Simon Says.......Use Your Favorite Tool

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

This week we want you to use your favorite tool.  The team is playing with Tim Holtz products.  My favorite tool is my Big Shot machine - I use it for almost every card I make!  

First, some summer colors on a card that starts with a stencil.

supplies: white, black, and Green Apple cardstock, Tim Holtz Bouquet stencil, tan embossing mat, distress inks in ripe persimmon, mustard seed, and mowed lawn, applied with blender brushes, Tim Holtz Detailed Butterfly die, Simon Small Hello die

I first embossed the stencil into a panel of white cardstock, then added my inks through it, as usual.  I think embossing a stencil first just gives a crisper appearance to the finished product.  The panel was framed in green, and then I added my sentiment and butterfly.

I'd love to enter this card in the Double D Challenges: Butterflies.

Here's a 2nd card, using some Tim Holtz dies this time.

supplies: green, cream and Soft Navy cardstock, a music dp, Funky Wreath die, Feathered Friends die, blueprint sketch oxide, ripe persimmon, and ground espresso distress inks, small blender brushes, Hemstitch Rectangle die, sentiment from a retired Wplus9 clear set, Doodlebug Winter Hugs heart sprinkles

For the first time in the 40-some years we've lived at our house, we had a bluebird couple nesting in a box in our backyard!  To say that we were excited is putting it mildly - WOW, are these birds gorgeous - the most beautiful blue!  I did my best to simulate the male's coloring on my card today.  

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!

And don't forget about our Kid's Summer challenge, running now through the end of the month.  There are 3 prizes up for grabs - details HERE.