More Brushed Blossoms

Still playing with the Brushed Blossom set - this time I used the stamps to make a background for a birthday card:

supplies: white, Pool, and aqua glitter card stock, Concord & 9th Brushed Blossom stamp set, Altenew inks: Rose Petal, Cherry Blossom, Shades of Purple, and Volcano Lake mini inks, Simon's Happy Birthday Circle die, adhesive foam squares

I stamped a trimmed panel with the flowers, and filled in open spaces with the 3 dots stamp in the package.  I was looking for a color to match the leaves, and happened across this previously cut Happy Birthday die, which works exactly with that color, and the glitter also pops from the stamping.  Then I decided to cut out a central circle and pop the panel above my card base, with a pool insert inside the circle. And I added a flower to the center of that circle.

Enjoy your weekend!

Blossom with Stripes

Today I'm playing with my new stamps and matching die again, and was taken with a card from Concord & 9th on their website.  That version had stamped stripes running horizontally and orange flowers.  Here's my version.

supplies: white and charcoal card stock, MFT striped patterned paper, Concord & 9th Brushed Blossom and matching die, Altenew and VersaMark ink, white embossing powder, acetate, adhesive foam squares

I love black and bright yellow combinations, so after I decided to use the black and white stripe for my background, I chose yellows for my stamped flowers.  I sized the striped background to A2, then cut out 2 of the sprigs using the die.  On a white card base I used the striped panel to help me position where to stamp the flowers and leaves.  I knew that I wanted to lift the striped panel above the stamped card base, but it wasn't until near the end that I decided to also add the die-cut outline in charcoal; I think it gives the stamped image more definition.  Then in order to hold that outline into my striped panel, I lined it on the back with pieces of acetate to give me something to glue the outline to.  Then I just added my sentiment from the stamp set panel and popped it above the card base.  

I love how it turned out! 

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

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

Our theme this week is the ever-popular Anything Goes and my teamies and I are showcasing Wplus9 products.  Today I have a delicate pastel card and one that is much bolder in color.

When I found out we were highlighting Wplus9, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this lovely cover die:

supplies: white and Green Apple card stock, Echo Park Dots & Stripes Gingham dp, Wplus9 Tossed Floral Background cover die and flowers and leaves from You = Kind stamp set, Simon's Expressions for You stamp and die set and Stitched Circle die

This die-cut has the loveliest details - see the little tulips and forget-me-not clusters?  And I added these 5-petal flowers stamped in purples because there were similar flowers in the cover die also.

As much as I love all of Dawn's beautiful flowers, I still have a soft spot in my heart for her Quilt Prints stamp set from 2010.  I have used it many times, but never in patriotic colors, and since the 4th of July is coming up, that's what I decided to do this time.  We all have picnics on the 4th, so here's a picnic quilt for the occasion!

supplies: white, Simon's Navy and Schoolhouse Red card stock, Wplus9's Quilt Prints stamp set, Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday sentiment, Hero Arts Red Royal, Navy, and Soft Granite inks, herringbone embossing folder for the "quilting"

I stamped the "stitching" in grey ink, then used the patterned pieces to add red and navy details.  Everything is in the set except the diamond with a heart in it.  As I often like to do, I embossed the stamped panel to give it a dimpled feel before I "bound" it in red.  And I used the same inks to stamp my sentiment banner.  

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!

CASEing Debby

Here's a card I made that CASEs one of my Simon Says Stamp teamies,  Debby Yates.....she has a wonderful talent for mixing design papers with a stamped image. I CASE'd THIS CARD of hers from last week.

supplies: black, white, Simon's Sunshine, Island Blue, and Green Apple card stock, dps from Sunny Studio Rainbow Bright and Doodlebug Sweet Summer (stripes and sweet life strip) pads, Simon's Summer Flowers stamps And Four Seasons die,  Nuvo markers (Irish Clover, Rosy Pinks, and Sunshine Yellows) to color

I CASEd her sketch and use of coordinating plaid, dots, and stripes, and changed up my stamped image to a summer flower.  Thank you, Debby, for your wonderful inspiration!  For more of her beautiful designs, visit her blog, A Scrapjourney.

Hope you're enjoying a lovely summer day!

Inlaid Blossoms

I just received a set of Concord & 9th stamps and a coordinating die, and had a play with them.

supplies: white, Dark Chocolate, Audrey Blue, and Green Apple card stock, Concord & 9th Brushed Blossom sentiment stamp and matching Blossom die

I chose a deep Chocolate for my background, accented with white, to go along with my aqua flowers.  And I used the stamens from the stamp set to add a little detail to the large flowers.  Hopefully I'll be able to play with the layering stamp set next.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

One Cool Pineapple!

Here's another card from the Simon Says Stamp July Card Kit: Cool Summer.  The heart sunglasses just crack me up!

supplies: white cardstock, Simon's One Cool Pineapple clear stamp set and sunglasses and heart stickers from sticker pack, MFT Wonky Rectangle die and Radiating Rays stencil, squeezed lemonade and fossilized amber distress oxide inks applied with a blending brush

I grinned all the way through making this!  And I definitely liked applying the oxides with the blending brush, which I think came in a past month's card kit......I plan to get myself a few more of them.

Flowers & Stripes

I've been wanting to play with this color combination for awhile, and today's the day!

supplies: white and black card stock, Impression Obsession Painted Stripes cling stamp, Wplus9 You Equals Kind clear stamps, Simon's inks: Teeny Bikini, Rosie Cheeks, Duckling, Melon, JellyBean, and Green Apple, Altenew Flower Arrangement die, Stitched Rectangles die, sequins to match

This IO cling combines brush strokes into a striped background, but inking it in different colors like this, it would have been more efficient to use just a brush stroke stamp, as I masked and stamped each color separately.  I do love these colors together, though.  After I had inked my background, I used the same colors to make my flowers, adding a black dotted center to them to balance out my black sentiment die.  

We've had all kinds of weather here today - torrential downpours followed by sunshine followed by clouds. Hope you're enjoying your day whether you're in or out!

Into the Woods

I was in the mood for using some cute critters, and I dug out a couple Avery Elle stamp sets and combined them with a sentiment from Simon.

supplies: white card stock, Bristol paper, Avery Elle Woodland Wonders and Kitsch Christmas clear sets, Simon's Birthday Flowers sentiment, Zig markers and water to color, peacock feathers, broken china, and mowed lawn distress inks

I've always been drawn to little fawns, and this one shouldn't be confined just to Christmas. This card takes me back to Disney's Bambi; I recently shared some excerpts on You Tube from it with my Grands and we were all enchanted with it!

Weekend!  Enjoy yours!

Simon's July Card Kit!

Mine arrived yesterday, and still in the tropical mood from yesterday's release at Simon, I made an easy card using some elements from this fun kit called Cool Summer.

supplies: white and Doll Pink card stock, flamingo stamp and (partial) sentiment from Simon's One Cool Pineapple clear stamps, Flamingo die, pink glitter paper, dp from Carta Bella Summer Splash papers, Simon's Summer Gold sequin mix, and  flamingo sequins, probably from Pretty Pink Posh

Did you know that the fun flamingo die fits the stamped version perfectly?  I simply stamped it on Doll Pink card, and then cut it out with the die.  Love the bold font of the sentiments in this set; here I fussy-cut part of one of them, abbreviating the full sentiment.  Everything on my card except for the bright pink sequins is in this kit.

Considering that this new stamp set is a larger than usual one, the value of this kit is pretty amazing versus what you'd pay separately for the elements inside it!

Simon Says..........Bright and Cheerful

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

Our theme this week is Bright and Cheerful, and we're highlighting Hero Arts products!  One of the best things Hero Arts did was to introduce Color Layering stamps.  I have several of them, and I'm glad to see that they continue to add new sets with each release.  

First up, what's more bright and cheerful than a butterfly?!

supplies: white card, Hero Arts Color Layering Swallowtail, VersaFine Onyx Black and various Altenew inks, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

I imagined these flowers to be zinnias and stamped them in shades of pink.  This set has 3 layers for the butterfly and the flower, and I used my Misti to line them up.

Next up,  another color-layering set:

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card stock, Hero Arts Color Layering Flamingo stamps and matching die, Simon's Tropical Leaves and sentiment from It's Your Birthday, Altenew ink cubes (Tea Party, Sweet Dreams, Sea Shore, and Green Meadows), a woodblock party hat stamp, adhesive foam strips

I've had this flamingo set for awhile and I don't think I'll ever tire of playing with it - it always makes me smile!  This time I added a party hat to the mix and made a summer birthday card.  

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!

And just a reminder to visit HERE to see Simon's newest release, Good Vibes.  If you'd like to see the card I made with my new die, please scroll down 1 post, or click HERE.

A New Simon Release: Good Vibes!

Simon has a new release debuting today, called Good Vibes!  I was lucky enough to have been sent this really fun set of dies, called Perforated Flaps.  There are 3 sizes, and for this card, I used the smallest one.  This is how the card will appear when you take it out of its envelope.

  Look closely.......

The new dies cut 3 different sizes of a 3-sided window, leaving the top attached to be folded up for a surprise underneath.  I used the smallest flap, cut from my stamped and colored flower panel. Then the panel was popped above my card base on which I had stamped my sentiment.  I also added a small vellum panel with a sentiment to the "door".

Here's one more look at the card with the flap closed.  All my supplies are listed below this picture.

supplies: white card, vellum, Simon's Perforated Flaps die, Even More Spring Flowers flower and leaves, Sea You Soon sentiment (under flap), and Stitched Rectangle die, sentiment on vellum from Technique Tuesday Agapanthus, masking paper, Zig markers and water to color, Doodlebug Sprinkles, adhesive foam strips to lift top panel above card base

Be sure to visit THIS PAGE to see the rest of the new release.  I have my eye on the Hibiscus Frame, Everett Letters, and the Classic Bicycle dies.  What are your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll visit again later this morning for my regular Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog post.

Ditsy Print

I just received a new stamp set from Altenew - my favorite of their new release.   It's one of their layered sets, but on a much smaller scale than their usual large flowers.   Here is my first play with it.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card stock, Altenew's Ditsy Print set, Sweet Dreams and Tropical Forest mini inks, Wplus9 Hello die and stamped sentiment from its companion Hand Lettered Hello, Winnie & Walter Noelle large scallop die

I decided I'd use this pretty little floral above and below a central sentiment.  After I saw it inked, it reminded me of the embroidery on ladies' handkerchiefs, so I cut the panel into a large scalloped rectangle, and added the hello die because of it's pretty feminine font.

Next I switched to purples and repeatedly stamped the little bouquet.  They remind me of little nosegays of violets.......

supplies: white and black card stock, MFT Black & White Stripes pad, Ditsy Prints, Shades of Purple and Green Meadows mini inks, MFT Thanks die

I love florals mixed with stripes, so I cut my stamped panel down a bit and added some stripes above and below it.  Again, I chose my sentiment because of the lovely font.

This set is easy AND fun to use, and I know it will become one of my favorites.  

My Dad

Remembering my Dad on Father's Day, I did a little collage of the few pictures I have of the 2 of us.  

left, my wedding day, 1971, wasn't he handsome?, below, Florida, 2011, me wearing his cap, middle, Jack's Lake, Ontario, early 1950s, right, early 1950's

My Dad was born in 1920, and we had him for 95 years.  He was an avid outdoorsman; loved to hunt and fish and just be outside.  He never sat down, always kept busy.  My sisters and I have fond memories of our summer vacations in Canada.  On a high school diploma, he put his 3 daughters through college, and built the house that we grew up in.  After he retired, he took the time to write down his memories of his life, and that little book is a treasure!  He always had a joke to tell.   He loved spending the winter months in Florida, and one of my favorite memories is of him riding his bike every day with his little dachshund in the basket, even in his 90's!  He and Mom were married for 70 years, and I count myself truly blessed to have had them as my parents and role models. 

Miss you, Daddy!

Foiling

I recently added a few more foiling supplies to my arsenal, and today I made a card with them.  I really like the results!  Here's what it looks like standing upright:

supplies: black, Island Blue, and DCWV silver foiled card stock, Gina K. Designs Floral Sketch Clear Designer Toner Sheet, Sparkling Silver Fancy Foil, and a toner sheet, Chameleon Cool Tones alcohol markers, Penny Black Stitched Stacker die, Simon's Script Thanks dies, adhesive foam strips, laminator

To begin I cut a piece of the clear acetate designer toner sheet and a piece of foil and ran it through my laminator.  I set aside the foil, and colored the reverse of the acetate with alcohol inks.  Then I framed it.  

Next I placed the used foil piece over a piece of toner sheet and again ran it through the laminator.  You can see that the reverse image comes through, a silver background with the design in black.  Lying flat like this, you can see the iridescence of the foil

This was attached to a white card base and, after adding my die-cut sentiment to the clear panel, I popped it above and a teensy bit off-center from the silver layer.  Here is the finished card laying flat:

As you can see, the light plays with the foiling and gives all kinds of different looks.  From a distance, depending on which way you tilt your head, the background turns to purple, gold, green, or blue - so fun!

What I was unable to capture in my photos was the dimension, almost a shadow-box effect that lifting the clear panel gives to it.  You can kind of think of this design as a shaker card minus the shakings!

Thanks for stopping by today - I hope your weekend will be a fantastic one!

Simon Says..........Frame It!

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

Our theme is a fun one this week: Frame It!  And the team are playing with Memory Box goodies.

I found an interesting die and made 2 very similar cards with it, using items from my scrap basket.  

supplies: white and peach card stock, Memory Box Small Circle Burst die, Simon's Center Cut Flowers cling, Wishing die and Sending & Wishing sentiment, adhesive foam squares

After assembling the panel with the Circle Burst, I popped it above my peach backing.  

My 2nd card is flatter, just some layering:

supplies: white, aqua, and black card stock, Memory Box Small Circle Burst die, Altenew Painted Flowers, Simon's Sending die and sentiment from Sending & Wishing stamp set

There's a large version of this die, also, but I chose this version, thinking it would make a good sun in the corner of a card.......yet it's still large enough to have a small sentiment inside it.  

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!

For a Summer Birthday

I recently ordered and received this oh-so-pretty Tossed Florals cover die and here's a card I made that features it.

supplies: white, black, and coral card stock, Wplus9 Tossed Floral die, watercolored with Altenew inks, Simon's Stitched Circle and Leanna Butterfly dies, sentiment from Gina K Designs Wreath Builder, Doodlebug sprinkle on butterfly

I wanted to color it with softened sherbet-y summer colors, so I smooshed various mini inks on an acrylic block, and used them to watercolor the flowers and leaves.  I didn't want to cover up much of the pretty result, so I chose to add a sentiment in a small circle.  The butterfly was sitting on my desk and it seemed like a nice addition to the mix.

Hope your week is off to a great start!