My February Favorites

Here are my personal favorite cards made this month - lots of color to brighten up our grey days!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend.

Daisies for You

I wanted to make a card that would work for different occasions, sympathy, get well, etc. so I chose some neutral colors with a bright splash of yellow and played with some dies that I haven't used in a year or so and a mix of lots of different companies' products. What’s happier than daisies?

supplies: white, Smoke Grey, Green Apple, Green Leaf, and yellow cardstock, Lil Inker Circles and Diamonds Stitched Pattern cover plate, Spellbinders April 2019 Small Die of the Month flowers and leaves, Hero Arts banner and sentiment from their (sold out) January 2020 card kit

It seems anymore like I can't make anything that doesn't involve supplies that are discontinued......a sad state, but it won't keep me from using them, as many are classic, like this lovely cover plate.

As always, thanks for stopping by - I appreciate your visits!

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

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

It's Anything Goes week, and the team is showcasing Impression Obsession goodies!  I chose this fun Tulips cling stamp and made a card to brighten these dreary February days.

supplies: white and Doll Pink cardstock, striped dp from Doodlebug's Love Notes 6" paper pad, Impression Obsession Tulips cling stamp, colored with Nuvo Creative Markers, sentiment from Simon (retired) Flower Friend

I stamped, colored, and trimmed out my tulips image, then framed it with pink.  I chose my colors from the striped paper.  After laying out the elements as I wished, I repeatedly stamped my sentiment as a kind of secondary frame around the image.  

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!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Sketchbook Roses

Here's another card using the gorgeous Sketchbook Roses by The Greetery.  You should know by now how I feel about gingham, so I think this was a perfect marriage!  Add in this lovely Ornate Frame, and you've got yourself a perfectly girly card.

supplies: white cardstock, pink gingham dp, Sketchbook Roses, Altenew Spring Bouquet mini ink cubes, Impression Obsession Ornate Oval Frame, Newton's Nook Little Lilies sentiment, adhesive foam squares

After stamping and cutting out my floral spray, I die-cut the oval frame, and then used adhesive foam squares to hold the 2 together - I think lifting them above the gingham gives everything more punch.  I thought this sentiment was just right - it fit nicely in the corner and will cover a variety of occasions.

Some New Embossing Folders!

I was thrilled to receive some brand new Spellbinders February Cut and Emboss folders!  These are  embossing folders that also cut, and both of the ones I received are a generous 5 x 7 inches!  They are named after places, Kyoto, Sedona, Delhi, and Lahaina!   Here are some cards I made with 2 of  them.

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, watercolor dps from Moda Scrap and MFT, Spellbinders Kyoto folder and April 2019 Small Die of the Month flower and leaves, sentiment from Simon Leafy Frames, cut with an old Spellbinders Circle Scallop die

Just the name "Kyoto" evoked soft washes of colors for me, so these watercolor papers were just the ticket!  After it came out of the folder, I added it to a white card base, then a sentiment on vellum and just 1 little flower.  I wanted to keep the embossing as the star of the design.

My next card also uses colors that come to mind when I think of "Sedona", an amazing place, and the name of this folder.

supplies: sunshine cardstock, Spellbinders Sedona folder, distress oxide inks and blender brushes, sentiment sticker from a Tim Holtz Small Talk pad

Starting with a piece of A2 white cardstock, I brushed mustard seed oxide ink in a rough circle, and then radiated outwards with other warm oxide inks (carved pumpkin, ripe persimmon, festive berries, and fired brick) until my panel was covered.  Then I put it into the folder and ran it through my Platinum machine.  After trimming just a bit, I adhered it onto a bright yellow cardbase.  I thought this sentiment sticker "live gently upon this earth" reflects the Native American feel of the card - this reminds me of designs we've seen in the Southwest.

These folders sure do make a unique card!  Thanks so much, Spellbinders, for allowing me to showcase them.

Let It Snow!

As much as I complain about winter, it's not the snow that I object to, it's the lack of sunshine.......Since we didn't go south for the winter this year, I've been enjoying the beautiful snow for the first time in years.  So I decided to make a card to reflect the beauty of this season, using this gorgeous snowflake stamp - I love the delicacy of them!

I have a memory from when I was 12 years old or so, and my Mom and I walked home from a Girl Scout meeting at night.  It was a long walk, and the snow was coming down fast, so there were no cars out and I remember the quiet and the sparkly flakes when we'd be near lights.  It was one of those wet snows where the branches of trees get coated with white and everything looks brand new.  Hopefully this card reflects that feeling.

supplies: white and white glitter cardstock, vellum, Hero Arts Hand Drawn Snowflakes cling stamp, white embossing powder, distress oxide inks and water,  Penny Black Snowflake Trio, Birch Press Design Let it Snow dies, silver sequins

I made a galaxy background with my oxide inks, adding some white splatters, and when completely dry, I overstamped and white embossed these lovely flakes.  Then I simply added my sentiment and a snowflake cut from white glitter card, and some silver sequins. To make the sentiment stand out better, I first added it to a strip of vellum, which helps lift the sentiment up a bit and away from the card front.

Thanks for stopping by!

Simon's March Card Kit.......

......arrived, and I have 2 cards using the supplies inside.

supplies: white, Mint, and lavender Glitter paper, Stronger Together flower, Nuvo Creative Pens in Palma Violet and Emerald Seas, Bold Hello die, my own floral embossing folder, adhesive foam to lift center panel

The predominant colors in this kit are Mint and Lavender, and they are really lovely together, so I chose one of the floral stamps and colored it in just those colors.  That was framed in the glitter cardstock and then lifted above my embossed panel.  The little hello die is the perfect size!

Next, I used one of the 3 Suzy watercolor cards and the watercolor pencils in the kit.

supplies: white cardstock, watercolor-look patterned paper from Moda Scrap Spring Flowers, Suzy's Dogwood watercolor card, watercolor pencils from kit, leaves and sentiment from Stronger Together stamp set, cracked pistachio distress ink

I chose the dogwood watercolor card and colored it minimally with the watercolor pencils; after it was all dry, I cut out the dogwood branch.  Before attaching it to the patterned paper, I stamped some leaves with cracked pistachio ink, then colored them with the same ink, diluted with water.  That added a nice tone-on-tone look to the background.

I was impressed by the watercolor pencils in this kit - the colors are lovely, they blend nicely, and they were easy to use with a damp brush.

The large stamp set in this kit is full of lovely leaves and florals; I know it will get pulled out often for the upcoming season!  That goes the same for the pretty patterned papers.

Here's the kit.

Simon Says........Add a Sentiment

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Add a Sentiment and the team is playing with Hero Arts products.

Since this is the month of hearts, I knew I wanted to start with that theme, and here is what resulted. Could be a Valentine, could be a wedding/engagement card.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Simon's Stacked Hearts die and Hero Arts Love Stamp & Cut set, Nuvo markers, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die,skinny adhesive strips to lift word above card base

I trimmed a panel of white card, then cut out the Stacked Hearts.  The panel was flipped to the wrong side to attach some packing tape sticky side down, then flipped back over.  I used my markers to color the hearts in rainbow colors, inlaying them back into the panel. The panel was then attached to my card base.  Next I cut out the big word twice from black and glued them together.  I also stamped the sentiment on black 2 times, and heat embossed it in white, trimmed them out and cut apart the words.  I lifted the big sentiment above the card, and sprinkled the stamped ones above and below it.

Are you humming that Beatles' song yet??

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!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Hello Spring Robin!

February is usually when I've had it with winter. This year we haven't had much snow here so far, but it's the lack of sunshine that gets to me........it seems that it's constantly overcast.   We've got a ways to go yet for spring to arrive, so here's something to tide us over until it does.  For me, the return of the robins is a sure sign that spring is coming!  This is a variation of my winter card from last year.

supplies: white, black, and Surf Blue cardstock, The Greetery Robin and Wren and Blooming Branch layered stamps, Altenew mini inks, tumbled glass and a blender brush, Simon Four Seasons die, Penny Black Stitched Stackers die

These sweet little birds are such a pleasure to stamp.  I think I'll do a 4-seasons group of them!

Blue Birthday

Here's another of Betsy's gorgeous florals from The Greetery.  I thought I could live without it, but I was wrong - it arrived yesterday and this is it's first stamping.  What pushed me over the edge was the fact that it's a multi-step stamp set, so I can't ruin it with my coloring!

supplies: white, Cornflower, and a green cardstock, Sketchbook Roses, Altenew mini ink cubes to color, Simon It's Your Birthday sentiment, Taylored Expressions Damask embossing folder

This particular blue is my favorite color, always has been......cornflower, sky blue, Wedgewood, you get the picture.  Altenew calls the inks Lapis Lazuli.  I used the middle 2 shades of that collection.  Then I cut it out, something I find very relaxing to do, and added it to a card with an embossed panel and a sentiment with a lovely font which I think goes well with the image.

I think this one will be a staple in my floral stamps; I think I'll use some warm tones on my next one.  Thanks for stopping by - hope you are keeping cozy!

Happy Heart Day!

Hello, friends!  Today is one of my favorite days all year, as I love everything with hearts!  Here's a card for you on this special day.

supplies: white, Cotton Candy, pale green, and woodgrain cardstock, MFT Heart Tree die, (retired) Simon Just a Love Note sentiment and banner die, (retired) Winnie & Walter Audrey Cutaway dies

I love this Heart Tree die, used it lots last year when I got it, but I've never used the negative image it cuts as a kind of stencil to place the leaves and hearts.  I don't know what this technique is called, but since the elements sit on top of the card, it reminds me of applique in quilting.  

I cut it from kraft, pink, and green, then used the various parts to piece the elements onto the woodgrain backing, using the negative image for placement.  I thought this little sentiment from a 2012 Simon Valentine set was perfect.  

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says.......Use 2 or More Patterned Papers

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week we want you to use at least two patterned papers, and who better to showcase than Doodlebug Design?!  

I grabbed their newest collection called Love Notes and made 2 cards for this challenge!

supplies: white and black cardstock, Doodlebug Love Notes 6 x 6 paper pad and Love You Bunches Doodle Pops sticker, stamped sentiment from Simon's Beautiful Flowers

And one more:

supplies: white, black, and Audrey Blue cardstock, Love Notes paper pad (yellow floral and pink and yellow stripe Doodlebug papers from other pads), MFT Birds of a Feather and (retired) Spring Wreath dies, (retired) Wplus9 Basket Stitched Blooms sentiment, Simon Stitched Circle die, Doodlebug tiny hearts sprinkles

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!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Flowers in the Snow

I'm playing today with some pretties to take my mind off of winter.  Although the one good thing about winter is the nice bright light when there's lots of snow on the ground!  I pulled out this Wplus9 cover die and made 2 cards with it.

supplies: white cardstock, Wplus9 Tossed Floral Background die, Nuvo Creative Pens to color, Avery Elle Loads of Wishes sentiment, Doodlebug Tiny Heart sprinkles, adhesive foam strips

I cut the big die twice, then cut apart one of them into little floral sprays, and colored them in blues and a little bit of lilac.  The whole cover plate was attached to my card base, and then I popped the fussy-cut sentiment and the floral sprays above it, and added a couple of my favorite tiny hearts.  I enjoyed the process so much I made another card.

supplies: white and dotted mint cardstock, Wplus9 Tossed Floral Background cover die, Hello and Thanks floral stamp, and sentiment from Memory Box Big and Little Words, Nuvo Creative Pens in pinks and greens, adhesive foam strips 

This time when I cut this cover die, I left it in it's surrounding frame and trimmed that just a tad so that my minty dot behind it would give a tiny frame.  I used those skinny adhesive strips to lift it above the card base - I love the dimension this gives me.  Then I stamped and fussy-cut the floral spray, lifted that above the panel, and added my sentiment banner.

Doesn't this give the illusion of lace?  I love this die! Also, since the background paper is dotted, it kind of looks like what I saw outside this weekend as I was working on this card!

Hope your week will be a great one!  Thanks for your visit today!

From the Scrap Bag

I think I mentioned earlier that I've been doing some cleaning out and organizing, and one of the things I unearthed was a bag of already constructed Rose Flurries flowers from other projects.  So I decided to put them to good use and make a card!

supplies: white, black, mauve, pale yellow, Green Leaf and a darker green cardstock, paint chips in shades of mauve, Altenew Rose Flurries dies, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle die, tumbled glass distress ink and a blender brush, Memory Box Big and Little Words sentiment

This Hemstitch Rectangle is still one of my go-to supplies - it makes such a nice subtle frame.  This time I sponged on a little color inside it - I like the results!

This has my youngest sister's name all over it, as this was her favorite color growing up, and will probably be saved for her birthday later this year.

Hope your weekend is going well - thanks for your visit to my blog today!

For Your Thoughtfulness

Today I combined 2 stamp sets for this simple little card.  I thought the floral rectangle stamp in the latest Simon Card Kit was pretty, but I didn't necessarily want to make it into a shaker card, so I looked around for a sentiment that would complete it.

supplies: white and Surf Blue cardstock,  Simon's Window Frames floral image and Thanks and Leaves sentiment, Nuvo Creative markers to color

This measures out to a little over 6 X 3 1/2 inches.  It is the perfect size to hold a check, and there are envelopes that work with it, too, kind of a shortened business size.......

Thanks for stopping by.

Simon Says.........With Love

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is With Love, and my team-mates and I are playing with Simon exclusive products!  I have 2 cards today, both using my current fave colors together, rose pink and teal.

supplies: white and Peacock Teal cardstock, Simon's Bouquet of Roses stencil, inked in Altenew Cherry Blossom and Sea Shore mini inks with small Picket Fence blender brushes, Tammy Tutterow Tiny Sentiments (retired)

After inking through my stencil, I removed it and sponged on some light pink over the roses to make them more solid.  

Here's another scribble rose card in the same colors.

supplies: white, Surf Blue, Peacock Teal, and a rose cardstock, Simon's Heart of Roses and Small Love You dies, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice die

I cut the heart die from white, rose, Surf Blue, and Teal, then inserted the white one back into the panel it was cut from.  The panel was then turned over so that I could add some clear packing tape.  Then I had a sticky surface on the front to inlay the colors into.  The finished panel was cut using the Frilly Frame, mounted onto a Surf Blue panel, and then onto my white base.  

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!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Just for You

It's been too long since I've played with these Garden Picks floral dies. I was inspired to add the subtle white-embossed script in the background by this beauty from Betsy.  And as I've been doing some spring cleaning, I unearthed a large supply of paint chips, so I thought I'd use them once again.

supplies: white cardstock, various paint chips, Altenew Garden Picks dies, sentiment from Tammy Tutterow, script from a long-retired Hero Arts set of woodblocks called Artistic Windows, tumbled glass distress ink and a blending brush, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice die, Doodlebug heart sprinkles

I love the vintage feel that the script in the background gives - I must remember to use this tiny detail more often.  Using paint chips really opens up the possibilities for color.  The drawback for me is that many of them have a shiny backing, so it was a bit fiddly making everything stick together.  A good trade-off, though, because I love the results!

Enjoy your day, and I hope your week will be a great one, thanks for stopping by.  

More Rustic Florals

I have a couple more cards using the beautiful Brutus Monroe Rustic Florals papers today.  This first one is a variation of the one that I made for this week's Simon Wednesday challenge.

supplies: pastel yellow and blue cardstock, Brutus Monroe Rustic Florals dp, Simon's Thanks Scallop Border die, blue embroidery floss, organza ribbon, adhesive foam to pop up sentiment panel

I lifted the scallop border portion above the rest of the card this time, embellishing it with some floss stitching and a little bow.  

supplies: Cotton Candy cardstock, Brutus Monroe Rustic Florals patterned paper, Pink Fresh Studio Adore Alpha dies, Lawn Fawn Stitched Scallop Borders die, sentiment from Hero Arts Hello Stamp and Cut, pink enamel hearts

Starting with a single sheet of another of the papers, I used my alpha dies to cut out my word.  The word was bordered with some stitched scallops, then the panel was attached to a pink card base.  Next I cut out 3 more sets of letters from white cardstock, glued them together with the pattern on top, and then reinserted them back into the negative space.  To finish, I added a stamped sentiment strip and some enamel hearts.

There are 3 sheets of 8 different designs in this paper pad, each one prettier than the last! 

Thanks for stopping by today!