Another Stitched Butterfly

 I began the month with this set of butterfly dies and I wanted to have another play with them again.

supplies: white and black cardstock, orange and green patterned paper, Spellbinders Stitched Glimmer Butterflies, a gold/orange variegated embroidery floss, Mini Blooms and Sprigs (tiny leaves), Petite Floral Potpourri (tiny posies), sentiment from Simon Joys of Spring, spiced marmalade oxide ink, pearls

I think I had mentioned in an earlier post that I inherited a nice selection of embroidery floss from my Mom; among them are several skeins of variegated flosses, which I have never used before.  So I chose this bright sunny one and stitched the butterfly wings, then built the rest of the card around it, adding some tiny flowers.  Here's a closer look at the butterfly only.  This shows you the shades of floss, and the teensy flowers.

And this color is a nice lead-in to the coming summer months!  Thanks for your visit today!

Simon's June Card Kit

 My June Card Kit arrived on Friday and I jumped right in yesterday morning - I especially wanted to play with the fun slimline sunshine stencil and the jar of stickles.  Here's my mini slim-line card.

supplies: Audrey Blue and Lemon Chiffon card, Slimline Sunburst stencil, fossilized amber distress ink, Stickles Starshine glitter gel, Bold Hello die, Sunshine and Rainbows reverse sentiment strip, microdots adhesive, gold sequins

I prefer 3 x 6 mini-slimline cards, so I stencilled the sunburst slightly offcenter to the left to fit into my 2 3/4" inside width.  First I used fossilized amber distress ink, then the glitter gel.  I ran with a sunshine theme for my sentiments, and added this happy blue for the card matting and largest sentiment - I was thinking of the blue skies and sunny days of summer!  

It's always hard to take pictures when glitz is involved, so the above was taken inside and slightly tilted to get the glittery effect.  This next card was taken outside with a straight-on shot.

I used the new microdots adhesive to attach 3 layers of my Hello sentiment and also to add in the strips. It really makes life easier when you're using smaller attachments.   And I love the little mini t-square ruler in this kit - a perfect size for cards - I used it to line up all my sentiments.  And to top everything off, the yellow mesh bag is such a day brightener - it perfectly holds all the contents of any project you want to keep together!

Here's the kit - there's so much I didn't use yet!

Pretty in Pink

 I was inspired by 2 things for today's card: the lovely pink in our crabapple that recently blossomed, and my '"inheriting" of my Mom's embroidery flosses - she had such pretty colors!  So I pulled out this frilly Stitched Flower and had an afternoon of fun.

supplies: white card, pink heart patterned paper from Doodlebug's Cute & Crafty collection, Spellbinders Stitched Flower dies, embroidery flosses, Pink Fresh Studio Sending Phrase Builder die

I used 3 tones of pink floss to stitch my flowers, and 2 shades of green.  These flowers are such a nice size - you aren't committing to hours of time to bring them to life.

Here's a photo of our crabapple - love its pinks; it starts out dark pink and the petals fade to a pale pink as they age.

Weekend!  Have a good one!

Simon Says.......Layer it Up!

Welcome to our weekly challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge!

Our theme this week is "Layer it Up!" and the team is featuring Doodlebug products.  I love this company so much that I made 2 cards this week using their patterned papers.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card, papers from Doodlebug Made with Love paper pad, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers dies, ancient Doodlebug flower buttons, Simon Big Scripty Hugs and Stitched Circle dies

I was excited to rediscover these Doodlebug flower buttons (that are no longer made) in my stash - I used them in the centers of my paper flowers!

Here's card #2.

supplies: white and Green Apple card, Doodlebug patterned papers from Cute & Crafty and various Petite Prints collections, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers dies, sentiment from Simon's Joys of Spring clear stamps, Doodlebug sprinkles

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 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!

 

Bold Blossoms

 I have seen so many lovely cards using the Be Bold Blooms that I had to get them for myself.  Here's my first play with them.

supplies: cream, peach, dark peach, various greens, pale yellow, and kraft card, Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms, (retired) Tammy Tutterow Tiny Sentiment, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice die

I cut out almost all of the elements in this 21-piece set, and then just played for about a half of a day to make an arrangement.  The 2 largest flowers were popped up above everything else, and their petals pulled forward for some dimension.  

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday - thanks so much for coming by!

Blue Roses

 I haven't played with these lovely multi-layered stamps in quite awhile.  Today is the day!

supplies: Audrey Blue and white card, Altenew Antique Roses stamps, Sweet Dreams and Green Meadow inks, Maker's Movement/Tammy Tutterow Sweet Petite Sentiment, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice dies, adhesive foam squares

These layering stamps are pretty easy to line up, and also to fussy-cut when they're finished.  I also did the same with the sentiment.  They would look lovely in any color, but today I was in a blue mood.

Happy Friday - hope your weekend is a great one!  Thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says.......Not a Card

Welcome to our weekly challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge!

This week we want you to make anything that is "Not a Card"!  The team is featuring Tim Holtz products.  You don't have to use this brand to play along with our challenge, but if you do have any of their products, we'd love to see them used.

You know how much I love wreaths, so this week I decorated a 12" twig wreath with some Brushstroke Flowers dies.

supplies: twig wreath, yellows, greens, and pinky-violet cardstock, Tim Holtz Brushstroke Flowers #1 dies, glue dots to attach flowers

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 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!

Spring Mix

 Here's my first play with the amazing Print Shop Spring Mix set of stamps, stencils, and dies from The Greetery.

supplies: white card, Spring Mix stamp and stencil set and matching dies, Altenew Spring Bouquet pinks, Summer Afternoon yellows, and Green Valley greens mini ink cubes, white pearls, adhesive foam squares

I started by cutting out the large design from the die set, then placed the stencils over it to color in the individual flowers and leaves.  The details on the flowers are stamps, and took but a minute to add.  That panel was popped above my card base, on which I'd stamped a sentiment from the stamp set.  There are also individual stamps and dies for the flowers, so I layered a few of those for more dimension before adding little white pearl centers.  

Doesn't this make a pretty presentation?  It reminds me of a seed packet!  

Here's a 2nd version using cool colors this time.  I made it into an easel card like Betsy demonstrated.

supplies: white and Green Apple cardstock, Spring Mix large die, stencils, and stamps, Altenew Spring Bouquet greens, Sweet Dreams, Lapis Lazuli, and Shades of Purple inks, enamel dots, (retired) Impression Obsession In a Garden sentiment

Here it is closed.  The only dimension here is the enamel dots on some of the flowers, and the fact that the panel is lifted from the card base.  

It was really fun to put these cards together - if you're a gardener or enjoy flowers, I know you'd love this set also!  Thanks for stopping by - have a wonderful week!

Lovely Lilacs

 Lilacs have always been a sentimental favorite of mine - they bring back lots of family memories.  So today for Mother's Day I made a card in honor of my Mom, who we lost at the beginning of this year at the age of 97.

supplies: white cardstock, Sunny Studio Gingham dp, Sunny Studio Lovely Lilacs stamp set, Altenew Enchanted Garden and Shades of Purple mini inks, sentiment from Simon Floral Garden, Pink Fresh Studio Stitched Scallop Rectangle dies, heart sprinkles

My sisters and I will be together today, putting lilacs on her grave and those of our grandmothers also, as she did before us.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Birthday Card

 May is a popular month for birthdays!  Here is one that I made for our niece this year.

supplies: purple, 2 pinks, Green Apple, and white card, Concord & 9th Bitty Burst Turnabout, ripe persimmon, picked raspberry, wilted violet, and twisted citron oxide inks, The Greetery Sunflower Botanicut, Hero Arts leaves, Avery Elle Loads of Wishes sentiment, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die, enamel dot

This is a real mix of products from lots of companies!  I started by finding a color mix on Pinterest that I liked: orange, hot pink, lime, and purple.  All of those colors were used in the turnabout background.  Then I used colored cardstocks to bring in the pink, purple, and green, and an orange enamel dot.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says.........Feminine

Welcome to our weekly challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog!

The theme this week is "Feminine", and the team is featuring Paper Rose products.  You don't have to use this brand to play along with our challenge, but if you do have any of their products, we'd love to see them used.

I chose one of their many beautiful 6" paper pads to make my card today.

supplies: white card, vellum, Paper Rose Garden Party paper collection, Simon's With All My Heart dies, Pink Fresh Studio Stitched Scallop Rectangle die, Doodlebug mini heart sprinkles

These papers include many lovely floral sprays, so I fussy-cut 2 of them and attached to the top and bottom of my card.  The sage-green heart print in the background is also in this collection.  Because the colors are so soft, I layered my die-cut sentiment 4-deep to make it stand out, and used it's shadow cut from vellum.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 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!

May Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month: Stitched Glimmer Butterflies

 This month's kit has 28 pieces, a mix of dies and glimmer plates, with the ability to make a full butterfly like I have on my first card, plus 2 smaller ones in profile.  AND you can add stitching too!  Here's my first play with the kit.

supplies: pink, black, and cream card, pink metallic kraft cardstock, May Glimmer Hot Foil Kit, pink glimmer foil, enamel hearts

I cut the butterfly body out twice, once in black and pushed out all the little details, and once again in pink, leaving them intact.  Then I layered the black over the pink.  Next I heated up my foiling machine and using pink glimmer foil on pink card, I foiled the inner details for the wings, then used a matching die to cut them out and attach them to the large wings.  The body was cut from pink metallic cardstock.  I foiled one of the 4 sentiments in this set in the same pink glimmer foil on cream card.  And lastly I added some tiny enamel hearts on the butterfly and near the sentiment.

Here's another picture with the card tilted to show a bit more of the glimmer.

For my 2nd card I did only stitching and switched to blue accents for my butterflies......I also used all 3 of the butterflies and foiled another of the sentiments in black this time.

supplies: black, blues, and white cardstock. May Glimmer Hot Foil Kit, blue embroidery flosses, black glimmer foil

If you're a butterfly person, you may want to look into this one!

You can find all the information you'll need HERE to get this fun kit for yourself.  You'll have until May 24 to join the club, and you can "unjoin" at any time!  Each month you'll also get a roll of glimmer foil!  

Favorites from April

 Here are my favorite cards made this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dotty Daisy

 I recently brought home this Daisy and Leaves die and for it's debut I decided to paper-piece it and use a favorite color combo of yellow, black, and white.

supplies: white cardstock, dotted patterned papers in yellow, green, and black, Simon's Daisy and Leaves and Thinking of You Line dies, yellow flower sequins

I thought this flower die was a good price point and a good size - you can use it just once on a card as I did, or twice, cut in white and placed over a colorful inked background for something bright and cheerful.

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend!