My Favorite Cards from May

Here are my favorite cards from this month.

Thanks for coming by!

CRAFTY HUGS Blog Hop, Day 2

Simon Says Stamp has released some stunning new products; we're calling them the CRAFTY HUGS release, and I'm so pleased to be participating today in Day 2 of a blog hop to celebrate!

You should have arrived here from Pretti Chandran's 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 to start.  We'll be giving away a $25.00 coupon 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, June 3. Winners must email Simon to claim his/her prize.

And as you can see in the banner above, we have a free gift for shopping - any purchase made from now until May 31 at 11:59 pm will get a free gift of Rainbow Shattered Glass Deco Foil, while supplies last.  Just use the code HUGS4U.

I received a fun selection of new things from the release: a large cling stamp, an amazing large die, and a fun stencil. Here are my projects with them.

First up, the SO BEAUTIFUL cling stamp.

supplies: white, black, and Surf Blue cardstock, SO BEAUTIFUL cling stamp, Zig markers and water, tumbled glass distress ink, clear sequins for the centers of a few flowers

The sentiment in that lovely font is part of this cling stamp, a nice bonus!

Next I played with this amazing HIBISCUS BLOOM die.

supplies: teal, white, and hot pink cardstock, HIBISCUS BLOOM die, Bold Hello die, distress oxide inks in carved pumpkin, picked raspberry, mustard seed, mowed lawn and black soot, Newton's Nook Tropical Leaves stencil, adhesive foam to pop up flower

I cut my flower from white cardstock, colored the petals and leaves with oxide inks and a sponge, then reinserted them back into place.  I embossed a stencil for my background.

And lastly, how do you like this fun RADIANT HEARTS stencil?

supplies: white cardstock, RADIANT HEARTS stencil, distress inks and a blending brush, sentiment from Leafy Frames, Stitched Circle die, adhesive foam to pop up sentiment circle .

This is your final stop of the blog hop.  Don't forget to visit the blogs on Day 1, too, for even more inspiration and chances to win a $25.00 gift card.

Click HERE for all the new goodies, and for more inspiration, don't forget to visit our Crafty Hugs Gallery.

Thanks so much for coming by today.  I hope you find something special just for you in this new release. Here's today's Hop Order.

Simon Says Stamp Blog   

Laura Bassen

Debby Hughes

Yoonsun Hur

Heather Hoffman

Bibi Cameron

Barb Engler

Sidnie Des Jardins

Cheiron Brandon

Laurie Willison

Caly Person

Betty Wright

Bobbi Lemanski

Lea Lawson

Preeti Chandran

Lin Brandyberry

Floral Butterfly

Pulling another die that has hardly seen the light.

supplies: white, 3 shades of pink, pink glitter, and Audrey Blue cardstock, dp from Memory Box Cottage Meadow collection, Spellbinders February 2019 Large Die of the Month, Avery Elle Loads of Wishes sentiment, a Doodlebug sprinkle

As I was looking at Simon's June Card Kit with all its butterflies, I was thinking that I haven't done a card featuring butterflies in a long time, and this lovely 4-layer one sprung to mind.  I hadn't made it in pink yet, so that's where I started.  I cut 3 layers from  3 shades of pink, and the top layer from glittered pink and glued them together only in the center, so that the layers can be pulled upwards for texture.  And then I went looking for a patterned paper to put behind it.  I love it with this Memory Box paper with the floral spray in the corner!  I then added a white flower (from the same die set) to the butterfly to pull everything together, and embossed my sentiment in white. 

Hope this makes you smile - thanks for dropping by!  I hope to see you again tomorrow for my stop on a Simon Crafty Hugs blog hop!

Simon Says Stamp CRAFTY HUGS release!

Have you seen the newest release at Simon Says Stamp?  It's called CRAFTY HUGS!

I have a card made with the huge HIBISCUS BLOOM die.  There are so many possibilities with this die, but here's an easy way to use it.  Just pop it over some stripes!  I used strips of paper, but you could easily stamp stripes, too.

supplies: white, black, and tropical colored cardstock, HIBISCUS BLOOM die, Stronger Together sentiment, enamel dots

To see the entire release, just click HERE and you'll be able to get ideas for these products at our gallery HERE.  Enjoy, and happy shopping!

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

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

Time for an Anything Goes challenge!  The team is showcasing Whimsy Stamps this week.  When I went to the store to choose something for this week, I found this amazing Lilac and Butterfly cling stamp.  I didn't look any further, because lilacs are one of my favorite flowers, and there really aren't many lilac stamps around.  When I got it home and stamped it for the first time I saw what I didn't notice at first: that the stamp is drawn so that the butterfly appears 3D.  Here's my card.

supplies: white and Lavender cardstock, Lilac and Butterfly cling stamp, colored with Zig markers and water, sentiment from Simon Stronger Together, Altenew Creative Edges Lace die 

I had planned to stamp the butterfly a 2nd time and pop it above the design, but there was no need - it stands out beautifully on its own!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 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 Friend

Just a quick post of a card I made for a friend's birthday.

supplies: white and Carnation cardstock, The Greetery Sketchbook Roses, Tea Party and Spring Bouquet greens mini ink cubes, Wplus9 Hello sentiments, Hero Arts Nested Rectangle dies, adhesive foam to lift center panel

I stamped the floral image, then used the rectangle dies to trim it into 2 pieces and framed each panel with pink.  The center panel was lifted a bit above the rest of the card.

Thanks for your visit today - have a good one!

Welcome Summer

Since this weekend here in the States is thought of as the official opening of summer, I thought I'd add a summer version to my seasonal set of cards using The Greetery supplies.  I've already made this card featuring a red bird and a robin, so today it's a bluebird.

supplies: white, black, and Cornflower cardstock, The Greetery Autumn Sketches branch and Robin and Wren layered stamps, Altenew mini inks, Simon's Four Seasons die and stamped (retired) sentiment from Winnie & Walter, Penny Black Stitched Stackers die

Hope your holiday weekend is going well!  We have finally got our temps up to what they should be for this time of year, and are doing some planting in our gardens this weekend.  How about you?

Beautiful Butterflies

I have a card today that I made with the patterned papers and stamp set in Simon's June Card Kit.

supplies: white and Green Leaf cardstock, dps from Simple Stories Simple Vintage Garden District paper pad, Simon's Beautiful Butterflies stamp

This couldn't have been any easier - I simply trimmed out one of the 8 small panels from the paper pack, framed it in green cardstock, then framed that in this sweet gingham, also from the pack.  The butterfly was stamped onto a pale yellow dot from the same pack and colored quickly with a Zig marker in pale pink, then fussy-cut and attached with it's wings bent upward.

The stamp set this month is a beauty, full of 6 butterflies in all sizes and some lovely sentiments, too!  And this paper-addict loves the colors and botanicals in the paper pad, too!  I'm sure it will be another sell-out!

Enjoy your weekend!

Dawn's Coleus

Dawn McVey has given us a new color challenge over on Instagram, based on the colors in her favorite coleus plant.

Here's my interpretation.

supplies: white, Doll Pink, Orange Peel, lime, and burgundy cardstock, The Greetery Botanicuts Sunflower dies, sentiment from Simon Woodland Whimsy, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle die

You can see Dawn's photo HERE on Instagram.  She identified the colors as bright pink, bright orange, deep burgundy, and lime green.  I pulled the colors and shuffled them for each flower, and put burgundy veining in the leaves.  I think they turned out nice - shouldn't be surprised, as the inspiration comes from nature!

Thanks for stopping by - tomorrow would have been my Dad's 100th birthday, and he certainly was one of a kind, so Daddy, this is for you!!

Simon Says.........Recycle

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

Before we get started today, I wanted to say a fond farewell to our teammate Debby Yates at A Scrapjourney.  She is one of the original dt members when this challenge blog began 11+ years ago, and she has her own beautifully unique style. Please take the time to pay her a visit and let her know how much she's appreciated.  We'll miss you, Debby!

We have a fun theme for you this week - Recycle!  I'll admit that I had to put my thinking cap on for this one......but after looking around the house, I found a Kleenex cube in these greys and blues and cut it apart for my background.

supplies: Surf Blue, Fog, and Slate cardstock, a panel from a Kleenex cube, Simon Delicate Flowers and sentiment from Beautiful Day, colored pencils for shading on leaves and flower, silver and turquoise sequins, adhesive foam to lift up flower

Once I found my recycled item, I pulled out cardstock to match.  Not being a colorist, I found it easier to stamp my flower and leaves on aqua and grey card, then shade them slightly with colored pencils.  I chose my sentiment because of the font and size of it.  And with all those dots in the background, it was a natural progression to adding some sequins for sparkle.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 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!

Blanket Stitched Blooms

Here's another set that hasn't seen use for years - Wplus9's Blanket Stitched Blooms stamps.  I'm a broken record - this set's retired, too, as are most of the supplies I used for this card.  Sorry.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Amuse black dotty dp, retired Wplus9 Blanket Stitched Blooms, Simon Teeny Bikini, Rosie Cheeks, Duckling, Melon and some Altenew green inks, retired MFT Happy die, retired Hero Arts stamped sentiment from a Card Kit, Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil, adhesive foam strips to pop up front 

The set is from 2013, and may have been one of the first layered stamping sets.  There's something so charming about those blanket stitches!

Back before I started making my own cards, when I needed a card, I usually tried to find one by Mary Engelbreit - her designs were always so happy!  Adding the black dotty strip made me remember her work. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Embossed Thanks

Here's another item that I've only used a few times.  I think embossing folders are the greatest thing since sliced bread - love the subtle dimension they can give us.

supplies: white, Hero Arts Carnation and 2 green layering papers, Crafter's Companion Floral Fusion 3D embossing folder, MFT Stitched Blooms and (retired) Thanks die, Hero Arts Nesting Rectangles die, pale green enamel dot

Starting with an A2 panel of Carnation layering paper, I cut out a rectangle from it, then reinserted it into it's frame and embossed them both together.  Since this layering paper is white core, I was then able to sand the panels to bring out the details.  Next I framed the inner rectangle in white, and lifted it above the rest of the design, and to finish added the flower and my die-cut sentiment.

This same recipe works just as nicely using an all-over stamped background, but I'm partial to this embossed one just because of the texture.

Thanks for stopping by today - hope you are coping well in these difficult times.

Fleur Impressions

Hi!  Hope you are doing well and staying healthy!

I haven't played with these gorgeous layered stamps in probably a year or so.  When I did stamp them, the majority of my images were then fussy-cut and arranged.  Today I wanted to stamp some pretty bouquets directly onto my card front, no cutting allowed.  I did 2 cards, very much the same.

supplies: white and pink cardstock, The Greetery Fleur Impressions, Altenew mini inks in Florals (pinks), Golden Sunset, and Green Valley collections, Tammy Tutterow Sweet Petite Sentiments, Sunny Studio Frilly Eyelet Lace Frame die

supplies: white cardstock, Fleur Impressions stamps, same inks as above, Tammy Tutterow (retired) Sew Tiny Sentiments, Penny Black Stitched Stackers die

I love the font/handwriting that Tammy uses on her sentiments!  To me, they are so feminine, perfect for a card filled with flowers!  And both of these cards can now be used for a variety of occasions.

Simon Says........Animal Fun!

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

Our theme this week is Animal Fun!  

I searched through my stamps for some animals and decided to use this set, as it's only been inked once before.  It came out for fall use, but with some different colors, it will work for any season.

supplies: Bristol paper and white cardstock, Hello Bluebird Deer Friend, Nuvo markers, Simon Clouds for Days stencil and sentiment from (retired) Birthday Flowers, distress inks for background

As you may know, the Simon Says Stamp store is accepting new orders, but will have longer shipping times, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  With this in mind, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our prize gift cards for now.  But we will continue our challenges each week, and we'd love for you to play along with us.  We're all in this together!

Now it's your turn!

A CAS Card

Once again I was inspired by my teammate Karin's card HERE.  I had forgotten about this darling Paper Smooches Best Buds set.

Here's what I did with the little floral banner that Karin used.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, Paper Smooches Best Buds banner, Zig markers,  Penny Black Stitched Stackers die, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle die, a heart embossing folder, pink sequins, adhesive foam to pop up banner

At first I was going to do a swish of pink watercolor in the center of the hemstitching, but at the last minute decided to add some texture with the embossed hearts.  Thanks, Karin, for the inspiration!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are Moms!  I look forward to hearing from our sons today, and talking to my own Mom, who is 95 year old this year.  It's been a difficult year with the pandemic, and we've been staying away from her for her safety, relying on my sister, who lives closer than we do.

Since we can't be with my Mom this year, she's getting multiple cards.  Here's one of them.

supplies: white and black cardstock, (retired) My Favorite Things Flashy Florals stamps and Wonky Stitched Rectangle die,  Altenew mini ink pads, Pink Fresh Studio Adore Alpha dies, sentiment from Hero Arts (retired) January 2020 card kit, Hero Arts gems for large flower centers

I've seen some similar cards on Instagram, (one made by my Simon teamie, Kim),  and loved the big colorful flowers - I know Mom will, too.  

Here's another that I sent to my sister this year.  This sweet heart wreath full of flowers and butterflies is such a pleasing design!

supplies: white and black cardstock, Stampendous Laurel Burch Butterfly Heart cling, Nuvo Creative markers, sentiment from Simon (retired) Mom & Dad Icons set

I stamped the butterfly separately, cut it out and popped it above the heart with the wings pulled upward.

Will you be lucky enough to be with your Mom this year?   

CASEing an Oldie But Goodie

I was looking on Pinterest one day and found a Shari Carroll card from when she was at Hero Arts. Here's my CASE of it.

supplies: white and Lemon Chiffon cardstock, Doodlebug green gingham dp, wreath from (retired) Hero Arts CL499 A Special Note of Thanks, Swiss Dots embossing folder, sentiment from Tim Holtz Big Chat stickers, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die and (retired) Spring Wreath bow dies, Zig markers to color, Hero Arts gems for sparkle

Once again, almost everything has been retired.  But it sure is fun, like finding buried treasure, to dig these out and use them again!  

Thanks for stopping by - hope I've given you a smile!

Simon Says........Use Dies/Punches

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

This week we want you to use dies or punches in your creations.  The team is playing with Paper Rose products.

I first saw these Ella's Garden Scribble Roses dies when Shari Carroll had a post on the Simon blog showing them off.  I've always loved scribble flowers, and these come in a nice large size, with lots of leaf variations.  They even have a matching stamp set, which I have on my wishlist. I have 3 cards for you today using the dies.

supplies: white, Green Apple, Green Leaf, and 4 blue cardstock, Ella's Garden Scribble Roses dies, sentiment and leafy sprigs from Hero Arts, silver sequins, adhesive foam squares to pop up arrangement

Here I used my favorite shades of blues and just arranged the flowers and leaves to my liking.  All of the dies I used were cut twice, once from white card and once from a color, then inlaid back into the white outlines. 

Next I used only the smaller outline dies and didn't fill them in.  I was lucky to have some old enamel dots in exactly the right colors to act as the center of each flower.  This card is much busier in design.

supplies: white, black, Green Apple, Green Leaf, yellow, Coral Cream, and Roselle cardstock, Ella's Garden Scribble Roses dies, Sunny Studio Eyelet Lace Frilly Frame die, Altenew Fine Frames die, Simon's Big Hugs die, a tiny leafy sprig die, large enamel dots

Can you stand one more, in the same colors as above?  This one shows a 3rd way to use these dies.

supplies: white, black, coral, peach, pale yellow, Green Apple, and Green Leaf cardstock, Paper Rose Ella's Garden Scribble Roses dies, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Eyelet Lace die, a Tammy Tutterow sentiment, enamel dots to match flowers

This set comes with detailed dies (which I cut in white only), plus large shaped dies (those I cut in the colors).  Using these together, there's no need for inlaying the details like I did on the first card, and therefore makes for a really fast card when you need one!  And these are extra large, so you won't need much else except a sentiment; they fill an A2 card nicely!  

As you may know, the Simon Says Stamp store is accepting new orders, but will have longer shipping times, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  With this in mind, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our prize gift cards for now.  But we will continue our challenges each week, and we'd love for you to play along with us.  We're all in this together!