One more time, One Layer

.......no fussy cutting or die-cutting this time, all stamping.

supplies: red and white card, Nuvo markers to color, MFT's Tweet Holidays birds, birdhouse, and holly, Winnie & Walter sentiments from Big, Bold & Merry, Winter Wonderland, and Happiest of Holidays, Simon's Falling Snow stencil, texture paste, glue pen, and prisma glitter

Here's a close-up of the birdhouse, with its little surprise inside:

DH and I spent some time yesterday bagging wet leaves, and there are STILL some leaves up in the trees.........hopefully one more big wind will do it!  I do love fall, but its residue can get you down!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

'Tis the Season

I've fallen in love with yet another My Favorite Things set of birds, in this case, their Tweet Holidays stamps.  I had a fun day yesterday playing with them, and here are some results.

supplies: Schoolhouse Red and white card, MFT Tweet Holidays stamps, Nuvo markers to color, Penny Black Joy to the World die, an old snowflake embossing folder

A 2nd version, just changing up the sentiment and background embossing:

supplies: Schoolhouse Red and white card, MFT Tweet Holidays, Nuvo markers, Winnie & Walter in a Word Merry cutaway, Taylored Expressions Winter Flurry embossing folder

And lastly, I CASEd a recent card of my own for this last design.

supplies: white and pink card, plaid dp from MFT Merry & Bright pad, MFT Tweet Holidays stamps,  Nuvo markers, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die,  adhesive foam to pop birds up

I masked off an area to repeatedly stamp one of the sentiments in the set, then framed the panel in a plaid, colored the birds and leaves to match, added a group of leaves, and popped the birds above the card.  

Winter appears to have arrived here, and we have still to finish our fall clean-up!  Not looking forward to raking up frozen leaves; let's hope we get a little break soon.  In the meantime, stay warm and cozy!

Simon Says.......All That Glitters is Gold

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is "All That Glitters is Gold", and the team is showcasing Lawn Fawn products.

supplies: green, white, and gold glitter card stock, Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls stamps paired with Gina K's Wreath Builder stencil, a bow die

I got my gold fix with gold glitter cardstock - wish I could capture the sparkle it gives off!  I framed my stamped panels with it, and used it also to make my bow and to add some detail to the wreath.

And I used a gold metallic paper for my sentiment on my next card.  

supplies: Schoolhouse Red, kraft, green, and metallic gold card, birch and stripe patterned papers, Lawn Fawn Scripty Joy and Paper Smooches Holly dies, Simon heart

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

More Turnabouts!

I have a couple cards using another new-to-me Concord & 9th Turnabout stamp today.  For my first try, it was a no-brainer to stamp in fall colors.....

supplies: white and kraft card, Concord & 9th Wreath Turnabout stamp set, sentiment from Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox, Altenew ink cubes and vintage photo distress ink

And one for a birthday  - I was truly playing with these colors, and I like the result.....probably a good candidate for a masculine card, which I am sadly lacking.  I used the disappearing sentiment technique, cutting it out of the stamped image and popping it up 4 layers deep.

supplies: white and peacock card, Concord & 9th Wreath Turnabout set, sentiment from Wplus9 Hand Lettered Hello, Winnie & Walter In a Word Hello cutaway

These turnabout stamps are addictive, and what a fun way to construct a wreath! Whoever designed them must have a degree in engineering!

Deck the Halls Turnabout stamp

I'm loving the Concord & 9th Turnabout stamps!  Here are my first plays with their Deck the Halls stamp.

supplies: white, Doll Pink, and Green Apple card, Concord & 9th Deck the Halls Turnabout stamp, Cotton Candy, Doll Pink, Green Apple, and Grass inks, Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia dies and Winnie & Walter In a Word Merry cutaway

supplies: white, Mint, and Blue Violet card, Deck the Halls Turnabout, cracked pistachio, broken china, blueprint sketch, and wilted violet distress oxide inks, Simon's Yuletide Holiday sentiment, MFT Stitched Mini Scallop Square die, Tim Holtz Mini Holiday Greens die, purple pearls for berries

supplies: white, silver glitter,  Green Apple and Audrey Blue cardstock, Deck the Halls Turnabout, Audrey Blue, Green Apple, High Dive, and Silver Lining inks, Simon's Merry & Bright sentiment and Stitched Circle die, Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes dies, adhesive foam squares to lift circle and snowflakes

These turnabout are really fun to play with and to try different color combinations.  

Thanks for coming by today!

Layered Butterflies and Sentimental Words

Spellbinders has a brand new clear stamps collection, and I was thrilled to be able to play with a couple of the sets.  I received a color layering set of butterflies and another of everyday sentiments.  Here are my cards.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Spellbinders Layered Butterflies, jewel-tones of Altenew mini inks

The Layered Butterflies set contains 2 sizes of butterflies, plus 5 detailed stamps and a sentiment.  I used the largest of the butterflies here, varying the colors in rainbow order.  Three were stamped directly on my card panel, and I fussy-cut 2 of them and popped the others.  I love sets like these that don't require me to color them - solid images in the set mixed with colored inks does the job for me!

Here's another, in softer colors pulled from the plaid strip I used.  This one uses both butterflies, and I got my sentiment from the new Sentimental Words set - love this bold font!

supplies: white, Surf Blue and Apple Green cardstock, My Favorite Things plaid paper, Spellbinders Layered Butterflies and Sentimental Words stamps,  Altenew Tropical Forest and Deep Blue Sea mini ink cubes to color, Doodlebug Tiny Heart sprinkles

The butterflies are easy to line up the various layers and also very easy to fussy-cut them, if you'd like.  Thanks to Team Spellbinders for allowing me to play - I had a blast making these!

Simon Says.........Thanks/Thanksgiving

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is Thanks/Thanksgiving, and my teamies and I are playing with beautiful Altenew goodies!  When I think of Altenew, I think of their gorgeous multi-step stamps, so I chose one of my favorites and stamped it in the colors of the season.

supplies: white and Orange Peel card stock, Altenew Build a Flower Rose stamp and die set, Altenew Warm & Cozy and Tropical Forest mini ink cubes, Hero Arts Old Letter Writing wood stamp, embossed in white, and sponged with rusty hinge and carved pumpkin distress inks, Simon Thankful Heart sentiment, Doodlebug orange pearls

Here's another one using the same inks as above with another of their layering stamp sets.

supplies: white, Green Leaf, and Orange Peel card stocks, vellum, Altenew Ditsy Print stamps, Warm and Cozy and Tropical Forest mini ink cubes, sentiment from Simon's (retired) Autumn Blessings clear stamp set, Stitched Rectangle die, and Lawn Fawn Quilted Backdrop die

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

A Collaboration Between Spellbinders and Fun Stampers Journey!

Spellbinders and Fun Stampers Journey are coming together, and will be offering products from both companies, all in one place, at the Spellbinders site!  I was tickled to be asked to help showcase the new Fun Stamper Journey cling stamps.  Here are 3 cards I made with what I received.

My first card shows just a few elements from the Thankful Friends set.

supplies: cream, Audrey Blue, and chocolate brown cardstock, dps from I Love Family by Lori Whitlock paper pad, FSJ's Thankful Friends cling stamps and matching dies, rust and brown inks, twine, adhesive foam squares

This set is a keeper - besides this foxy gentleman, there's a darling squirrel, 2 other sentiments, a winter cap, a coffee cup, an acorn, and more leaves.  I really like this set because I'm not a colorist, and these stamps are all solid, so the ink does all the work!

I also received a gorgeous fall background called Color Me Fall, with which I paired a Spellbinders die from a previous kit this year.

supplies: Orange Peel, brown, and Ivory cardstock, a strip of vellum, FSJ Color Me Fall, Nuvo Creative Pens markers to color, Spellbinders October Small Die of the Month sentiment die

It was fun to use my fall markers to color in the design, and this background is easy to pair with a sentiment die to make a fairly easy design!

And one more, for when you're feeling lazy.  This one combines the background stamp with a sentiment from Thankful Friends.

supplies: beige, brown, and Desert Storm cardstock, FSJ Color Me Fall and sentiment from Thankful Friends, brown ink, adhesive foam to pop stamped panel above sentiment, copper maple leaf sequins

Fun Stampers Journey stamps are made in the USA, and over 50% of their stamps have coordinating dies.  Head on over to the Spellbinders site to see all the entire Fun Stampers Journey line!

Many thanks to Team Spellbinders for the chance to play with these fun stamps!

25 Days of Christmas Tags

So pleased to be participating in Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags today as some of the Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday challenges teams kick off her annual feature!  It's her 8th year!!  Every day, from now through Nov. 26, she will be featuring a different company, and today is Simon Says Stamp's day!  There will be giveaways and prizes to be won!

I made 2 tags for today.  This first one is a woodland tag that features Simon's Retro Deer die.

supplies: kraft, pine green, and white cardstock, Kaisercraft mint plank dp (retired), Simon's Retro Deer die and (retired) Kelly Purkey Let It Snow sentiment, Tim Holtz Layering stencil, pine needles distress ink and Nuvo Moonstone glimmer paste, MFT Stitched Tag die, snowflake die, pine ribbon and twine

I first cut my stitched tag from the plank patterned paper, then stenciled 2 trees onto it, adding in the details with glimmer paste.  The deer was cut twice and glued together for strength, then popped above my panel.  I added my sentiment and snowflakes and popped the whole thing onto a slightly larger tag, adding a twine and ribbon bow.

Here's another, featuring the Picture Book Snowman die.

supplies: white Audrey Blue, Surf Blue, Sea Glass, Schoolhouse Red, Green Leaf, Orange Peel, and black cardstock,  BoBunny green dot dp, Simon Picture Book Snowman with Be Joyful sentiment, Memory Box Holly leaves die, various snowflake dies, MFT Stitched Tag die, green ribbon, white string

There are lots of ways to win prizes - see Tracey's Blog for all the details.  Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring a $50.00 gift card if you create and post a Christmas tag inspired by one of our tags being featured today at her blog!  And we're just one of 26 companies offering fun prizes!  You can post your tags HERE.

To be eligible for a prize, you must state in your post the day and the tag you were inspired by.  If you don't have a blog of your own, you can use Instagram, using the hashtag #25daysoftags2018, and be sure to be a follower of Tracey's Instagram account.  You may create as many tags as you like as long as you follow the rules.  The more you hop along each day and participate, the more chances you have at winning.  You can also win by commenting on Tracey's blog each day, and by following each day's blog hop and commenting at each stop.  To be fair, only one comment per person per post, please.

The contest will close December 3 at 12:00 AM, and prizes will be announced on December 10 on Tracey's blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by today - I hope I've inspired you to play along, too, this month.  Tune in each day to Tracey's Blog to see lots and lots of fun examples!

Simon Says........Anything Goes!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

As always at the end of each month, our theme is Anything Goes.  The team are playing with Simon Says Stamp exclusive sets.  Since it's the end of October, I decided to do 2 more fall cards before we get rolling on all-Christmas, all-the-time.  My favorite thing about fall is the changing leaves on our trees, so my cards feature trees this week, using some older Simon stamps and dies.

supplies: white, Dark Chocolate, Burnt Orange, Orange Peel, Sunshine, Green Leaf, Schoolhouse Red, Lipstick Red card stock, Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Fall dp, Simon's All Seasons Tree and Stitched Rectangle dies, sentiment from Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox, fun foam

Since this design is so simple, I popped 2 of the layers up using fun foam, and lined each one with a bit of plaid.  My next card is a pretty simple design, too.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Simon's One with Nature stamps and Autumn Blessings dies, Nuvo markers to color, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

I scribbled the markers onto white card stock, cut my sentiment from that panel, then inlaid the sentiment and added the finished panel to a blue card - I like the mix of autumn colors and this blue.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Simon's November Card Kit!

Here's a card I made using the supplies in the latest Simon Says Stamp Card Kit.

supplies: Ivory, Orange Peel, and Desert Storm cardstocks, Thanks and Leaves clear stamp set, a mix of fall-colored inks, bronze sequins from the kit

The kit is the perfect mix of items that we will use over and over for this fall season and for years to come - the solid leaves are a perfect size - small enough for stamping a background and large enough to cut them out by hand like I did.  The many sentiments are in a lovely font.  And I included the pretty metallic orange peel envelope in my pic that's included in the kit, along with lots of other things I didn't use yet.  I'm looking forward to playing with the butterflies and the Snarky Small Talk stickers - a complete set of 8 pages is included in the kit!

Be sure to visit Simon's Gallery to see lots more examples to inspire you!

Simon Says........Halloween/Spooky

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is "Halloween/Spooky", and we'll be playing with Echo Park products.  I chose a stencil and made 2 cards with it.

supplies: purple, black and Green Apple card stock, Echo Park Creepy Bats stencil, black soot distress ink, Simon Trick or Treat cat and sentiment, Stitched Rectangle die, adhesive foam strips

I stencilled the bats onto green card, cut a stitched rectangle, framed it with black and placed that panel on a purple card.  The bat is fussy-cut from the excess stencilled panel, and it and the cat are popped above the card.

Here's one more.

supplies: Simon's black, slate, sunshine, and orange peel card stock, Echo Park Creepy Bats stencil, black soot distress ink, some stamped bats from above Trick or Treat set, Impression Obsession Birch Tree dies, Hero Arts Upper Case Alphabet dies, Spellbinders circle die

I stencilled on the slate card, then added a moon, using just one of the stencil bats for the large bat and stamped some smaller ones across the moon, too.  

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Snowflakes!

I'm always late to the party - just now trying out my first set of Concord & 9th Turnabout Stamps.  Why did I wait so long?!

I chose the Turnabout Snowflake set and stamped off a whole bunch of backgrounds.  You may see more of these down the road, but these 2 are my favorites this time.  Both of them started with a colored cardstock base, and I used VersaMark ink and embossing powders on each turn......

supplies: white, Cotton Candy, and glitter white card stock, Snowflake Turnabout background, VersaMark ink with silver, white, clear, and platinum embossing powders, Simon's Joy dies, MFT Blueprints 20 Scalloped Rectangle (retired)

Here's a blue version, using the same embossing powders.

supplies: white, Audrey Blue and glitter aqua card stock, Snowflake Turnabout background, VersaMark ink with silver, white, clear, and platinum embossing powders, Simon's Holiday Frames die, Reverse Confetti Snowflake Trio dies

These are easy to work with and the sky's the limit for color combinations!  You'll be seeing more Turnabouts as soon as the budget allows!