Some Foiled Cards

I've been intrigued with foiling and recently treated myself to some foiling supplies.  Here's my first play with them.

supplies: white and Green Leaf card stock, Gina K Designs Vibrant Vines Foil Mates sheet and Lime DecoFoil, (retired) MFT happy die, white embossed sentiment from Simon Says Stamp, adhesive foam strips

The leaf flourishes are larger in scale, and so the foiling shows up much better on this card than the others, but never enough for a photograph.  I added a big die-cut Happy and popped that layer above my card base for some fun shadow play.

Next up, a pink card.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy card stock, Gina K. Designs Blooming Hearts Foil Mates sheet and Bubblegum foil, Simon's Leanna butterfly die and a hugs die, Doodlebug Heart sprinkle

After foiling the heart print sheet, I also burnished the same foil onto the edges of a panel of pink card and also a die-cut sentiment before assembling.  I wish I could capture the shine these make when the light hits them just right!  You can see just a bit of the pink foiling at the bottom right corner......

Here's another one.

supplies: white, purple, and periwinkle card stock, Gina K. Designs Polka Party Foil Mate sheet, Deco Foil Lilac foil, Simon's Artful Flowers, leaves from Beautiful Day, and sentiment from Brush Stroke Messages, alcohol markers to color, adhesive foam squares

If you look closely, you can see the foil reflecting at the very bottom and a bit at the top left, too.  I cut this sheet up into 3 pieces and then added some flowers and a sentiment.

Not having an ink-jet printer, I went the way of also getting myself a laminator, and it works great with these supplies! These are a good value for the price, in my opinion, and work beautifully.

Can't wait to learn more ways to use these supplies!  If you need me, I'll be watching videos!

Testing some Alcohol Markers

I've made the decision not to invest in Copic markers because of their price, so I am always on the lookout for alcohol markers at something more reasonable   I recently ordered 2 sets of alcohol-based markers,  Altenew greens and Nuvo Palma Violets,  to see what I could do with them.  Here's my first play with them, using an old favorite butterfly woodblock stamp.

supplies: white, Green Apple, and a denim card stock, Hero Arts Artists' Butterfly, Simon's Leaves Background and sentiment from Beautiful Day, Nuvo Palma Violets Collection, Altenew Green Fields set, Spellbinder's Scalloped Circle die

I thought the plain blue card needed something, so I clear embossed the leaf background on them, and I like the extra interest it adds.   I cut a scalloped circle from it and mounted it over the butterfly panel. 

I am far from an expert, but I actually think the $5.99 Nuvo set blends a bit better than the $15.99 Altenew set!  But the greens in this set are my favorites, so I'm still pleased with my purchase of them.  And these Palma Violets are exactly what I was hoping for: periwinkle blue/lavender shades!  I now plan to buy some more of the Nuvo sets.  Have any of you any history or tips with either of these brands that you'd like to share?

Rose and Lilac Birthday

It's taken me all this time to finally get my own Build a Rose stamp and die set, and after getting to know it a little, here's my first finished card using it.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card stock, vellum,  Altenew Build a Rose stamp and die set, Altenew Cherry Blossom and Green Meadows mini ink sets, Nuvo Palma Violet markers for "lilac", Simon's It's Your Birthday sentiment, Altenew Layered Plaid Cover Die B, Darice Adhesive Strips

After stamping and cutting out my rose and leaves I thought I'd also do the same with the little flower sprig that is included in the set, thinking I'd just scatter a couple around the rose.  When I put a group of 3 together, I thought they looked like a hydrangea, and when I added 2 more sprigs and elongated them - voila - a lilac!  I tried this arrangement over a few colored card stocks, and Audrey Blue won out this time, with a popped up plaid cover die in between.

I'd like to enter this card into Altenew's April Inspiration Challenge.

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

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

Once again, at the end of each month, our theme is Anything Goes.  This week my teamies and I are playing with My Favorite Things supplies.

I used some flower and leaf dies to make my card.

supplies: white card, Bristol paper, watercolor dps from Lawn Fawn and MFT, MFT Scribble Roses Overlay and Layered Leaves dies, sentiment from Simon's Friendship Blooms, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die, mermaid lagoon and peacock feathers mixed with water for background smooshing

I made it easy on myself and used watercolor design papers as the backing for my flowers and leaves.

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!

Cross Stitch Rose

I took my own advice from yesterday and looked on the internet until I found a small cross-stitch design.....I printed it out larger and used that printout as a pattern.  This one uses 3 pinks, 2 greens, and a brown, again done on 14-count perforated paper in ecru.

supplies: rose and Green Leaf card, rose x-stitch pattern, ecru perforated paper, embroidery floss, sentiment from Jane's Doodles Mom's Flowers ( retired), Spellbinder's Oval and Circle dies, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die

Again, I have an aching back from leaning over the pattern while I was stitching, so I decided to make this into a Mother's Day card for my 93-year old Mom.  She loved cross-stitching in her younger days, and she'll appreciate the work that went into this.  This little Jane's Doodles sentiment is the perfect size for this card!  I inked the circle along the edges in a green that helps it to stand out a bit better.

I need to get myself some nesting oval dies......can anyone recommend a set?  Having stitching on them would be a plus for me.  And I guess while we're at it, how about a nesting scalloped oval set that will work with the plain oval set?  If I continue with this cross-stitching, a pretty oval frame that can be done in different sizes would set them off nicely.

A Little Cross Stitch

Back in the dark ages I did a fair amount of cross-stitch.  I loved the shading available with all of the floss colors, but I did not like how expensive it was to frame a piece.  Eventually the close work got to be hard on my eyes, and so I put away all my materials and moved on to other things.

But seeing the merging of cross-stitching and card making makes me happy, so when I unearthed some 14-count perforated papers in my closet, I thought I'd have a go.  I found this pattern through a My Favorite Things printable patterns.

supplies: purple, beige, and black card, ecru perforated paper, DMC floss in 3 periwinkles/ 2 greens, 3 strands, Taylored Expressions Garden Party embossing folder, sentiment from Simon's Happy, Memory box Pinpoint Rectangle dies

It took me a good 4 hours to stitch this tiny little piece, but it was time enjoyably spent!  If you google cross-stitch cards, you'll be able to find lots of small-scale patterns that will work on a card.  And I see that you can still buy perforated paper, or you could get yourself one of those dies - Paper Smooches, My Favorite Things, and Altenew all have their own versions.  See some HERE.

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

Love Always

Here's another card using the small stamp set and a sticker from Simon's May Card Kit.

supplies: white, apricot, and Audrey Blue card, Bristol paper, Simon's Take Heart stamps, watercolor markers, puffy sticker from Pink Fresh Let Your Heart Decide

Here's all that you get in this month's Kit - a little something for everyone!

You Have a Beautiful Heart

I received my Simon Says Stamp May Card Kit yesterday - here's my first card using the supplies.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card stock, dp from Pink Fresh Let Your Heart Decide paper pack, matching puffy stickers, Simon's Heart die and sentiment from Take Heart stamp set, Stitched Rectangle dies

I seem to be in a blue state of mind recently, so I concentrated on that color for this first card.  It's nice to have coordinating products to mix and match!   Next I want to play more with the little Take Heart stamp set - hopefully I'll be back again tomorrow with another card. 

Did you know that Simon has a gallery for each of its Card Kits and also each release?  You can find the gallery for this May Kit HERE - be sure to add your card to it when you use this month's kit.

Doodle Lace

Here's another cover plate die that has been neglected.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card stock, Altenew Doodle Lace cover die, peacock feathers, blueprint sketch, and wilted violet distress inks, blending tool, Simon's Happy sentiments, Doodlebug Heart Shaped Sprinkles

Not much to describe, I just cut the lace plate and layered it over a panel which was blended with 3 distress inks.    Happy Saturday!

Daffodils and Gingham

I have all my "must-dos" finished for awhile, so I took some time to make something that pleases me!
I recently received this pretty lacey cover die and a pad of pastel gingham papers and here's what I made:

supplies: white card, Bristol paper, Echo Park Dots & Stripes Gingham, Simon's Friendship Blooms, sentiment from Memory Box Spring Lilacs, Zig markers and water, Spellbinders Floral Panel Card die, adhesive foam strips

Here's another using the same cover plate die, this time watercoloring the leaves and flowers with some Aqua markers.  Doing it this way shows off the sweet lily of the valley flowers that you might miss in the card above.

supplies: white, Surf Blue, and Audrey Blue card, Spellbinder's Floral Panel Card die, Simon's Sending die and sentiment from Sending & Wishing stamp set, Spectrum Aqua markers and water

Spring is certainly dragging its feet here in NE Ohio.  Hope my cards help you to wait for it.  

Simon Says.........Sparkle & Shine!

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

Our theme this week is "Sparkle & Shine", and the team is playing with Tonic Studios goodies!  I chose a pack of glitter card stock, and paired it with some Simon butterflies.

supplies: white and Tonic Tropical Tide Glitter Card, Bristol paper, Simon's Beautiful Day butterflies and sentiment, Zig Markers light blue, cobalt blue, and black, Wink of Stella clear Shimmer brush

I chose a simple sketch that uses 3 of everything, and mounted my finished panel to more of the glitter card.  

Now it's your turn!  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!

Sparkly Wreath

Those of you who visit often know that one of my favorite things is wreaths, and when it's made from flowers, I'm all in!  I couldn't wait to play with this new Simon Blooming Circle die, and I punched it up for it's first use with glitter card and my favorite blues.

supplies: white, glitter cornflower, glitter aqua, and Hero Arts Grass card, Simon's Blooming Circle die and sentiment from Beautiful Day, stamped in Altenew Persian Blue ink, corner rounder, foam adhesive

I cut a wreath from an aqua and a cornflower glitter card, plus a green and a white.  The white panel was trimmed into a square, corners rounded, and then I applied tape to the back, sticky-side-up, covering all the flowers and leaves.  Then it was just a matter of inserting the glittered elements back into the design.  I stamped a generic sentiment, so that it could be used for lots of occasions.

We're off to another week - hope yours is a great one!

Hello Sunshine

Spring is slowly creeping in, advancing and retreating here, so I decided to make my own sunshine!

supplies: yellow and white card, Altenew Spring Showers cover die, MFT Gumdrop Green ink for leaves, blending tool, Winnie & Walter Hello cutaway,  Hero Arts Butter Bar ink for shading, Avery Elle (retired)  Simply Said Hello, gold pearls

I cut my cover die from white card, punched out all the parts, and then positioned it over my yellow card base.  The leaves were sponged with green ink and replaced into the design, and some flower punch-outs were also added back into the centers of the flowers.  What better sentiment than this one - I sponged the diecut with my favorite yellow ink, and added the tiny "sunshine" piece.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Simon Says Stamp Fluttering By Release Blog Hop

Welcome to my little stop on Day 1 of the Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop, featuring our newest release, Fluttering By!

You should have arrived here from Melissa Phillips' 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.  We'll be giving away a $25.00 gift certificate 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, April 18.

My first card features the sweet Center Cut Flowers.  This is a large cling stamp with a square border of flowers and this smaller circular bunch inside it, which is removable and can be stamped separately.  When I first looked at this stamp, my mind went immediately to an old-fashioned tussy-mussy, a little handheld bouquet of violets encircled in a doily.

supplies: white, periwinkle, and black card stock, Bristol paper, Simon's Center Cut Flowers and Hope dies, Spectrum Aqua markers and water, Tim Holtz Doily embossing folder, purple adhesive genstones

Since we've been having an extended winter, my "hope" is that spring arrives soon!

My next card uses the Stitching Butterflies dies.

supplies: white, black, and pink cardstock, dps from MFT Plaid Patterns Merry & Bright and Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes pads, Simon's Stitching Butterflies dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, and sentiment from Beautiful Day, adhesive strips

 I carried the stitching theme throughout the card by using the Stitched Rectangles.

And finally, I received a new stencil, called New Beginnings.

supplies: white and Green Apple cardstock, Simon's New Beginnings stencil, sentiment from Beautiful Day, Stitched Rectangle die, gathered twigs, twisted citron, and worn lipstick distress inks, finger dauber and Fantastix to apply inks through the stencil

That's it from me - your next stop is at the amazing Kathy Racoosin's blog.  I know she'll have something scrumptious to show you!

Here's the Hop order for today:

Simon Says Stamp Blog 

Kristina Werner

Cathy Zielske

Nina-Marie Trapani

Nichol Spohr

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Kelly Latevola

Suzy Plantamura

Heather Hoffman

Melissa Phillips

Lin Brandyberry

Kathy Racoosin

Simon Says......Add Some Texture

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

Our theme this week is "Add Some Texture", and we're highlighting Tim Holtz products.  

My first card uses a pretty Floral stencil.  To get my texture, I first embossed the stencil before coloring it in the usual way using an oxide and a regular distress ink.  Then, while the stencil was still attached, I added some Moonstone glimmer paste to give it a subtle sparkle.

supplies: white, pink, black, and Green Leaf card stock, Tim Holtz Floral layering stencil, Worn LIpstick distress oxide ink and mowed lawn distress ink, finger daubers, Nuvo Moonstone Glimmer paste, Simon's Scripty Thanks die

Here's a closer look:

My second card uses my favorite Tim Holtz embossing folder, or, as he calls it, a texture fade.

supplies: white, Green Apple, Green Leaf, and 2 shades of pink card stock, Lawn Fawn striped paper, Tim Holtz Roses embossing folder, Simon's Single Roses dies, sentiment from (retired) Simon/Mama Elephant Summer Garden

Now it's your turn!  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!

Simon's Spring "Fluttering By" release!!

Have you seen all the new product from Simon's latest release?  Fluttering By is all about spring, and all that entails!

I'm loving the Best Mom Ever clear stamp set, the Center Cut Flowers clings, and now we have dies to match the Beautiful Day stamps, too! What are you excited about?  See them all HERE!

I have 2 cards today using some new dies.  The first one is called Butterfly Shimmer.

supplies: white card stock,dps from Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes and Shimmer Pastels (for the butterflies), Simon's Butterfly Shimmer and sentiment from Look for the Miracles, various Pretty Pink Posh sequins, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder

This next one uses a die called "Whoa! You're Amazing!!"

supplies: white and black cardstock, Whoa! You're Amazing die and Brush Stroke Messages stamp set, wonky rectangle die, Mermaid Lagoon, Peacock Feathers, and Lucky Clover distress oxide inks

I'll hope you'll visit me again tomorrow, April 12, for a Blog Hop, where we'll be giving away a $25 gift certificate at EACH stop! The Hop will start at 8:00 am Eastern, beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog!  I'll see you there!