Like a lot of crafters, I often spend time on Pinterest, and YouTube. In theory, it's for inspiration. And sometimes, it is. Other times, it's just something to do that doesn't involve much thinking and anyway you never know when inspiration will strike.

Anyway, recently I've seen a lot of bees on cards. Can't seem to move for them.

So I thought I'd add to the swarm and make my own, since I seem to have collected several sets of the years and have yet to do anything much with any of them. Also, I've been mulling over the idea of trying to make a card inspired by each letter of the alphabet this year, but I'm already several weeks behind, so starting at B seems sensible. Maybe a letter a fortnight, so C and D for February. Have to see how long the idea holds: I have a terrible habit of getting bored part-way through a project and finding a new one.

But back to the bees.

They're very cheerful, which means I'm a bit of a sucker for them. Couldn't resist the Botanical Bees stamp and stencil set in Creative Stamping 99, or the Dovecraft Bee Happy stamp, die and embossing folder from somewhere. I can't find where, so probably on eBay.

And both sets were used in the creation of this card: the Bee Happy embossing folder and die, and the Beautiful Bees stencil and sentiment.

I don't emboss very often, because I can never get the Gemini plate combination right, but this one fits through my mini machine and worked on the first go.

I had to piece the die in black and yellow (and now I'm not sure what to do with the yellow bee), which was fiddlier than I thought, and the background was done in Dried Marigold Distress Oxide on yellow card. I like the way the honeycomb pattern is still visible through the black of the sentiment.

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