Celebrating A Year of Flowers

I have always really loved magnolias.  They're Louisiana's state flower, and Mississippi's too!  Since I am a Girl Raised In The South who grew up in Louisiana, with extended family from Mississippi, that works for me!  

This beautiful magnolia stamp is from Melanie Muenchinger's Stately Flowers 3.  I'm not sure I got the colors quite right...I was at Mom's with less than half of my Copic collection, so I used the warm grays and olive greens rather than the creamy pale yellows and darker greens I would have chosen had they been within reach.  White can be a challenge to color, but I think that even with not-quite-right colors,  this still came out lovely!

An uncluttered layout lets the gorgeous flower take center stage!  I love that picot-edged doily!  This card has a quiet, understated elegance, don't you think?  Maybe it needs a little bling...now that I'm back home I will have to see what I can find!

Today, Melanie and the Gina K team are celebrating the release her new book, A Year in Flowers.  It showcases the stamp set by the same name, and the coordinating floral sets that can be used alongside it.   The book is full of beautiful cards and tutorials on how to make them, all designed by Melanie using stamp sets she has illustrated for Gina K.  Here's a link to all of Melanie's sets at GKD.

While I'm not officially part of the hop (I was away during all of the planning for it), I couldn't resist sharing my card today and pointing you in the right direction!  You don't want to miss it, so start at Gina's blog!  Enjoy!