Given that spring officially started this year on Sunday March 20th here in the Western Hemisphere, you might be wondering why a project for the second week of May would include the words “early spring colour palette” in its title.
Allow me to elaborate, dear readers. 😊
While spring might technically commence during the third week of March, in reality, the season rarely gets underway in any sort of serious way where we live until around mid-April to early May.
It is not uncommon for snow to linger on the ground and/or keep falling well into April around these Canadian parts.
So while plenty of corners of the world have been enjoying spring’s return since February, March, or April, I often associate May with the full-on start of this energetic season.
Spring is usually comically short-lived in our corner of BC (much as it is in a lot of Canada). It is not uncommon for us to go from temps in the range of -25C to +35C in the span of just four to eight weeks.
This means that spring – in its idyllic, mild weathered, new bloom-filled sense – is often over before you can even slip your rain boots on. 😄
As layer upon layer of ice and snow gradually retreat, cocoa hued brown earth still damp and chilly from winter’s receding deep freeze meets us beneath our feet.
Overhead, skies so blue it almost seems as if someone took a fluorescent highlighter to them cradle fluffy, cotton ball-esque clouds and the promise of a few brief months of warm weather before we are thrust back into the snowy season once again.
While winter houses plenty of enjoyable outdoor activities unto itself (skiing, sledding, snowman making, etc), it is in spring when a lot of us reconnect with our favourite activities that are enjoyed in nature.
Last year my mom bought her first e-bike. Like many of us, she learned to ride a bike as a young child and while she has owned numerous bikes throughout her life, she’d not had one for a decent while now.
She immediately fell in love with her new set of wheels, quickly embarking on rides with both friends and with my husband, Tony (who is an avid cyclist himself) throughout the spring and early summer.
Save for the absurdly warm heatwave that struck much of British Columbia around the end of last June/start of July, it wasn’t the temperature that put the breaks (pun mildly intended 😄) on cycling for many folks around these parts last year.
Instead, it was the genuinely dangerous air quality stemming from the plethora of brutal wildfires that swept through this province during 2021’s toastiest months.
By the time the smoke had dissipated, the fires had burned out (or very nearly so), and the risk of evacuation was behind us once again, it was pretty much fall already.
Rides, as you might imagine, were quickly savoured by many a cyclist during that all-too-brief window between summer’s end and the return of snow.
Now spring is back and that means my mom, Tony, and countless others who like to cycle can hop on their bikes – be they e-bike, traditional bikes, recumbent bikes, or any other form of bicycle – and take to the open roads and nature paths once again.
For Mother’s Day (which transpires on Sunday May 8th this year here in Canada + US), I wanted to make a festive card that tapped not only into my mom’s rekindled passion for bike riding, but also the earth and sky colour palette of springtime that is surrounding us at the moment.
Early Spring Colour Palette Bicycle Themed Mother’s Day Card
By my layer + embellishment adoring standards, this card is neither chock-a-block with such things nor did it take very long to make (less than three hours – which for me personally, is very speedy on the paper crafting project front).
Much as with the elephant card that I made my mom for her birthday last year, it was not until I sat down to craft a cycling themed card that I realized how few bike related products are in my current stash. 😱
Surely, I would have guessed beforehand, I must have at least one stamp set that includes a bike. Nope, not as far as I could unearth that day, at least.
Okay, what about metal dies? Save for a small-sized penny-farthing die, again, nada.
Hmm, this is getting interesting, I thought. Will patterned paper come to the rescue?
As you can no doubt see from these project photos, that it did. Big yays all around! 🥳
But even then, this was the only cycling themed paper I could find in my stash (and that includes going through any 6×6, 8×8, 12×12, etc paper pads that might possibly have included a biking related print or two).
Given that both Tony and my mom are keen cyclists, going forward I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more bike riding related products.
The banner/bunting-shaped pieces here were simply cut from rectangles of brown cardstock and blue floral print paper, respectively.
To achieve the desired banner/bunting shape, flip your paper or cardstock over so that the backside is facing you. Take a ruler, align it with on bottom corner and at a 90 degree (or so) angle, make a straight line until you’ve reached the halfway mark of that piece of paper or cardstock.
Repeat the same thing from the other bottom corner, joining the two lines. You should now have the shape of a wide vee. Following the pencil lines you just marked, cut out that wide vee shape and, presto, your banner/bunting piece is good to go. 😃
If you wish to create two or more layers of bunting/banners that will be stacked on top of each other, repeat the same process using gradually smaller-sized rectangles to create your banners/bunting pieces.
According to the Teleflora blog, approximately 1/4th of all flowers sent annually on major holidays are purchased and delivered for Mother’s Day.
That is no surprise, really, as flowers are often one of the first things many of us both associate with Mother’s Day and which we are apt to give our moms come this special day that is held in their honour.
I was especially happy then that blooms appeared twice on the bike image that I fussy cut from a piece of Jillibean Soup bike patterned paper.
Not only do the flowers tap into that connection, but they speak to the eternal connection between spring/summer and blooms on this side of the globe.
Unlike real flowers, however, these beauties are not apt to fade anytime soon (which is another point in their favour).
I have always enjoyed working with brads in the context of my paper crafting projects but had not done so in a while. This prompted me to dive deep into my collection to see if I had any brown brads on hand.
Delightfully, the answer to the question was “yes”, and these good-sized cocoa powder hued cuties from We R Memory Keepers fit the bill to a tee.
A strip of heathered cream twill ribbon, complete with a matching bow, provides further dimension and visual interest to this fun Mother’s Day card.
Swap out the sentiment here and there is no shortage of other occasions that this same sort of card design would suit.
Birthdays, Easter, Father’s Day, thinking of you, happy travels, graduation, missing you, retirement, congratulations, or just because cards would all be good fits, amongst others.
If you are vibing with this charming bike themed card and would like to create one of your own, read on for a complete list of products used plus detailed step-by-step project instructions. 💛
Products used to make this sweet and cute biking card
-Textured (or smooth) dark brown cardstock
-Textured (or smooth) mustard yellow cardstock
-Cream cardstock
-Blue-on-blue floral print paper
-Cream/flax and brown floral/damask print paper – Portrait of a Lady Collection Grace paper from Graphic 45
-Bicycle print paper – Spoonful of Soul Trust the Journey paper from Jillibean Soup
-Nested oval die set
-Tag/label die
-Circle design border punch – Double Bubble border punch from Fiskars
-Mother’s Day sentiment stamp
-Dark brown ink – Memento Dew Drop Ink in Rich Cocoa from Tsukineko
-Dark yellowy-orange ink – Memento Dew Drop Ink in Cantaloupe from Tsukineko
-Dark blue ink – Archival Cobalt Letter It Stamping Ink from Ranger
-Brown brads – Neutral Painted Brads from We R Memory Keepers
-Heathered beige coloured twill ribbon
-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers
-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)
How to make a wonderfully fun bicycle themed Mother’s Day card
Begin by making a card base from textured (or smooth) cream coloured cardstock. If working with smooth cardstock, you could also run it through an embossing folder with an understated design for some added texture as well (such as small dots, hearts, lines, leaves, flowers, or stars, for example).
Cut a piece of dark brown textured (or smooth) cardstock a touch smaller than your card base. Adhere.
Cut a piece of Jillibean Soup bicycle print paper slightly smaller than the dark brown cardstock layer. Ink all four sides (edges) of this piece of paper with Memento Dew Drop Cantaloupe Ink. Adhere to the dark brown cardstock layer.
Take the blue-on-blue floral print paper and cut a rectangle a little over 1/3rd the width of your card base. Ink all four sides (edges) with Ranger Archival Cobalt Letter It Stamping Ink.
Adhere this piece of blue paper horizontally in the middle of the card layers that you have assembled thus far.
Cut a rectangle of dark brown textured (or smooth) cardstock slightly smaller than the piece of Jillibean Soup bicycle print paper.
Use the Fiskars Double Bubble border punch on the bottom edge of that piece of cardstock. Adhere piece to previous layers.
Cut a piece of cream/flax and brown coloured Graphic 45 paper slightly smaller than the previous (brown cardstock) layer. Use the same Fiskars border punch on the bottom of this piece of paper as well. Adhere this layer to the previous brown cardstock layer.
Next, insert brown We R Memory Keepers brads through the top and bottom corners of these two layers, as shown. Adhere this stack of two layers to the previous card base layers.
Cut a rectangle of dark brown cardstock and a slightly smaller rectangle of blue-on-blue floral print paper. Turn the bottom of each piece into a banner/bunting shape using the method described in the section immediately above these instructions.
Ink the piece of blue floral print paper on all sides/edges with dark blue Ranger ink.
Adhere floral print paper on the dark brown cardstock. Then, take a small piece of mustard yellow cardstock, use the Double Bubble border punch along its bottom edge and adhere this piece of cardstock in the uppermost portion of the “vee” shape of your banner/bunting layers.
Adhere these banner/bunting layers to the previous card layers.
Run a piece of heathered cream twill ribbon/trim across the middle of the card, tucking its ends beneath the first dark brown cardstock layer of this card’s design.
Create a bow from the same twill ribbon/trim and attach it on the lefthand side of the middle of the card, as shown.
Die cut an oval from mustard yellow cardstock. Adhere to previous card base layers.
Die cut an oval from dark brown cardstock and adhere it to the mustard yellow oval piece.
From the same Jillibean Soup bicycle print paper that we’ve already used, fussy cut a single bike and adhere it to the brown cardstock oval.
Die cut a label/tag shape from cream cardstock. Stamp the Happy Mother’s Day sentiment in the middle of it with dark brown ink. Attach a slightly smaller sized (if you have two different sizes on hand, if not another two of the same size that you already used is A-okay as well) brown brad to each end of the label/tag.
Lastly, adhere the label/tag so that it overlaps slightly with the centre bottom portion of the oval pieces.
That’s all there is to this splendidly sweet card that is perfect for biking fans, lovers of spring, nature enthusiasts and plenty of others as well.
Given its relative simplicity and the speed that it takes to make this card, it would be a good design if you needed to make multiples for an occasion or event (including invitations).
Let’s ride!
As much as I wish I could, riding has been beyond the scope of my health for about twenty years now.
One recent summer, thinking maybe, just maybe, I could bear the immense pain + symptom flare-ups that cycling causes some of my chronic illnesses, I purchased a bike and rode it a couple of times.
Sadly, that was all it took for me to realize that no amount of hoping and gritting my teeth through the discomfort was going to make that possible in the long run. So, with tears in my eyes and heart alike, the bike was swiftly returned to the shop from which it was bought.
Thus, while actually jumping on a bike and hitting the open road is not feasible for me, thankfully, I can still delight in cycling vicariously through Tony, my mom, and other relatives who are avid bikers.
Plus, I can enjoy the ride in spirit via fun paper crafting projects like this, watching cyclists zip through our region of the province (including as part of the annual Ironman Triathlon that is held each summer about two hours south of where we currently live), and care of the tales about their rides that loved ones regale me with throughout the sunny season.
Whether you are a keen cyclist, have (as I do) fond memories of riding earlier in your life, or just enjoy images of bikes, I encourage you to take to your stash and whip up a biking related project or two this year.
They suit spring and summer marvellously and can be an awesome way to make meaningful projects that tap into the interest of friends, relatives, colleges, neighbours, teachers – your name it!
Are you a bike rider yourself? Do you enjoy making cycling themed craft projects as well? 💙🚲🤎
PS: To all those moms, stepmoms, grandmothers, and others of all genders who take on the role of being a mama, may you have a radiantly beautiful and abundantly happy Mother’s Day tomorrow. 💐
What a beautiful and appropriate card you have made for your Mum. The brown, yellow and blue look fabulous together and thanks for explaining the relevance of brown to your spring.
I am so glad you found some suitable patterned paper in your stash for your bike themed card. When you were talking about searching your stash I was wondering if you would end up using a digital stamp, but your stash came up trumps, which is excellent news.
How wonderful that your Mum and your Tony go cycling together, I hope you don’t feel too left out, but it does mean you get some you time at home. It must be hard sometimes when your conditions prevent you from doing things.
Anyway, your card is fabulous, I bet your Mum loved it. I hope she enjoys many adventures on her new
e-bike. xx
Thank you deeply across the board, my sweet and caring friend. I am delighted to report that my mom did indeed love this card – and all the more so because the colours here (particularly blue, brown, and cream) jive really well with her current come decor.
Your idea of using a digi stamp here would have been a great option, had my stash not managed to come to the rescue in the end. Thank you for the reminder of this very handy choice for themes that one may not have much in the way on hand at present.
Interestingly, come to think of it, I haven’t actually printed a digital image to use in my paper crafting for a number of years now. Goodness, where does the time go?!
That is so considerate of you to say. While it would be great to be able ot join them, thankfully, I do not feel left out when Tony and my mom go cycling. It warms my heart immensely to see others enjoying themselves and that rings all the more true when it is two of the people that I love more than anything on earth.
Really, thank you again deeply for all that you said and for being the sweet, wonderful person that you are.
Immense hugs,
🖤 Autumn
Gorgeous card for your mom. That is great that her and your hubby go bike riding together. Great that she keeps active!
Thank you sweetly, Donna. It really is wonderful. I am eternally grateful for the close bond that Tony and my mom share. It makes daily life flow so much more smoothly and less stressful for everyone involved.
I totally agree! My mom was a fitness instructor in the 1980s and has continued to work out regularly in the ensuing decades. She is not only in fantastic shape for her age (64 as of last month), but in is great shape for any age. I could easily see her continuing to stay very active for another twenty or more years and really hope that she is indeed able to do just that (especially since she loves exercising).
I hope that your month has been going well and that you have a really nice tail end of May.
🖤 Autumn
A fabulous cycling card which your mum must love,the colours reflect the changing seasons beautifully.
Thank you very much, Meg. Earth tones are some of my absolute favourite colours and I adored getting to combine them with blue on this cheerful Mother’s Day card.
Plus, if one wanted, this same palette could be used for fall time crafts as well – perhaps adding some orange into the mix to heighten the sense of autumn.
I really appreciate both this comment and all of the others you have left for me this spring. Huge thanks!!!
🖤 Autumn
What a gorgeous card, Autumn, I’m sure your Mum was delighted with it. It’s lovely that she re-found her passion for cycling, and that card couldn’t have been more appropriate! xxx
Thank you sweetly, dear Ann. It absolutely is terrific! I suspect that the pandemic has helped thousands upon thousands of folks the world over to likewise rekindle their love of hitting the open road (or backwood trails, as the case may be) on a bicycle.
I might not be able to hop on a set of wheels myself, but I am likewise happy that the passion Tony and my mom (and one of my uncles as well) have for biking gave me the opportunity to create a fun springtime card centred around this theme.
Many hugs & the cheeriest of May-into-June wishes,
🖤 Autumn
Very pretty card for your mom! I love how you’ve personalized it to suit her too! Fabulous job with all of your details and layers here! The same for Spring with us too and it’s just starting to warm up…and we enjoy bicycling as well! Enjoy your week!
That’s awesome! It really is one of the most enjoyable forms of exercise – not to mention local transportation – ever invented.
Interstingly, spring’s return slowed down around the end of April and that in turn lead to a chillier and damper than usual May. Objectively, loving mild weather, I don’t mind in the slightest, though do know that many local cyclists are itching to hit the open road all the more again once the weather perks up.
I hope that you have a fantastic time on any and all biking adventures you embark on this sunny season, my dear friend.
🖤 Autumn
I have not ridden a bike since I was ~7 years old – I fell off and my parents didn’t make me get back on…and I never did!
I love this card, though – the browns are reminiscent of the earth under the melting snow, with that bright citrussy sunshine yellow just starting to appear in the sky, that icy blue sky! This is very much “early spring” vs. middle spring (which I think of in terms of plum/cherry blossoms). Love it, Autumn!
Thank you very much, my dear friend. I concur big time. Mid-spring is rich with pinks, yellows, grass green, and punchy purples (alla things like lilacs and irises) in my books, too.
I am deeply sorry that you experienced such an unpleasant cycling incident at the tend age of seven. You poor thing!
If biking holds any interest for you these days, perhaps an e-bike would be a great way to combine classic cycling with the comfort and security of knowing that (so long as the battery has juice in it) you can let the motor take over whenever you wish. Both Tony and my mom have e-bikes and they ADORE them!
I totally get it though if cycling isn’t your jam at all. Zero worries, of course!
Wishing you and Logan a sunny, terrific last week of May.
🖤 Autumn
Love your amazing springtime bicycle card Autumn! The blue/brown combo really speaks to me! I hope, now that spring is emerging, that you mom and Tony get to hit the streets or trails with their bikes.
You are seriously kind, dear Celeste. Thank you very much (on behalf of all three of us).
Interestingly, spring slowed to a crawl around the end of April and led to the chilliest May on record in ages around these parts. It has also, not surprisingly, been a very damp month, so not too many cycling adventures have been untaken yet this season.
Soon enough though, no doubt, full-on summertime weather will return and Tony + my mom will have ample company as they zip around the local area.
Many hugs & heartfelt thanks for each and every one of your terrific blog comments here this season. You rock!
🖤 Autumn
I know Mother’s day has passed, but I’m sure your mom was delighted with this card made especially for her and her renewed biking interest!
The layers are beautifully done and I love the design with a fun cut-out from the most perfect designer paper! The earthy little bow looks perfect to tie everything up beautifully, too!
Here’s to warmer weather and beautiful spring days to enjoy before summer’s heat comes around. Have a great weekend and a better week ahead!
Thank you very much, Carol. It’s hard to believe that Mother’s Day has zipped by for another year. Happily, I was able to spend Sat – Mon with my mom, so we were able to enjoy the whole of Mother’s Day together this year, which was really special – particularly given that we didn’t do so in the two years prior to 2022 due to the pandemic.
While it did very much look like spring had arrived in full force when I penned this post, it quickly slowed down as May processed and chillier than usual temps filled many of our days (as did an abundance of rain).
Truth be told, save for the impact of unseasonably low temps on the local ecosystem, I do not mind getting some mild weather between the frostbite risk of winter and the sunburn risk of summer, let me tell you!
Living in one of the warmest regions of Canada though, it is unlikely to be long before we are watching the mercury skyrocket again and, in turn, longing for ice and snow again. 😄
Thank you for your very lovely wish. I likewise hope that May has been going well on your end, too, and that it will soon blossom into a gorgeous, sunny, and very happy June. 🌞
🖤 Autumn
This is so adorable. It’s refreshing to see a non-floral focused and non-feminine colour palette Mother’s Day card.
That is such a cool compliment, Trina. Thank you very much! I am all for stepping beyond the tried-and-true norms when it comes to the colour palettes used for various types of occasions (so hence the abundance of blue that filled most of my Halloween projects last fall 😀).
And in that same vein, I have a purple fall related project that will appear here in the coming weeks. Purple is a colour that I do not tend to use much of in most of my papercrafting projects, so I figured it was high time I changed that (at least periodically) and went to town on things violet for that creation. 💜
Many thanks again. I hope that you have a really enjoyable tail end of May.
🖤 Autumn
A super card Autumn, it brought back memories of my Father who spent many hours riding around the countryside on his e-bike, the only downside was that my Mum would be at home worrying about him whilst he was out! I love the colours you have chosen for your card, the blues and browns go so well together.
Pauline – Crafting with Cotnob
x
How wonderful that your dad was able to enjoy many lovely outings on his e-bike. Both my mom and Tony have e-bikes (Tony also has a traditional bike, though he sometimes debates selling it given that he is in LOVE with his e-bike) and delight in clocking many a KM on theirs as well.
It is very easy to understand and relate to your mom’s concerns. Whether on is on city streets, country lanes, or even woodland trails, there is, objectively, always a degree of risk involved with cycling.
Thankfully though, so long as there is cell (mobile) service these days, if trouble does arise one may be able to quickly call for assistance.
Many thanks for both this comment and all of the others you have so kindly brightened my blog with throughout the spring. They are always greatly appreciated.
Sunny hugs from my heart to yours,
🖤 Autumn
Yes, I bike, but have not seen an ebike. Mine is a very simple WalMart purchase that I use on occasion on our cul de sac. Unfortunately, the road that we connect to is quite heavily trafficked, so my ventures consist of only large oval circles. But there is a impressive hill involved, so exercise certainly factors in.
Your Mother’s Day care is adorable and I’m sure she enjoyed it immensely!
Debi