Small Flowers #3 [ RBB ] Small Birds Die 5147-06D [ RBB ] 3309 It’s Spring time [ RBB ]

For all the everyday items I use you can see all my other favorite crafting tools here.

Now, are you ready to make your own version of this die cut summer wreath card? And of course, it doesn’t have to be a “summer” card – you can change up the elements any way you like and have the perfect year round all occasion card that will truly wow them. Try it out!