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

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

Our theme is Anything Goes, and the team and I are showcasing Tim Holtz products.  

supplies: white, black, robin's egg, kraft, pinks, yellows, and light orange card, Tim Holtz Sizzix Funky Florals 1 dies, Simon's Four Seasons and Chisolm Wreath dies

These Funky Florals are really fun to play with - the flower shapes are pleasing, with lots of ways to mix and match them, and there are plenty of leaves to go along with them.  Here's a 2nd card using a hydrangea type flower and a leaf from the set and the color of the year.

supplies: cream, white, and 3 coral card stocks, Tim Holtz Sizzix Funky Florals, Simon's Love and Friendship sentiment, Doodlebug Tiny Hearts sprinkles, Lawn Fawn Quilted Backdrop cover die, trimmed, retired MFT Blueprints 20 (stitched banner) and Spring Wreath bow dies, glue dots

I'm sold on Tim's Funky dies - the Funky Foliage set is next on my wishlist!

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!

Lilac Love

Today I'm CASEing an idea by Cindy to use the tiny flowers in this month's Simon Card Kit to make lilacs, my favorite of all flowers.

supplies: white, Lavender and Green Apple card, Simon's Hello Darling flowers and leaves, Altenew mini inks and a matching green marker,  Simon Stitching Butterflies die, Tammy Tutterow Tiny Sentiments, Becca Feeken's Hemstitch Oval die, Doodlebug rainbow hearts sprinkle

I first cut my hemstitch oval and trimmed it to fit inside a lavendar mat.  Next I lightly sketched 2 branches for my lilacs, then, starting with the tops of each, stamped my little flowers in what I hope to be a lilac blossom shape, adding leaves at the bottom.  Then I just stamped my sentiment, adding an enamel heart, and the butterfly.

Thank you, Cindy, for your idea!  

Welcome Spring

I'm a bit late officially, but I made a card that uses happy spring colors to celebrate the coming of the season we've all been waiting for.

supplies: white and Green Apple card, dps from various Doodlebug 6" paper pads, Spellbinders Oval Hemstitch die, My Favorite Things Stitched Blooms dies,  Simon's Big Scripty Greetings, various enamel dots

These flower dies have such fun stitched details!   And I used Doodlebug patterned papers because of their fantastic array of colors and darling diminutive prints - here I mixed florals with dots and gingham and their reverse patterns.  And you can see that I finally hunted down a Hemstitch Oval set of dies, too.

Enjoy your weekend!

Such a Blessing

Here's a card using my new Turnabout stamp set.  I'm stamping today with distress oxide inks in blues and greens.

supplies: white and Island Blue card, Concord & 9th Lovely Blossoms Turnabout stamp, Turnabout Jig, Distress Oxide inks: cracked pistachio, blueprint sketch, peacock feathers, and salty ocean, Simon Script Thanks dies and a sentiment strip

I made the turnabout design the star of the show, and added a simple die sentiment accompanied by one of Simon's recently released pre-printed sentiment strips, simply trimmed and mounted on Island Blue card.

Thank you for stopping by.

Simon Says........Cute!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to this week's challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!  

Our theme this week is "Cute", and we're highlighting Clearly Besotted products this week.  I chose a darling bird set and here's my card.

supplies: white card stock, Clearly Besotted Some Birdie Loves You stamps, Tonic alcohol markers to color, Simon's Tropical Leaves set, Altenew Sea Shore and Green Meadow mini inks, Mowed Lawn distress oxide and tumbled glass distress inks, Simon's Stitched Circle die, adhesive foam squares

I looked at a bunch of pictures of parrots to decide how to color these 2 cuties, then colored them and cut them out, along with a couple leaves from the set.  Then I used those colors to find some inks to stamp my background panel of tropical leaves.  That panel was attached to my white card base, and the birds and leaves to a stitched circle, which I popped above the rest of the card.

There are 2 toucans and 3 other parrots in this set, along with a birdcage, a branch, hearts, a flower, the music notes, and 4 other sentiments, so you can have lots of fun with this one!

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!

Simon's April Card Kit

My April Card Kit, Hello Darling, arrived yesterday, and I jumped right in this morning.  Here are 2 simple cards using the supplies in the kit.

supplies from April Card Kit: Ivory and Sea Glass card, Rainboot Planter die, dps from Spring Farmhouse paper pad, and sentiment sticker from Spring Farmhouse sticker sheet, plus my own zig markers and water and a scalloped stitched die

Of course, I had to take these rainboots for a spin; here I cut them first from watercolor paper, and used my markers and water to color the tulips and leaves, then used one of the patterned papers and a bit of Sea Glass card to paper-piece in the details of the boots.  It was a simple thing to do because the die has the details built in.   I even cut the boots apart so that I could run a line of black marker along the edges where they connect in the center, to make the details stand out better on the patterned design.

This next one is really simple, no stamping or coloring - I just used one of the cute images on the reverse of some of the design papers in the pack.  Love this sweet bird on the nest.  It's framed with it's reverse and a text paper from the included ones, and I added a sticker heart from the sticker sheet.

supplies: Dark Chocolate card, patterned papers from Spring Farmhouse and heart sticker from Spring Farmhouse sticker sheet

The large clear stamp set has a lovely variety of sentiments and some florals and leaves - I'll be playing with them next!  Don't wait too long if you're interested in this April Kit - I'm pretty sure it'll be a sell out!  Look at all that's included:

More Lovely Blossoms

My husband and son are out kayaking, so I'm having another play with my new Lovely Blossoms Turnabout.

supplies: Sea Glass, Audrey Blue, and Green Apple card, Lovely Blossoms Turnabout stamp, Altenew inks, Tammy Tutterow Tiny Sentiment, Tim Holtz Detailed Butterfly die, Simon Stitched Rectangles dies

I stamped on a pale blue cardstock, then trimmed it, cut out a rectangle in the center, matted that, and added my sentiment and butterfly to it.  Butterflies are a perfect go-with for these flowers!

Happy St. Pat's day to all of you!  I'm looking forward to a Reuben sandwich soon!

Lovely Blosssoms Turnabout

I just received some happy mail, and jumped right in with my new goodies.  Here's a card using 2 of my new sets.

supplies: white, kraft, coral, and Cotton Candy card, Concord & 9th Lovely Blossoms Turnabout, worn lipstick distress oxide, Altenew Rocky Shore and Silver Stone minis, VersaMark and white embossing powder, Turnabout Jig, modified polaroid frame die,  Tim Holtz Funky Foliage dies, sentiment from Simon's Beautiful Flowers clear stamp set, adhesive foam strips

I can't get enough of these Turnabout stamp sets!  This time I treated myself to this Lovely Blossoms one, and stamped it on a colored cardstock instead of the usual white, using white embossing, and kraft and grey inks.   I also added another newbie, some Funky Foliage dies from Tim Holtz!  I love these, too; you'll be seeing more from me soon!

Hope you're having a great weekend - we're spending ours with our oldest son!

Daffodil Thanks

It's March, the month of daffodils.  They are such a happy flower and represent this season perfectly!  So here is this year's addition to my annual daffodil cards, featuring Tammy Tutterow's fabric dies from Crafter's Edge.

supplies: white, several yellows, and Green Leaf card, gingham from Sunny Studio, Tammy's Posey Flowers Set 1 (2 smallest flowers), stems and leaves from Heart Stems and Sweet Tulip dies, PTI Mix & Mat dies,  (retired) Simon Friendship Blooms sentiment, tiny enamel hearts, adhesive foam squares to pop up flowers

I cupped the flowers as I put them together; hopefully they resemble daffodils to you......

Can you see the little Doodlebug enamel hearts that I added to the centers of my flowers?  These tiny beauties add such a charming touch!

Simon Says.......Whatever the Weather

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

Our theme this week is "Whatever the Weather", and the team is playing with Sunny Studio products.  About this time of year we are all ready for spring and sunshine to arrive.

supplies: white cardstock, a dotty dp for the sun, Sunny Studio Sunny Sentiments, MFT Radiating Rays stencil and mustard seed distress ink, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangles, Doodlebug Tiny Heart sprinkles, adhesive foam square to pop up sun

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!

Amazing Paper Grace March Die of the Month: Spun Blessings Oval

Here's a card that uses just a couple of the dies in this month's Die of the Month club from Becca Feeken.

supplies: white, yellow, pink, Lavendar, Surf Blue, and Green Apple card stock, Amazing Paper Grace Spun Blessing Circle dies,  Cinch & Go Flowers III, (retired) Simon sentiment, little yellow buttons

Using just 2 of the dies in this set, mirror images of each other,  I placed them as close together as I could before die-cutting.  This made an open-work oval in my panel with a perfect place to stamp a little sentiment.  I then embellished with some spring flowers, also by Becca, and raised the panel above a surf blue framing panel.  

You can see the rest of the dies in this set HERE, along with some ideas for how to use them.  Many thanks to Team Spellbinders for allowing me to play with this set!

Becca Feeken Shadowbox

I have a really fun project to share today, which uses 3 sets of Becca Feeken's Shadowbox Vignette collection.  I was a bit intimidated to make the shadowbox part of this project, but I am so pleased to show you my first try at it.  Everything is engineered perfectly and plays together nicely!  I chose some pretty pastels since I'm feeling in a spring mood today.......

supplies: white, robin's egg, cotton candy, and green apple cardstock, Becca's Adjustable Shadowbox Frame with 1" Border, Callista Rectangle, and Layered Sweet Birdie Thanks Scene, Scor Tape, adhesive foam strips

I followed Becca's video to construct my shadowbox.  The magical thing about these dies is that you can make ANY size frame which will measure 1" wide on each side; in my case I cut my starting paper panels at 4" wide by 4 1/2" long for the short horizontal sides, and 4" wide by 5 3/4" long for the vertical sides, after measuring the Callista Frame to make sure it would fit over the top.  My shadowbox isn't perfect, but for a first try, I was thrilled with how it fit together so nicely, and it's really sturdy!

Next I cut my Callista Frame from pink and glued that to the top of the box.  And then I cut and constructed the Birdie Scene, cutting each of the 3 layers in a different color and separating them with adhesive foam strips for dimension.  I was ecstatic that it fit perfectly down into the shadowbox.  And can you see the little details dies that are included: flowers, a wing detail, and more that I didn't use this time?

As I said, the shadowbox dies will adapt to any size you want to make, squares or rectangles.  It is free-standing, but you could hang it, or add a hinged cover that opens so that it could hold a little gift!  And, as I showed you in yesterday's post, you can use the accessory dies on cards, too.  I am so blessed that Team Spellbinders asked me to play with them!  I hope you'll consider giving them a try, too!

Shadowbox Collection from Becca Feeken

Recently I received some Becca Feeken Shadowbox dies from Spellbinders.  Here is my first play with some of them. 

First up, I used her Layered Sweet Birdie Thanks dies.

supplies: white, Cotton Candy, Surf Blue, and Green Apple card stock, Layered Sweet Birdie Thank You dies, sentiment from Mandy's Flowers, 3D Botanical embossing folder, adhesive foam strips

I die cut the 3 layers from 3 different colored card stock, then separated them with some adhesive foam strips and popped that above my dry-embossed and stamped card base.  Love the fun dimension!

As soon as I saw these next dies, I thought "wedding card".

supplies: white and Rose Gold pearlized card, Spellbinders Becca Feeken Callista Rectangle Shadowbox Frame dies, Simon's Congratulations sentiment, Tattered Rose distress oxide ink, Hero Arts retired heart pearls

I hope I was able to capture just a bit of the lovely glimmer that the rose gold pearlized card gives, perfect for a festive occasion like a wedding.  I was happily surprised to see that the oxide ink matched it nicely.  To finish I cut another of the dies from the rose gold and added them to the sentiment area of my card, and added just 2 pale pink heart pearls to them.

I'll be back again soon with another of the new dies from Becca.  Thanks for stopping by!

Simon's Fresh Bloom release!

Simon Says Stamp has a new release debuting today,  called Fresh Bloom!  Just in time for spring, it features lots of fun items that you will love!

I was lucky to have been sent a new sentiment set named TINY WORDS FAITH as part of this release, and here's my first play with it.  I paired it with an older Simon set of flowers to make an Easter card.

supplies: white, pale yellow, Lavender and Green Apple card, sentiment from TINY WORDS FAITH, flowers and leaves from More Spring Flowers, Hemstitch Rectangle dies, Zig watercolor markers and water

This set is PACKED with eensy-weensy sentiments that will work for lots of occasions - confirmation, concern,  even a few short bible verses.  Among them are these 3 that I put together for my Easter card.  

Be sure to visit THIS PAGE to see the rest of the new goodies!  I've already added these to my wishlist:  Filigree Heart, Filigree Egg, and Filigree Bunny dies,  and the Pretty Peonies Background.  What are your favorites?

Simon Says........Create a Scene

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

Our theme this week is "Create a Scene", and the team is showcasing Honey Bee products!

Here's my card:

supplies: white and green card, Honey Bee Feelin' Foxy and sentiment from Simon's Seeing Stars,  Nuvo markers, Impression Obsession Birch Tree dies, Tim Holtz Woodlands die, tumbled glass distress oxide ink

This was an easy card to make - I simply sponged on a blue sky in a rough oval shape, added my dies and sentiment, and then my stamped elements.  Isn't this fox cute?  There's another one in the set, too.

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!

Happy Birthday

I always find it difficult to make a card for a guy, but I'm pleased with this one:

supplies: Audrey Blue, Green Leaf,  Dark Chocolate, Gumdrop, and kraft card stock, Tim Holtz Lumber embossing folder, Simon's Stitched Circle, Penny Black Happy Birthday die, Neat & Tangled Maple Leaf Thanks, and Concord & 9th Leaf dies, adhesive foam squares to pop up sentiment circle