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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

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

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



Our theme this week is your favorite Anything Goes!  The Design Team are playing with Concord & 9th products this week, and I made 2 CAS cards with their products, and a bonus project, too.


supplies: white cardstock,  4 shades of aqua and blue glitter cardstock, silver glitter cardstock, Concord & 9th Take a Bough dies (snowflakes only), Tim Holtz Holiday Words: Script die and woodgrain embossing folder, bow die from retired DieNamics Spring Wreath set, sequins to match

I cut the 3 snowflakes from the Take A Bough die set from 4 different shades of aqua to royal blue glitter cardstock, and then attached them to a doughnut I cut using 2 circle dies.  I embossed the woodgrain panel, then attached my wreath, bow, and sentiment, and raised the panel above the card base.  I finished by adding some sequins to match in the center of each snowflake.

I thought I'd share what this die set was really all about: adorable paper trees.


supplies: Take a Bough die set, green and gold glitter cardstock, wood skewers, old wood thread spools, red ribbons

You can see those same snowflakes at the very top of the trees here.  I am so glad I got this set last year......every year now I make a few more of these trees for a forest that's growing on my fireplace mantel at Christmas.  I used some almost lime cardstock for these - the one on the left has some sparkle in it.

And one more card  - I couldn't resist getting this new mistletoe die when it was released this year.



supplies: red, white, and green cardstock, Concord & 9th Mistletoe die, sentiment from (retired) CAS-ual Fridays Merry Kiss-mas, Avery Elle Wonky Stitches framing die, pearls

I cut the mistletoe branch out 3 times and trimmed away everything but the leaves, then grouped them together, adding the bow and some pearl "berries".  Could the sentiment be more perfect? 

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

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

Saturday, November 26, 2016

A Feminine Christmas Card

.....and another wreath!  I love this Wplus9 multi-step Woodland Wreath stamp and die set, and decided to do a pastel version this year.


supplies: white pink cardstock, pale aqua card base, Wplus9 Woodland Wreath set and matching die, Simon Spring Rain and VersaFine Vintage Sepia inks, Nuvo Carnation Pink crystal drops, bow die from DieNamics retired Spring Wreath set, Wplus9 Christmas Greetings clear stamp, Tim Holtz Doily embossing folder, adhesive foam squares to pop up the wreath

I really don't know what prompted me to try framing this wreath with a doily embossing folder, but I like the results - just gives the card a little more of a feminine feel, and goes with the soft colors and the swirly sentiment.  

Friday, November 25, 2016

Merry

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  I hope yours was a lovely one.....

I have another card today that uses nothing but dies - no stamping involved!  I remembered this wreath die that was in the Hero Arts September My Monthly Hero Card Kit and decided to see what it would look like as a Christmas wreath.


supplies: woodgrain and BoBunny Wild Berry Red dot dp, Hero Arts September Card Kit die, Winnie & Walter In a Word: Merry cutaway and Take a Bow cutaway, hole punch

I started with a woodgrain design paper, and scored and inked it to make planks, then cut out 3 wreaths, and staggered them to make a fuller wreath.  The merry and berries are cut from the reverse of the dot cardstock that I used for the bow.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Simon Says..........Christmas to Die For

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

Our theme this week is "Christmas to Die For", and the team are playing with Simon Says Stamp exclusives.

For my first card, I used a stamp and die set, Reason for the Season, that I've been wanting since it was released - I finally snagged them, and here is my first play with them:


supplies: cream, 2 browns, 2 blues, and a kraft woodgrain cardstock, metallic platinum cardstock, ancient dps from my paper collection, Simon Nativity stamps and Holy Couple & Barn dies, platinum embossing powder, adhesive foam squares to pop the couple forward

And another picture that shows off the sentiments better.




I first tried coloring the holy couple with markers, but I wasn't happy with my results, so I decided to paper-piece them.  It was a bit fiddly with these old eyes, but I'm pleased with how they turned out - I was able to find cardstock colors that I liked much better than my limited selection of marker colors......

My next card uses nothing but dies, and an embossing folder - no stamping at all.  

supplies: white, red, and Audrey Blue cardstock, aqua glitter cardstock, Simon Birch Tree Window and Stitched Rectangle dies, cardinals from Impression Obsession Birch Trees die set, sentiment from Tim Holtz Holiday Words: Script, snowflakes from Concord & 9th Take a Bough, Taylored Expressions Winter Flurry embossing folder

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

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

Monday, November 21, 2016

From Our Home to Yours

I finally have the highlighted stamp set at this month's Winnie & Walter ReRun challenge!  It's a darling set that features birds and birdhouses, called Happiest of Holidays, by Evelin T.

Here's my card, changing up a design I did last year using this same set.


supplies: white and red cardstock, W&W Happiest of Holidays set, markers to color, W&W Merry cutaway, "christmas" from Winter Woodland stamp set, Winter Flurry embossing folder, jingle bells and peppermint baker's twine, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die

I like my addition of the bells - they make a fun little jingle when the card is moved!

We've got a busy week ahead of us here in the US - are you ready for Thanksgiving?

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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Merry and Bright

I received the December Simon Says Stamp Card Kit yesterday, and made a card using the stamp set and papers.


supplies: Simon 120# white, schoolhouse red, and green apple cardstock, Merry and Bright clear stamp set, Doodlebug Here Comes Santa design papers, Doodlebug Candy Cane dots, glossy accents for his nose, Hero Arts Red Royal and MFT Berrylicious inks, Spectrum Noir markers

I stamped a panel, colored the adorable little reindeer, giving him a red nose, of course, and then framed the panel with several of the papers, cut into varying widths of strips.  I added some centers to my snowflakes and glossy accents to his nose.

The kit went like hotcakes, and has sold out, but I've linked to as many of the elements above as I could.  If you missed out, you can SUBSCRIBE, save yourself $5.00 each month, and never have to worry about a kit selling out.

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Saturday, November 19, 2016

Home, Sweet Home

I'm sharing a card today using a sweet Tammy Tutterow design cling stamp.  I used my favorite blue, which I have loved all my life.  It's been hard to find for many years now, but I think it may be slowly coming around again.......cornflower, Wedgewood, what would you call this shade?


supplies: white cardstock, Tammy Tutterow Home Sweet Home cling stamp, Spectrum Noir markers TB3, CG2, and PP3, Signo white gel pen for doodling, Simon Says Stamp Scallop Stitch die, a retired MFT Die-Namics bow die, Doodlebug blue jean dot/grid scrapbook paper, Doodlebug strawberry solid cardstock

I simply stamped, colored, and then did a bit of doodling in the letters before trimming out my panel.  The background paper is the front and back of an older Doodlebug cardstock in their blue jeans color.

This may be our last sane weekend before the craziness of the Holidays begin, so enjoy it - do something for yourself!

Friday, November 18, 2016

Happy Holly Days

If you come here often enough, you'll know that I'm a little obsessed with wreaths.  Usually they are stamped ones, but I had so much fun making this one with dies that I thought I'd do it again for a Christmas card.


supplies: cream, red and green cardstock, music paper dp, Paper Smooches Holly dies, Winnie & Walter Take a Bow dies, sentiment from retired CAS-ual Fridays Merry Kiss-mas stamp set, Hero Arts Red Royal ink, adhesive foam squares

As I did on the fall card I mentioned, I die-cut a doughnut using circle dies to use as my base, then glued on my holly leaves, then the berries and the bow.  This was raised above the card, then I added my sentiment strip.

Hope your weekend will be productive!  We are in the midst of leaf-raking here!  Here's a picture of a maple tree, one of 2 in our front yard.....they came with our house when we bought it, so I can't tell you what kind of maple it is, but it sure puts on a show at this time of year!  Thought I'd better snatch a picture today - it's breezy and they are coming down!


Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Simon Says........Christmas Critters


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

Our theme this week is Christmas Critters, and the Design Team are using Stampendous products.  


supplies: Bristol paper, watercolor paper, white glitter cardstock, Stampendous Winter Birds cling stamp, distress inks to watercolor, glue pen, Hero Arts Prisma glitter, Taylored Expressions Winter Flurry embossing folder and salty ocean distress ink, Tim Holtz Holiday Words: Script dies, adhesive foam squares

I stamped my birds, watercolored them with distress inks and water, then cut them out.  Then I used a glue pen to make my glitter stick to the snowy parts of the image.  Next I smeared salty ocean ink over one side of my embossing folder, spritzed it lightly with water, inserted some watercolor paper, and then embossed it as usual.  While everything was drying I cut out my sentiment from white glitter cardstock.  

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

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


Monday, November 14, 2016

The Greatest Gift of All

I've been trying to find a fairly easy design for my Christmas cards, that I can do in multiples, in assembly-line fashion.  Here's one that may fit the bill, using a beautiful retired set from Hero Arts.  Unfortunately, everything I used is discontinued, except for the distress inks.


supplies: white and black cardstock, Hero Arts Greatest Gift clear stamp set, Memory Box Texture Shine stencil, VersaFine ink and clear embossing powder, distress inks: salty ocean, blueprint sketch, chipped sapphire, wilted violet, and fossilized amber, and splatters of brushed pewter distress paint, sequin

I started by stamping and embossing the image on white cardstock.  Then I secured my stencil and used amber and chipped sapphire inks to make my rays.  After removing the stencil, I then sponged on more distress inks to fill in the night sky.  When dry, that was splattered with silver paint, masking the stamped image, and then the panel was framed in black and added to my card base, along with a single sequin to highlight the star.  My mini Misti will really come in handy if I decide to do this in multiples......

Here's the inside of the card, using a companion stamp set, Heavens Rejoice.


I'm entering this into Hero Arts Holiday CardMaking challenge.  There aren't many cards of this type so far.  

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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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

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Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!
Our theme this week is Thanks or Thanksgiving, and the DT are playing with all things Tim Holtz!  I used  one of a set of his dies and also a stencil this week:


supplies: recycled cream cardstock, Tim Holtz Mixed Media 2 thinlet die, carved pumpkin, ripe persimmon, fired brick and aged mahogany distress inks, Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves die, Winnie & Walter Big, Bold Blessings sentiment, Simon Stitched Rectangle die, Little B acorn sticker

This card is longer than normal - I wanted to use all of this beautiful scroll/flourish and the big sentiment, so I just lengthened it to about 7 1/4".  My next card is a normal A2 size.


supplies: kraft, recycled cream, chocolate, and burnt orange cardstock, Tim Holtz Autumn stencil, distress inks as above, plus rusty hinge and gathered twigs, a swirly leaf embossing folder, DieNamics thanks die

The splatters are part of the stencil design.  I love the way the embossing brings out the details of the leaves even more, or vice-versa!  I offset my sentiment die with a darker brown under the top one to give it more definition.

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

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


Monday, November 7, 2016

Merry Christmas

I'm starting to work on some designs for my Christmas cards this year.  This year I'll be mass-producing some, and the rest will be singles.   Here's the latest one:


supplies: white and silver glitter cardstock, Simon woodgrain cardstock and festive berries and aged mahogany distress ink, Stampin Up Wondrous wreath, Simon Jelly Bean, Hero Arts Forever Green and Red Royal inks, Simon Merry Christmas die, Sparkling Clear sequin, adhesive foam squares

I had a panel of woodgrain cardstock, so I sponged it with festive berries, then turned it over and scored 4 lines to make planks.  Returning to the front side, I lightly sponged aged mahogany ink over it again before affixing it to my card front.  Next I stamped and fussy cut the wreath and ribbon, and popped them above the background.   I had the silver Merry Christmas die-cuts already on my desk, so they were added, along with a sequin to bring the silver upwards.  

How are you doing with your Christmas cards this year?  

Friday, November 4, 2016

25 Days of Christmas Tags


I'm so pleased to be taking part once again in Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags; Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring today's post at her blog!  Members of Simon's Monday and Wednesday challenge blogs were invited to help promote this special event, and it's great fun to have both teams working together this year!

I used one of my favorite new Simon Says Stamp dies and made a shaker tag this year!


supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, aqua glitter paper, Simon's Birch Tree Window die and sentiment from Presents & Ornaments, confetti mix, stitched snowflake dies, Stitched tag die, seam binding bow

I cut 2 stitched tags, and then die-cut my Birch Tree Window from the top one.  Then I constructed a Shaker using acetate and double-sided adhesive foam tape, dumped in my confetti mix and then attached the 2 tags together.  To finish, I just added my sentiment and some glitter snowflakes, along with a seam binding bow.

I hope you'll visit Tracey's blog, In My Creative Opinion, every day to see her fantastic array of Christmas/Holiday tags all throughout this month.  She has 25 sponsors for her 25 days of tags!





Do you want to win a prize?  Prizes will be drawn from the comments on Tracey's posts each day, the posts of any or all of her guests, and by creating a Christmas Tag inspired by a tag you see during the event.  Details and a link up are at Tracey's blog; you have until December 2 at 12:00 am.  Prizes will be announced Dec. 9 on her blog. 

Simon Says Stamp is offering a $50.00 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!


Thursday, November 3, 2016

Virginia's View #25: Plaid

When I saw the theme for this month's Virginia's View challenge was plaid or stripes, I was all in!  I have multiple stamp sets that include stripes in them, and it's really fun to construct my own plaid with them.


supplies: white, green and blue cardstock, stripes (most evidently retired) from Impression Obsession Painted Stripes, Simon's Cupcake Party, Nautical Borders, Winnie & Walter Scenery: Stripes, Hero Arts Cornflower, Navy, Green Hills, and Grass inks, Simon Stitched Rectangle die, Winnie & Walter In a Word: Merry cutaway, Spellbinder's Poinsettia dies, Paper Smooches Holly dies, Darice Holly embossing folder, Hero Arts light green pearl

After stamping my plaid panel, I trimmed it down, and then cut out my sentiment from it.  It was at that point that I decided to make 2 cards for this challenge.  I added the plaid panel to a white card base, then constructed my poinsettia and popped it above.  I think the 2nd card needs no explanation - I just added my die-cut plaid sentiment to an embossed card front and added some holly in the same colors.

Here are the 2 cards separately, if you'd like to see them closer:






You have until November 18 to make something using plaid or stripes, and Virginia has some pretty nifty prizes for 2 winners!

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Simon Says.........Thinking of You

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


Our theme this week is Thinking of You, and the design team are using Penny Black products.  The French word for "thought" is "pensee", which is the word that our "pansy" is derived from, so what better subject for this week than a Pansy Bouquet?


supplies: Bristol paper and periwinkle cardstock, Penny Black Pansy Bouquet, blueprint sketch, wilted violet, mowed lawn, and mustard seed distress inks and water, Hero Arts Vintage Christmas Post (script text in background), Simon You die and stamp set, DieNamics Blueprints 20 rectangle dies

My 2nd project is a tag that features a new Penny Black wreath in the shape of a heart.  Is it too early for Christmas thoughts?



supplies: white cardstock, Lawn Fawn Christmas design papers, Penny Black Heart Wreath, markers to color, Hero Arts Holiday Sayings sentiment, holly embossing folder, Lawn Fawn Stitched Scallop Borders die, organza ribbon, Nuvo Rhubarb Crumble drops, Liquid Pearls White Opal dimensional paint (holly and mistletoe berries), DieNamics Stitched Tag die

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

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

Simon Says Stamp