I'm back -- but still busy and still juggling lots of writing deadlines and stamping classes. I wanted to pop in though and share this beautiful card (the idea came direct from Stampin' Up at our Leadership training event in Jan.) The beautifully simple card uses the Build a Blossom stamp set and coordinating Blossom Petals Punch that are available through the end of April in Stampin' Up's Occasions Mini catalog -- just look for these items in my online store if you don't already have them.

So here's the "speed stamping" trick -- and it's SUCH a time saver when you are stamping and punching multiple petals that you want to stamp in the same color ink. The trick is to use the CLEAR MOUNT version of the Build a Blossom set. The trick starts with a punched out template using the Blossom Petals Punch --- just punch one complete set of petals from a scrap of card stock.

You'll save this punched template in the box with your stamps and then here's why you need the clear mount set, you can position the stamps right through the punched template, pressing them onto your larger clear block in the perfect position so that as you stamp your punch will then line up with every petal perfectly. (You can see that I marked my card stock template so I always know which side is up when I'm positioning petals. On the other side I wrote, "This side against clear block." No need to re-think it each time.

Once I stamp the three petals that I need — in this case in Cherry Cobbler ink on Cherry Cobbler card stock — punched five times. It's then easy to use the punch upside down, lining up my punch and punching out all three petals at once!

Here are my assembly tricks — after much experimenting with what will hold the flower together well. I first use a bone folder to get a nice curve in my petals. I punch out a base circle -- in this case I used a 1 & 3/8" circle base since the bottom petals are large. I covered that circle with SNAIL sticky adhesive. And then I found that a Mini Glue dot on the point of each petal was the best way to go. Yes, a Mini Glue dot on each petal, all five petals, for all three layers so I used 15 mini glue dots but my flowers then stay together.

And I have a trick for holding the flower to your project. I use Mini Glue dots on the base circle to attach it to the card — and also added a foam Dimensional "dot" under just the five larger bottom petals. I found the added Dimensionals keep the curve "puffed up" and they make sure your flower is locked down and does not spin or move too much. This is a "wow" card that you went to a lot of trouble to make so why not take a little extra care to make sure everything is is place?

The center of my flower is an embossed card stock button die cut with the Sweet Buttons embosslit from the Occasions Mini Catalog. To that I added the stamped and punched center from the flower stamp set -— it punches out easily with a 1/2 inch circle punch and gives the center the same tone-on-tone feel as the rest of the flower.

The last addition to this card was three simple scored lines to frame the pretty blossom. They were easily made by using the scoring tool on my Fiskars 12 inch cutter to score three lines just 1/8 inch apart. Score the lines on the inside front of your card and then the pretty "bumps" are on the outside. Plus I went over each scoreline using the tip of my bone folder in the groove of the Fiskars — that way the bone folder could easily travel in my "starter groove" and make the embossed line more pronounced.

It's so fun to make flowers with this set and matching punch — and if your petals are all one color, then this speed tip will make it much faster! Enjoy.