Society Sunday - Cherry Blossom

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I noticed some reports on the news about the arrival of cherry blossoms in Japan and its associated celebrations, which is what has inspired this edition of "Society Sunday".

My first pick is "Sakura & Fat Birds", featuring my favourite colour palette.  The artwork is clean and simple and the colours are fresh and vibrant .  Plus I love those plump birds!

"Sakura & Fat Birds" art print

Next up, a traditional Japanese-style illustration - "Cherry Blossoms - Pink".  Simple and understated, but very pretty.

"Cherry Blossoms - Pink" rectangular throw pillow

Do you change your home decor with the seasons?  I like the idea of that, but I'm a bit too lazy to actually do anything about it.  But if I ever got my act together I'd consider these window curtains featuring "Sakura Love - Grunge White".  They would be perfect for a Spring/Summer revamp.  The flowers are actually images of embroidered blossoms and branches which results in an interesting visual effect..

"Sakura Love - Grunge White" window curtains

Pretty, delicate, soft; that's how I'd describe "Cherry Blossom #3".  There's something so calming about this image.

"Cherry Blossom #3" art print

Cherry blossoms are generally pink, but in "Sakura Blue" the artist has rendered them in blue hues.  The colour palette and the ambiguous nature of the placement of the blooms, where one ends and the next begins, gives an overall effect of viewing the blossoms through water.  

"Sakura Blue" art print

From today (25th March) until the end of play tomorrow (26th March) PST you can get 40% off throw pillows, 30% off tapestries and + art prints and 25% off everything else with the code HELLOSPRING, so it's the perfect time to head over to Society6 and get everything that you need for a Spring revamp.

Society Sunday - Spring

This post contains affiliate links,  If you click on a link and subsequently make a purchase I will receive a commission.

If you missed Society Sunday last week, sorry - I didn't forget, I'm just working to a new schedule.  From now on I'll be posting every other week.

I am so over Winter and ready for a change of season.  The days are already getting longer, which has lifted my spirits no end and inspired this week's theme - Spring.

First up, "Spring Blossom" by yours truly.  I LOVE the view of bright blue sky through foliage or blossom.  I took this picture on a crisp, Spring day at about this time last year. 

"Spring Blossom" Tote Bag

The colours of "Spring Butterfly Love" are very me.  The nebulous quality of the background adds some drama  and I like that the butterflies look a little bit other-worldly.  It looks great on a greetings card. 

"Spring Butterfly Love" Greetings Card

From rich colours to monotone and "The Thrush and a Promise of Spring".  I'm a big fan of the pen and ink style.  This piece really captures the fecundity of late spring.

"The Thrush and a Promise of Spring" Art Print

Another piece that has echoes of foliage against sky, which is probably what drew me to "All Over Again...".  Also the softness of the colours, and one of my all time favourite colour combinations - pink and teal. 

"It's All Over Again..." Wall Tapestry

And finally, "Spring 3 Blossoms".  I like the limited colour palette and the stylised flowers.

"Spring 3 Blossoms" Art Print

Head on over to Society 6 and take a closer look at these pieces and other works by these artists.  Today (11th March) get 25% off everything with code SPRINGAHEAD and 25% off Wall Art on Tuesday (13th March) with code LETSHANG,

Society Sunday

Time for another round-up of work that has caught my eye on the Society 6 website*.  First up "Midsummer Fires"by Shorsh.  I immediately fell for the glorious colour combination of pink and aqua and as I'm also a sucker for a beautiful sky, this one was a must.

Midsummer Fires - Shorsh

"Gold Geometric Pattern III" by Avalon and Aiden.  This has an Art Deco feel - a style that I've recently discovered.  The combination of gold and white along with the diamond geometric pattern is simple and elegant.  I think it looks great on curtains.

Gold Geometric Pattern III - avalonandaiden

As I mentioned last week, I'm loving seahorses at the moment and with the end of winter just about in sight I'm thinking ahead to my summer holidays and the beach.  I can see myself stretching out on this beach towel by Juliana RW.

Sea & Ocean #5 - Juliana RW

Until I found one of these seeds on a walk through the park last year, I had no idea that they could be so beautiful.  "Maple" by Claudia Drossert captures the delicacy and gentle beauty of a maple seed.  I can see this print in a minimalist setting surrounded by cool tones.  I would have it in a space that I would be in when I wanted to feel peaceful and calm.

Maple - Claudia Drossert

And finally, "Wild Bouquet" by Rachel Cave.  This just makes me happy.  The folk style works beautifully with the fresh colours and captures the essence of Spring.

Wild Bouquet - Rachel Cave

Head over to Society 6 to take a closer look at these pieces or to find a treasured artwork of your own.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Three Looks, One Die

I love background dies and the Tattered Lace Grandma's Garden panel die is really pretty.  There are loads of techniques that are great with background dies, but here are three simple ways to use it.

1.  Cut it out of Kraft (or other coloured) card and affix to a white card blank.  Stick a die cut sentiment also cut from Kraft (or other coloured) card on to a white oval and then affix both on to the background with foam pads.  It's really simple but it looks great.

2.  Die cut a panel out of plain white cardstock and place it over a coloured background.  In this case I created a vibrant background using alcohol markers, but you can use inks, watercolours, pan pastels or whatever medium you like.  I placed a white die cut sentiment onto a piece of coordinating card stock.  The white against the vibrant background helps to tone it down.  This is a great technique to use with busy background papers too.

3.  Die cut a panel from plain white cardstock and colour in the different elements, then affix to a card blank.  In this case I used pastel shades and a Kraft card base.  The pastels and Kraft work really well together.

GHVHVDN131519882 

Bloom and Grow - Free Backing Papers

I love the idea of designing my own backing papers, so, with a little help from Daisytrail and CraftArtist 2 Professional, I did just that.  I used the Bright Blooms free digikit to create a set of 6 x A4 backing papers in soft shades, perfect for Spring.

  

  

  

As the true test of a backing paper is its usability, I had fun being my own design team and made a set of cards to show the papers off.  They work really nicely together.  Download the papers and use them in your own projects, then leave a link to your creations in the comments 😊.