3 Wreath Cards

I've been trying to use supplies that have seen little action, and came across this PinkFresh Studio Floral Elements clear set.  It's a big one, with a lovely floral wreath (HERE is a card using it) as the main element, but there are also 11 much smaller floral stamps in this set.  I decided to stamp and color up most of them and see what I could do with them as a starting point.

Turns out I like them to dress up wreath dies.  Here are my results.

supplies: white, black and green cardstock,  MFT (retired) Spring Wreath die, Floral Elements and matching dies, Memory Box Big and Little Words, Tim Holtz (retired) Doily embossing folder

It's such a shame that this doily embossing folder has been discontinued - I love the subtle effect it has to make a lovely frame around something on the smaller side like this wreath die. BUT, if you have a doily die, you could emboss it for the same effect!

I always like a wreath against planking, so that's where card #2 went.

supplies: white and kraft cardstock, Craft Consortium Wood Textures plank dp, Tim Holtz Funky Wreath die, Floral Elements and matching dies, Memory Box Big and Little Words 

This grapevine wreath cut from kraft and the planked background gives this a bit of a masculine look.

This last card is definitely not masculine!

supplies: white, dark green, and pink cardstock, Sunny Studio Eyelet Fancy Frame die, Tim Holtz Funky Wreath, MFT (retired) bow die from Spring Wreath set, Floral Elements and matching dies, Memory Box Big and Little Words

The wreath I used on this one is from the same Tim Holtz Funky Wreath set, except it has leaves, so I cut it in green again.  And I added a little die-cut bow to the mix on this one.

I had a fun couple of days putting these together - do you have a favorite?

A Gatefold Card

I don't think I've ever done a gatefold card!  I saw THIS purple one by Christy on IG and thought it would be something fun to try.  I pretty much CASEd Christy's layout using my own supplies and colors.

supplies: white, coral, and Green Leaf cardstock, Altenew Flower Arrangement layered stamps, Altenew mini inks in warm colors and green, Gina K Wreath Builder sentiment (outside), circle and banner dies, Simon's Hello Darling sentiment (inside)

Here it is opened fully.

I'm prepping now for the bunch of birthdays coming up in August in my family!!

Thanks for stopping in!

A Turnabout Birthday Card

I have several birthdays this month, and since it's so hot lately, I chose some cool colors to make this card.

supplies: white, Audrey Blue and Peacock Teal cardstock, gingham from Sunny Studio Gingham Pastels dp, Concord & 9th Blooms Turnabout stamps and Turnabout Jig, Altenew Sweet Dreams and Green Meadows mini inks, Impression Obsession Greeting Top Edgers sentiment die, Simon Leanna and (retired) Chrissy butterfly dies,

I think this Blooms set may be my favorite of the Turnabout sets - it's a little more detailed than others, in that you stamp flowers first and then change stamps and add the leaves.  

Thanks for coming by today!

Simon Says.........Moving Parts!

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Moving Parts, and the team is playing with Lawn Fawn products!  I made a slider card  with a shaker element using these darling Spring Fling papers and 2 stitched flower die sets.

supplies:white cardstock, Lawn Fawn Spring Fling design papers, Stitched Flower Frame and Outside in Stitched Flower dies, slider dies, Simon Smile Circle die, Hero Arts Nesting Rectangle die, Simon You stamp set, enamel hearts, pink ribbon, yellow sequin mix

You simply pull the ribbon upwards to reveal the hidden sentiment underneath!  I wanted a sentiment on the front of the card, but couldn't find anything I liked until I remembered this Smile Circle die - and it fits into the center of the flower like they were made for each other!  Don't you love it when that happens?

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!

A Masculine Card

It's always difficult for me to make a masculine birthday card, but I'm liking how this one turned out!  Love these colors together, and I think they'd please a guy, too!

supplies: kraft, Green Apple, Green Leaf, Surf Blue, Audrey Blue, and Dark Chocolate cardstock, Outline Clustered Leaves, Top Edger die, a leafy vines embossing folder

I slotted 2 green cardstock panels together and die-cut the leafy branch, then again in all the other colors.  Then I just pieced everything back together again, embossed the whole thing in a leafy folder, then mounted the trimmed panel on a kraft card base and added my sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by today - be safe!

Slimlines are FUN!!

I made one of these slimline cards this past week, and really enjoyed it, so here's another one.  It's a CASE of a card I made back in 2015.  This one is all die-cuts, with only a small stamped sentiment.

supplies: white card base, kraft, Green Leaf, Sea Glass, Audrey Blue, and Peacock Teal cardstock, Wplus9 (retired) Folk Art Florals birds and leaves dies, Hand Lettered Hello die and stamped sentiment, Paper Smooches (retired) Bird House dies, Doodlebug Heart Sprinkles, natural twine

Here's a little closer shot:

Five years ago my eyes and fingers worked a whole lot better!  This was fiddly this time around, but I still enjoyed the process and the results!

Slimlines measure 3 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" long, if you'd like to try one of these, too.  They're  just different enough to be fun!  They fit into a #10 business envelope with room to spare, but Simon is bringing out some darling ones in colors, too, and I hear that dies for these skinny cards are on the way soon, too!  I hope you'll give this new trend a try!

Happy Birthday

Today's card was inspired by Kathy Zilske's - but I used my own supplies.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Sunny Studio Rainbow Bright dps, PinkFresh Studio Adore Alphabet dies, "birthday" from Simon's Brush Stroke Messages, embossed in white

I cut my letters from a striped dp and white, then pieced them back together and arranged them onto my card front against a star background.

How's your holiday weekend going?  Make it a safe one!

Some Cards from Simon's Home Sweet Home Card Kit

Playing with Simon's current Card Kit, I have 2 cards for you today.

The new stamp set gives you a nice long stamp to make into one of those slim-line cards!

supplies: white cardstock, Waffle Flower Special Delivery cloud paper, Home Sweet Home clear stamps (row ofhouses, airplane, banner, and clouds)

There are lots of other little bits and pieces in this set, lots of sentiments, in particular!  The row of houses can easily be cut if you'd prefer to use it on an A2 size card.  

One of the other things in the set is a little jar of Cosmic Shimmer in the color Gilded Avocado. This stuff intrigued me, so I had a little play with it right out of the box.  WOW, what an impact this little jar has! (Please note, the embossing folder is NOT in this kit)

supplies: black and a pale green Metallic Confections cardstock, Tim Holtz Botanical embossing folder, Gilded Avocado Cosmic Shimmer, Impression Obsession Greeting die, Hero Arts Nested Rectangle dies

I started with an A2 panel of black cardstock, and die-cut a rectangle from the center.  The 2 pieces were put back together inside the embossing folder and run through my Big Shot.  After removing the panel from the folder,  I used my finger and spread the shimmer over the raised parts of the embossed design.  My results were not perfect - I got some of the shimmer on the background, but in this case, I don't think it matters much because of the gorgeous results!  The inner rectangle was then mounted on some foiled green cardstock, and I also used the same to cut out my sentiment and mount it on a black rectangle.

The shimmer is named very appropriately, because, when the card is tilted you get a 2nd and sometimes a 3rd color.  Here you can see more of the green coming through, and in different lights, there's an aqua that shows up, too.

Here's what else comes in the kit - I can't wait to play with the new Speckled Egg mini ink next, and I think the Postage Dies will come in handy for lots of things!!

Simon Says.........Bright & Cheerful

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

We are beyond thrilled to announce FOUR new teamies this week: Andy Granick, Barbara Tarayao, Diane Morales, and Sidnie Des Jardins!!!  Please give them a warm welcome!

This week our theme is Bright & Cheerful, and the team is showcasing Pink & Main products!  I thought this Succulents set would fit the bill nicely!

supplies: white and Green Apple cardstock, striped dp from Sunny Studio Striped Silly pad, Pink & Main Succulents clear stamps and matching dies, Nuvo creative pens to color

These little pots were just right for this person who doesn't color well; small spaces are my friend!

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!  

My Favorite Cards from June

Here are my personal favorites from this month.

Simon Says Stamp SEND HAPPINESS Blog Hop, Day 2!

Welcome to Day 2 of Simon Says Stamp's new SEND HAPPINESS blog hop!

You should have arrived here from Betty Wright's blog.  If you have just happened upon me today and want to start the hop from the beginning, go to the Simon Says Stamp blog to start.  We'll be giving away a $25.00 coupon at EVERY STOP on the hop, so don't forget to leave a comment!  The winners will be announced at the Simon Says Stamp Store Blog next Wednesday, July 1. Winners must email Simon to claim his/her prize.

And as you can see in the banner above, we have a free gift for shopping - any purchase made from now until June 29 at 11:59 pm will get your choice of one of four enamel pins, while supplies last.  Just make your choice of one of the codes in the graphic above!

I have a selection of cards to show off some of the fun new goodies from this release.  

First up is the fun CHILLIN' GNOMES stamps.  This set has 3 gnomes dressed for summer and lots of sentiments and smaller stamps to build some fun scenes.

supplies: white cardstock, Chillin' Gnomes stamps, Nuvo markers to color,

Simon Waves and Clouds for Days stencils, distress inks and blender brushes

Those "palm trees" are really mushrooms colored creatively!  

Here's another using the she-gnome and her posies from the same set.

supplies: white cardstock, Chillin' Gnomes stamps, colored with Nuvo markers, distress inks and blender brushes for background

I masked my card front and brushed on distress inks before gluing on the gnome and flowers.  She has her toenails painted, and is dressed in summery colors.

Next up is FAIRYTALE SPINNERS. I made a window card and suspended one of the fairies inside the window.  And I stamped the frame with a flower and butterfly also in the set.

supplies: white, Lavender, and Surf Blue cardstock, Fairytale Spinners, colored with Zig markers, MFT Mini Scalloped Stitched Rectangle dies, fishing line to suspend fairy in window  

Here's the reverse design of this fairy.  There are front and back stamps for 2 different fairies; you just choose the matching pair, color and cut them out, then glue them together with a string or clear filament between them, then attach the string on 2 opposite sides of your window opening.  

And lastly, here's my card using the new STARBURST stencil.  I immediately thought of fireworks.....

supplies: Soft Navy and gold foil cardstock, Starburst stencil, DecoFoil Transfer Gel and Summer Rainbow foil, Simon's Extra Large Congrats die

I chose a dark background to simulate a night-time sky, and then secured my stencil, applied transfer gel, let it dry, and then ran it through my laminator with rainbow foil.  I think the Congrats die is the perfect sentiment to go with this background!

This is your final stop of the blog hop.  Don't forget to visit the blogs on Day 1, too, for even more inspiration and chances to win a $25.00 gift card.

Click HERE for all the new goodies, and for more inspiration, don't forget to visit our Send Happiness Gallery.

Thanks so much for coming by today.  I hope you find something special just for you in this new release. Here's today's Hop Order.

HOP ORDER:

• Simon Says Stamp Blog
• Debby Hughes
• Laura Bassen
• Heather Hoffman
• Sidnie Des Jardins
• Vicky Papaioannou
• Emma Williams
• Laurie Willison
• Bobbi Lemanski
• Caly Person
• Betty Wright
• Lin Brandyberry

Send Happiness Release

Have you seen the newest release at Simon Says Stamp?  It's called SEND HAPPINESS!!

I made a card with the Fairytale Spinners clear stamp set.

supplies: white and Surf Blue cardstock, Lawn Fawn Spring Fling dp, new Fairytale Spinners fairy, sentiment, and tiny stars, Zig markers and water, an oval die, clear fishing line, silver embossing powder

This is a large stamp set with front and back images for 2 different fairies, plus flowers, a grassy border, and lots of sentiments.  Below is the reverse of this little flower fairy. You just layer a thread or fishing line between the front and back images before gluing them together, and then secure it to the window on the front of your card.  

Stay tuned for TWO days of blog hops this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, a FaceBook Live at noon on Thursday, July 2nd, and an InstaGram hop on Tuesday, July 7!!

To see the entire release, just click HERE.  There are 48 new products!!  And you'll be able to get more ideas for these products at our gallery HERE.  Enjoy, and happy shopping!

Simon Says......Anything Goes

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is the ever-popular Anything Goes, and the team is highlighting Hero Arts products.  I used a favorite cover die from them, which you've seen here before, but I think I came up with a unique color combination this time!

supplies: white, Audrey Blue, and an old pale green Hero Arts layering paper, Hero Arts Flower Garden cover die, Nuvo markers in citrus colors, Simon's Birthday Circle die, enamel dots

I had citrus on the brain for this one, so I left the tiniest flowers white, colored the larger ones in pale orange, the leaves in lime, added some lemon accents, and splashed in some aqua on the butterflies for some contrast. The birthday circle was cut 3 times and layered so that it would show up better against the busy background.  I love how it turned out!

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!

Modern Bloom, Take 2

Yesterday's card did the trick and got my juices flowing!  I used the same cover die again, and here's what I made.

supplies: white, pink, gold foil, Sea Glass, Green Apple, and Green Leaf cardstock, PinkFresh Studio Modern Bloom cover die, Penny Black Your Day die

It's a calming thing for me to take a die like this and add the details with colored cardstock, so I cut it from pink and 2 greens, and set them aside.  Then I embossed the die onto a panel of white cardstock.  That was then my starting point to add the details.  I glued each colored piece to the corresponding raised part on the white panel.   I had originally planned to then attach the finished panel to a pink panel, but at the last minute I decided to cut the die one more time from Surf Blue and glued on the background pieces.  After deciding on a gold sentiment, I then framed my panel in the same gold.

It took me all morning, but I count that as time well spent, as it kept my mind centered for that bit of time.  And I like the mosaic effect that this technique results in!

And then I did another card.  This time I embossed the die like I did above, and then just watercolored the leaves and flowers.

supplies: white and mint cardstock, Modern Bloom cover die, Zig brush markers and water.

I left off a sentiment on this one for now.  

We're off to a new week - wishing you well!