Washi Hugs

I don't consider myself a CAS cardmaker in the pure sense, but when I saw the current challenge at CASology was "washi", I thought I'd give it a try.

supplies: white cardstock, various washi tapes, DieNamics Decorative Doily die, Simon's Painted Hugs die, some floral embellishments from my scrap basket, a sequin

I found that wide floral washi at a local craft store; I think it's made by Heidi Swapp.  I paired it with 2 others, pulling out similar colors, and then added the half-doily and flowers for pretty.

The more I looked at that floral washi, the more I wanted to play with it again, so here's another variation:

supplies: white cardstock, Heidi Swapp floral washi, Doodlebug Swiss Dot washis, Wplus9 sentiment from Blanket Stitched Blooms, die-cut line of hearts from Winnie & Walter's Audrey's Cutaways, paper flowers, pearls

These may not be CAS enough, but I had fun playing!  Thanks for your visit!

Scalloped Thanks

Just sharing a card I recently made, using  a die I just received:

supplies: white cardstock, dps from My Favorite Things Dots & Stripes Sorbet paper pad, Simon's Thanks Scallop Border, heart tag from Taylored Expressions, white organza ribbon

This scalloped die makes for an easy card, especially when you have 2 coordinating design papers!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

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

Welcome - I'm here with my card for today's new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog!

As is usual, the last challenge of the month is always Anything Goes!  The Design Team are using Ranger products this week, and if you have any you can share with us, we'd love to see them being used, but it's not necessary to play.

Since we've just officially begun Spring, I decided to make something colorful, and use as many of the 2015 Distress ink colors as I could.

supplies: white and black cardstock, candied apple, abandoned coral, carved pumpkin, fossilized amber, lucky clover, twisted citron, blueprint sketch, wilted violet, and ground espresso distress inks, (found in Distress Ink Mini Kits 13, 14, and 15), Simon's Friendly Flowers and Summer Garden (sentiment) stamp sets, Painted Hello die, a dotty embossing folder

I chose 9 of the 12 colors and used the same flower stamp to stamp them in rainbow order going from top to bottom, and after trimming the panel, I embossed it to give it some texture.  Then I used the tiny dot strip in the same set and the same inks to stamp the dotty strip, putting the colors in reverse order.  These stamped panels and some thin black strips were affixed to my white card base, and then I added my diecut and stamped sentiments.

Now it's your turn - I can't wait to see what you create!  We have another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Don't forget, you can enter our challenge using your Instagram account, too!   Just add #ssswchallenge to your entry uploads.   And don't forget to follow us HERE.

Yellow and pink

Here's a CASE of a lovely card by Monika that I pinned earlier this year.    I think her card is fabulous!  Today is such a dreary day that I thought I'd make my own sunshine and use her card as inspiration.

supplies: white cardstock, watercolor paper for the butterfly, Hero Arts Artist's Butterfly and Striped Note stamps, mustard seed distress ink, Spectrum Aqua and Zig Clean Color marker, Wplus9 sentiment from Doodle Buds, Simon' Sunshine sequin mix

I love this sentiment because it can be used for so many occasions!

Grateful

This week's Share Joy Challenge wants a CAS card using a sketch.  Here's my entry:

supplies: white and black cardstock, Mama Elephant Water Blooms, Altenew Warm Sunshine, Hero Arts Grass, and VersaFine onyx black inks, Taylored Expressions grateful die (included in a recent order)

I've been enamored lately with yellow and black with a touch of green - evidently I've been starved for sunshine!

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you have a great week!

Birch Bouquet

Just sharing a card using a brand new stamp I just got.  It is definitely for spring and Easter!

supplies: Surf Blue card base, watercolor paper, Stampendous Birch Bouquet cling stamp, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, water brush, Simon's Painted Hello die, Winnie & Walter scalloped rectangle from Audrey's Cutaways

When I saw this stamp, that pussy willow handle just melted my heart!  And of course, I love the spring flowers that the basket is filled with!

Hope you're enjoying your Easter weekend!

Wishing You Joy

I recently needed a card and decided to redo a previous favorite design.  Here is the new version:

supplies: white and lavender blue cardstock, Amuse gingham and dotty design papers, Wplus9 Watercolored Anemones, Hero Arts Soft Apricot, Ranger Cheese Puff, Simon Hydrangea and Jelly Bean, dusty concord distress and VersaFine onyx black inks, Hero Arts Joy die, sentiment from Simon's Inside Holiday Greetings, Simon Stitched Rectangle die

These colors were inspired by a little garden I saw last summer, planted in oranges and purples.

It's Friday again - I wish you a special one!

You're So Tweet

The sketch challenge at My Favorite Things for this week is an interesting one, so I pulled out an old Pure Innocence stamp and had a play with it.  The  bird chatter has definitely increased lately outside my window, and this will make a cute card to send to our granddaughter!

supplies: white cardstock, various dps from My Mind's Eye paper pads, My Favorite Things You're So Tweet stamp set, some stitched dies

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for coming by today!

Simon Says......Come Rain or Shine

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog!

Our theme this week is "Come Rain or Shine".  My teamies and I are using Avery Elle products.  

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, Avery Elle Brights Collection paper pad, Stamping Bella Uptown Girl Lolly and Her Brolly, markers and tumbled glass distress ink with a finger dauber to color image and background, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins, retired sun image, orange button, Doodlebug Tangerine twine

Did you know that Avery Elle has paper pads?  They come in various color ways, each pad having 4 colors with 6 different patterns in each color!  I chose one that has some bright yellows in it for her rain gear, and paper-pieced her coat, boots, and umbrella with the heart pattern, then chose 2 other colors and patterns from the same pad to add some more color to my card.  Love the sentiment with this set, and her skinny legs crack me up!   This is my first time using a Stamping Bella product, and I'm hooked!

Now it's your turn - I can't wait to see what you create!  Heidi has provided another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Inspired by All the Little Things

When I saw the inspiration photo for this week's Inspired by All the Little Things challenge, I remembered this darling little Hero Arts tulip stamp from 2004 - I think it's perfect for the challenge, and I can use some blue gingham too!

supplies: white and blue cardstock, Amuse blue gingham, Hero Arts Simple Tulips from a 3-piece woodblock set called Garden Blooms, PTI Garden Variety I (sentiment) and II (pot), blue jeans distresss ink, Simon Stitched Rectangles dies, grey baker's twine, a tiny white Hero Arts heart pearl

I did a little masking in order to "plant" my tulips!

Here's our inspiration:

Spring Plaid

I have been enjoying all the lovely plaid design papers being shown this spring, but I haven't yet gotten any for myself, so I decided to use my stamps and make my own.

supplies:  white cardstock, stripes from Winnie & Walter Stripes and Simon Cupcake Party, Artful Flowers, leaves from Whimsical Flowers, Hero Arts Bubble Gum and Green Hills, Altenew Warm Sunshine, and Wplus9 Lake House inks, Spellbinder's Scalloped Rectangle die, Simon Big Scripty Greetings, moonshine sequins, corner chomper, Signo white gel pen

Just a tip when using different inks on the same stamp, like these stripes and solid flowers, clean your stamp each time before changing colors, and maybe even stamp off the first inking of a new color on a scrap paper first.  That way you'll get the true color of each ink coming through with each change of color.

It's a bit on the grey side today and chilly, too, so making this card brought a little spring into my day!  Thanks for visiting!

Monochromatic Blooms

I got a clothing catalog in the mail yesterday and was taken by a lovely sweater......thought I'd use it as my inspiration for today's card.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Paper Smooches Blossoming Buds, Spectrum Noir Turquoise markers, Wplus9 Hand Lettered Hello, Simon's Stitched Rectangles, Moonshine sequins

Here's my inspiration:

Hope you're enjoying the first day of spring!  It's spitting snowflakes here this morning!

Roses for You

Here's another card using my current favorite Roses For You stamp set.

supplies: purple, aqua, periwinkle, and black cardstock, watercolor paper, Simon Roses for You, Ranger Archival Jet Black, wilted violet, blueprint sketch, mermaid lagoon, and mowed lawn distress inks, water, water brush, Winnie & Walter In a Word Hello die, Simon Moonshine sequins, corner chomper

As I did on THIS card, I used the heart of roses from the stamp set to cover most of my watercolor panel.  I then used a few of the new 2015 distress ink colors to paint in the roses, rounded my corners at the bottom, and then attached the panel to a purple card.  I die-cut the hello 4 times, using cardstock colors that best matched each of the colors of my roses, plus black, and then glued them together, off-setting just a tad each time to give it some depth.  I always like to sprinkle on some of these moonshine sequins.....they give just a little glimmer without being too noticeable.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how nicely these colors go with each other - this blue girl loves them!

Floral Frame

Just sharing a card I made recently.

supplies: Ivory and Sea Glass cardstock, watercolor paper, Avery Elle Floral Frame, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, tumbled glass distress ink and water, Simon Friendship Blooms sentiment, DieNamics Blueprints 20 scalloped frame die

From Places Abroad: France

When I saw the photo inspiration for this month's Altenew challenge, I just had to give it a try.  Pinks and greens are some of my favorite go-to colors.

supplies: white and Green Apple cardstock, Altenew Painted Flowers and sentiment from Beautiful Day, 2 pinks and 2 green inks, Lil' Inker Circles & Diamonds Stitched Pattern die, black enamel dots

I was trying to think of a way to replicate the beautiful knot garden in the photo, and hit upon using this background die.

As always, thanks for coming by!

Simon Says.........Cute and Cuddly

It's Wednesday and that means a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Cute and Cuddly, and my teamies and I are working with Simon Says Stamp products!

Here's my first card, in remembrance of those 1-piece jammies that our boys wore when they were toddlers.   

supplies: white and bright blue cardstock, Simon's Bear Necessities stamps and dies, a scrap of fabric and tiny gold buttons, Spellbinder's Scalloped Rectangle die, sentiment banner from My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 dies, a paper from My Favorite Things Dots & Stripes Sorbet paper pad, Lil' Inker Stitched Stars die

I couldn't find a paper to make his jammies, so I dug out some of my old quilting scraps and searched for something small-scale.  Using a tip from my friend, Heather, I attached it to some cardstock with double-sided tape, then die cut it - no fraying!  I added some tiny buttons, and then attached it to the bear's body, which I stamped, colored, and die-cut first, so that his face was peeking out of his jammies.  

This next card uses most supplies from Simon's March Card Kit, and I added some felt for the cuddly factor:

supplies: Simon's white, surf blue, and green apple cardstock, Echo Park Spring design papers, My Kind of Peep stamps and dies, Painted Hugs die, colored with distress inks, Stitched Rectangles dies, Butter and Cherry Blossom felt

This one will go to our grandkids for Easter!

Now it's your turn!  I can't wait to see what you do this week!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate for one random winner of our challenge!

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too!

More cards from Simon's April Card Kit

Here are a couple more cards made from Simon's April Card Kit, released on Monday:

supplies:  white and yellow cardstock, Simon Birthday Flowers clear stamp set, Archival Jet Black, Altenew Warm Sunshine, and Simon JellyBean inks

That striped stamp could be stems or a fence, what do you see?  There are 3 other label sentiment stamps similar to this one in the stamp set, along with the large script sentiment in my next card.

supplies: white card base, black cardstock, dps from Life in Color collection in cardkit, plus coordinating heart stickers and a clip from the same collection, all found in the kit

Here's a picture of the April Card Kit, called A Colorful Life:

You can order this kit HERE or subscribe to this kit and future ones HERE, saving yourself $5.00 each month.  The kits always sell out, so don't wait too long!

Thanks for stopping by - I'll see you again tomorrow with some cards for the new Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!

SSS April Card Kit: A Colorful Life

The latest Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp was revealed today, and I love it!  Here's a card I made using only the supplies in the kit:

I used the cotton candy and black cardstock, one of the design papers from the Life in Color papers, also a sentiment sticker from coordinating collection, and stamped and fussy cut a spray of flowers made using the new stamp set called Birthday Flowers.  These pastel colors say spring to me, and I love the pop of black and white with them!  The stamp set even has a dotted stamp, so that when the paper is gone, you can get the same effect by stamping!

And one more, using more of the papers in the kit, plus one of the coordinating clips and  floral stickers, and a stamped sentiment.

As always, if this looks like something you'd love, too, don't wait too long to order it!  You can order just this kit, or you can subscribe to this and all future ones each month.  By subscribing, you'll save $5.00 each month.

Hello Spring

I can't seem to put this new Simon Friendship Blooms down.  Today I stamped the daffodils on  some old spring Doodlebug design papers, and did a tiny bit of paper-piecing.

supplies: white card base, Doodlebug design papers from some older spring pads, Simon Friendship Blooms flowers and leaves and Painted Hello die,  Hero Arts Spring Memories woodblock stamp from 2005

This little spring text stamp is one of my favorites.  It's long discontinued, but I still like to bring it out once a year.

Weekend again!  We're brighter here today after some good spring rains yesterday - I can see my daffodil stems starting up already!  Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your day!

Daffodil Days

Still working on birthday cards for spring.  Today I have daffodils on my mind, and made 3 cards using watercolor markers.

supplies: watercolor paper, dp from Carta Bella Spring paper pad, Hero Arts pool layering paper, lightest shade, Simon Friendship Blooms, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, Simon's Stitched Circle die, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins

I'm so glad I saved this sweet pastel plaid from the March Card Kit, so I could make one of my flowers have a pink center!

My second card uses the same stamp set, but I went with traditional yellows:

supplies: watercolor paper, dp from Doodlebug Kraft in Color paper pad, vellum, Simon Friendship Blooms, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, Simon Sunshine sequins

Starting with a piece of watercolor paper, I stamped and colored the stems, buds, and some leaves, then separately more leaves and flowers, cutting the latter out and arranging on my stamped panel.  I added my sentiment on vellum and a scattering of sequins.

And my final card uses a Penny Black cling stamp:

supplies: white and green cardstock, watercolor paper, Penny Black Daffodil Dance stamp, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, Impression Obsession Gingham cling stamp and Ranger Lemon Twist ink,  Simon It's Your Birthday! stamp set, Memory Box Pinpoint Rectangle die

On this one, I used the watercolor markers to color directly onto the stamp, then spritzed it lightly with water and stamped it onto a watercolor panel.  When that had dried, I overstamped the sentiment.

Spring feels like it's on the way - enjoy!

Simon Says.........A Bit o' Green

It's Wednesday and that means a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is "A Bit o' Green"; since we're coming up on St. Patrick's Day this month, just use some green somewhere on your creation! The Team are all using Clearly Besotted products this week.

For my first card I smooshed a mix of green inks on my watercolor panel, and then popped the pretty bouquet of watercolored roses over the top.

supplies: Simon Green Apple cardstock, watercolor paper, twisted citron and mowed lawn distress inks, Clearly Besotted Delightful Day clear stamp set, Spectrum Aqua Floral markers, pink silk ribbon

I used more than a bit of green on my next card - I love this mix of happy daisies and green gingham!

supplies: white cardstock, My Favorite Things Farm Fresh Gingham dp, vellum for jar, Simon Stitched Rectangle dies and Medium Dots stencil, Clearly Besotted Delightful Day clear stamp set, MFT Gumdrop Green ink, colored pencils, white twine, Paper Sweeties Cookie Dough sequins

Now it's your turn!  I can't wait to see what you make!  We have a $50.00 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store for one lucky random winner of our challenge!

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too!