Simon Says......Anything Goes

 

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

Our theme this week is Anything Goes, and the team is showcasing Paper Rose products.  

supplies: white cardstock, a pink watercolor wash dp, Paper Rose Rose Frame Background die, markers to color, Simon Spring Blessings die, adhesive foam strips to lift frame

I cut the Rose Frame from white cardstock, and then colored all the flowers, berries, and leaves.  I tried this out against lots of different colored backgrounds, but today this pretty pink wash won!  I used adhesive foam strips along the edges of the frame and anywhere large enough in the details so that I could lift this pretty design above the background.  Then I cut the Spring Blessings sentiment out twice, glued them together, and centered it on my card.

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!

Peach and Green

 Earlier this month, Dawn McVey issued one of her color challenges on Instagram: to use peach and green.  I had just received this sweet Daisy Wreath layering stencil set and this was its first outing.

supplies: white cardstock, Sunny Studio Gingham Pastels (reverse) dp, Pink Fresh Studio Daisy Wreath stencil set, altenew inks and blender brushes, sentiment from The Greetery Lovely Blossoms, Doodlebug heart sprinkles

I'm a big fan of any layering supplies, be they stamps, dies, or stencils, since I much prefer adding my color with inks instead of pencils or markers, and I'm very pleased with the Pink Fresh stencils.  This set has matching dies, but this little wreath was easy enough to fussy-cut.

I found in making this card that I don't have many true peach papers or inks, something I need to remedy, as it's a lovely color!

Thanks for coming by today - hope you have a lovely week!

CASE-ing Dawn

Here's a card I CASEd from my friend Dawn's blog.

 I loved everything about this 2nd card of Dawn's, and pinned it the instant I saw it.  Our son has a birthday this month, and when I was playing with the largest bloom from my new Lovely Blossoms stamps, a bell went off and I used Dawn's card as inspiration for this one. 

supplies: white, black, and sage green cardstock, MFT plaid patterned paper, The Greetery Lovely Blossoms, Altenew Deep Blue Seas and Green Valley mini ink cubes, adhesive foam to lift flower

I loved Dawn's sketch, and especially matting everything in black.  Along with the plaid, I thought this made my card a bit more masculine despite it's large floral.  

Can you believe our oldest will be 46 this year?!!  We can't! 

Simon's April Card Kit: Friendly Flowers

 I received my beautiful April Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp!  It's amazing, packed with my favorite motif: flowers!  For my first card I decided to use the gorgeous patterned papers and stickers that are in it, along with a sentiment stamped in the new Cream embossing powder.

supplies: Cream notecard, Peacock and Slate cardstock,  Simple Stories Simple Vintage Cottage Fields dp, stickers from matching Cottage Fields collection, stamped sentiment from Friendly Flowers, Cream embossing powder

Cream has long been my personal favorite over white - to me it's so much richer!  So I was thrilled to see the new Cream embossing powder!

Here's the entire kit:

Thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says Stamp All the Feels release!

 

Simon's newest release called All the Feels is live!  

I received a CZ Design die called Happy Everything, and for my first card, paired it with a 3D embossing folder for spring!

supplies: white, black and yellow cardstock, Simon Floral Field embossing folder and NEW Happy Everything dies, white pigment ink and a yellow ink for daisy centers, Spellbinder Daisy dies

I simply embossed on yellow cardstock, then rubbed white pigment ink across the surface, and a little yellow ink in the centers of the flowers, then added my sentiment and daisy.

My next card is 180 degrees from the above one, about as simple as I get!

supplies: white, black, Cotton Candy, Banana, Green Apple, Surf Blue, Lavender, and a soft apricot cardstock, vellum, NEW Happy Everything dies, tiny heart die

I did diagonal stripes in a pastel rainbow order, and added some tiny hearts here and there.

To see the whole release, please click HERE, and for ideas on how to use them, I hope you'll visit our Gallery HERE.  As always, we've planned blog hops for Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27, and an Instagram hop on Friday, April 9.

Enjoy!  

Simon Says........Spring/Easter Mood Board Inspiration

It's  Wednesday - time for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

 

This week we have a lovely Spring/Easter Mood Board to inspire your creations!

And the team is featuring Lawn Fawn products!  I fell in love with their Magic Iris Birdhouse Add-on dies, and was inspired by the pastels in our inspiration.  

supplies: white, Green Leaf, Lemon Chiffon, Cotton Candy cardstock, plank patterned paper,  Birdhouse Add-on dies, mustard seed distress ink, Newton's Nook Woodland Spring sentiment, Clouds stencil and speckled egg distress oxide ink, adhesive foam squares, white string, doodlebug tiny heart sprinkle

I used some wood plank patterned paper to cut out my birdhouse, giving it pale green trim.  Then I added some of the flower and leafy sprig dies.  I decided on yellow birds and gave them a little more definition with mustard seed distress ink.  I tried this against different backgrounds, but in the end went with a stencilled cloudy one, using my new speckled egg oxide ink.  Though there is a post die for the birdhouse, I added a piece of white string to hang it this time.  I pasted down the sentiment circle, then popped the birdhouse above it with some adhesive foam squares for some dimension

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!

How About Some Pink?

 I pulled out some older supplies that have been neglected for today's card.

supplies: white cardstock, MFT (retired) Lucky Prints dp, Impression Obsession Ornate Oval Frame die, PinkFresh Studio Floral Elements stamps and matching dies, Zig markers and water, Doodlebug enamel heart, sentiment from The Greetery Lovely Blossoms, adhesive foam to lift florals

PinkFresh Studio recently had a new release and it reminded me of this set that I've had and only used 2 or 3 times, so I stamped a few of the small floral sprigs and die-cut them.  Being spring, I wanted to use pinks and lavenders.  This patterned dotty paper went with them nicely, and then all I needed was something to hold my sentiment.  I can't believe I haven't used this beautiful ornate frame more often - what lovely details it has!  Now that I've "found" it again, you'll be seeing it more often.

Thank you so much for stopping by today - enjoy your week!

Sweet Spring

 I'm still playing with the pretty new Blooming Meadow stamps.  Today I used springy pinks and yellows.

supplies: white cardstock, Simon Blooming Meadow multi-step stamps and matching dies, kitsch flamingo, squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, and mowed lawn oxide inks, Newton's Nook Woodland Spring sentiment, Wplus9 Tossed Floral Background die

I stamped the flowers and leaves in oxide inks (first time using kitsch flamingo!!) and cut them all out, then stamped my sentiment on a circle.  Then I arranged them all atop the background die, glued everything down, and then used foam adhesive to pop the whole thing above my white card base.

The flowers remind me a bit of wild roses, do you think so?  

Has spring come to your neck of the woods yet?

March Daffodils

 These daffodils are still one of my favorite Simon Says Stamp flowers; they're from 2016 and are sadly discontinued; such a shame!  To me, they're a classic.

supplies: white and pale yellow cardstock, Simon Friendship Blooms stamps and Spring Blessings die, Zig markers and water to color, Sunny Studio Eyelet Lace Frilly Frames dies, yellow enamel heart, adhesive foam to lift flowers

This year I paired them with this lovely doily lace die and the perfect sentiment.

I always know that spring is here when our daffodils bloom.  Over the years we have popped them here and there in our gardens.  I'm eagerly awaiting some new plantings that we put in last fall - will share them when they bloom; it'll be a little while yet, as I'm only seeing a bit of green poking through the soil.

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're asking you to use Two or More Patterned Papers in your design.  The team is featuring Doodlebug Design products, but you can use anything you have.  I have been a fan of Doodlebug patterned papers and sprinkles forever, so I chose a new 6" paper pad and mixed in other papers from my collection.

supplies: white cardstock, patterned papers from Doodlebug Made with Love, Buffalo Check/Woodgrain, Gingham/Linen, and Floral/Graph Rainbow Petite Prints paper pads, Simon Thinking of You Line die, My Favorite Things Stitched Blooms dies, various sprinkles for flower centers

I chose a little floral print from the new Made with Love pad, then found other patterned papers to pull the colors from it for my flowers.  I liked the bright pink woodgrain to set off all the florals.  Here's a closer look to show you all the different patterns.

Here's one more card - playing with patterned papers is a little like quilting!  This one uses papers only from the Made with Love pad.

supplies: white cardstock, patterned papers from Made with Love, Sending Love Doodle Pop, Simon Sentiment Strips 2 and Stitched Circle die

I chose 4 papers, matted them all in white, and just added the envelope full of flowers and a Simon sentiment strip.  What could be easier?

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!

Inspired by my Socks????

 I'm always on the lookout for interesting color combinations, and this latest one came from a pair of my socks!

supplies: Simon Doll Pink, Smoke Grey and white cardstock, Concord & 9th (retired?) Blooms Turnabout set, black, Baby Pink, Fuschia, and VersaMark inks, white embossing powder, Simon sentiment from Spring Windows, Hero Arts Nesting Rectangle and Nesting Circle dies

A little tip: if you're planning to emboss one of the layers, do it first.  I tried doing it last and the white powder stuck to everything, even after heating the first 3 layers beforehand.

I don't think I'd have come up with this color combo on my own.  Do you have an interesting one you can share?

Thanks for stopping by!

Blooming Meadow Hugs

 I have some cards today that use a new stamp set paired with a die I've had on my list forever!

supplies: white and cream cardstock, Simon Blooming Meadow stamps and matching dies, Altenew  Lapis Lazuli and Green Valley mini ink cubes, My Favorite Things Sending You Hugs die, adhesive foam 

The die-cut sentiment uses letters cut from my 2nd card below.  My color scheme is inspired by a piece of material from my quilting stash.

I'm very pleased with this floral stamp set!  Each flower or leaf has an outline stamp and a solid filler.  The size is nice, too, so that you can build up a nice spray or arrangement of as many flowers as you'd like.  

Here's another card.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Simon Blooming Meadow stamps and dies, Altenew mini inks in Hydrangea, Aqualicious, Grass Field, and Warm Sunshine, stamped sentiment from Leafy Frames, MFT Sending You Hugs die, yellow Tiny Hearts sprinkles

This time I cut the sentiment from a trimmed panel, lifted it above my Audrey Blue base, then added flowers.  The top spray covers the "you" in the die this time.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Two Challenges

 I recently treated myself to a set of Altenew layering dies, and have been playing with them since they arrived a few days ago.  I love the details and the ease of constructing these, and now that I have some of the Memory Box solid paper pads, I made lots of different colors of them.  Today I'm entering 2 challenges using these dies.

suppplies: white, kraft, 3 purple shades from the Memory Box Ocean Blue pad, Simon Green Apple and Green Leaf, a darker green and a bright yellow cardstock, Altenew Climber Flowers dies, Tim Holtz Lumber embossing folder, swiped with a brown distress ink, sentiment from Paper Smooches Fab Frames die set

I love how the purples look against the "paper bag" kraft background! Between the embossing and the layers, this one is loaded with texture!

I'm entering this into The Flower Challenge Shades of Purple challenge.

Next is a card using a pink version of these flowers.

supplies: navy, white, 3 shades from the Memory Box Berry Red and Lush Green paper pads, Altenew Climber Flowers dies, Impression Obsession Ornate Oval Doily die, sentiment from Hero Arts Sending Love Mail, stamped in Azurite ink.

I'm entering this one in Altenew's March Inspiration challenge.

These flowers are a perfect size, so that you can use just 1 arrangement, or a grouping of them.  Altenew continues to give us beautiful florals, something for everyone!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Simon Says.........A Bit o' Green

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

 

This week we're asking you to use "A Bit o' Green", and the team is showcasing Sunny Studio products.  

supplies: white, orchid pink, and Green Leaf cardstock, Sunny Studio Everything's Rosy layering stamp set and Frilly Frames Lattice die, Altenew Green Valley and Cherry Blossom mini ink cubes, Simon's Medium Dots stencil and Spring Blessings sentiment die, adhesive foam squares to pop up flower arrangement 

After stamping my roses and leaves and cutting them out, I used the same green inks and a stencil to make a background.  Since Sunny Studio makes the nicest framing dies, I used this scalloped one to frame it up, then added my flower arrangement and sentiment.

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!

Gingham Smiles

 I took advantage of a nice sale around the holidays, I think, at Taylored Expressions and grabbed this little smile cling stamp that I've eyed for awhile.  When it arrived I stamped and colored it, then never made it into a card.  Today's the day!

supplies: white and black cardstock, Doodlebug Gingham patterned papers,  Taylored Expressions Smile Bubble Greetings, markers to color, Sunny Studio Quilted Hearts embossing folder

I was in the mood to paper-piece, and this was easy to do.  I just found the ginghams that matched the colors I had used to color with.

We're going to have a warm-up here this week, and I'm ready for it!  There's a reason to smile right there - hope you get some spring, too!

Lovely Blossoms

 My card today was inspired by Kelly's card .  At the time I saw it, I thought I didn't "need" these Lovely Blossoms stamps from The Greetery but Kelly changed my mind!  Here's what I did as soon as I got this set.

supplies: white cardstock, The Greetery Lovely Blossoms layered stamp set, Altenew mini inks (Green Valley, Tea Party, Golden Sunset, and Deep Blue Seas), Square Dance layering stencils, Hero Arts Nesting Circles die, adhesive foam squares

There are 2 sizes of these flower in the set - here I stamped only the smaller one and some extra leaf sprigs.  I used 3 shades of the ink sets to stamp my flowers, 2 shades for the leaves, and 3 shades for the basket-weave background.  After creating the flowers and leaves, I cut them out, arranged them on my stencilled panel, then used Press 'n' Seal to hold them in place while I attached foam squares to the back of the arrangement.  

Thanks to Kelly for reminding me to pull out this gorgeous Square Dance stencil set for my background!

Thanks for stopping by - please come back again!

Periwinkle Peony

I was thrilled to see Memory Box coming out with collections of heavy-weight cardstock in 6" pads in lots of different color ways!  As soon as I could, I scooped up 4 of them to play with and I'm very happy with the wonderful variety of colors.  Here's the first card I made with 2 of the pads.

supplies: white cardstock, Memory Box Ocean Blue, Lush Green, and Sunny Orange Collections, Sunny Studio Gingham Pastel dp,  Altenew Peony Dream dies, Simon Sketched Flowers sentiment, a yellow enamel dot

I chose 5 different periwinkle shades from the Ocean Blue pad to construct my large flower, and 2 greens from the Lush Green pad for the leaves.  The lavender/blue worked perfectly with this little gingham pattern,

These papers are beautifully sturdy and nice and smooth with no texture, made of 110# cardstock, and I plan to get all of the other pads going forward.  Right now there are 9 different solid color collections.  They are perfect for layering dies!

Edited to add: Michele pointed out the current challenge at The Flower Challenge: Shades of Purple.   I think this will work for it.