My May Favorites

 Can you believe how fast May whizzed by?!  Here are my top 9 favorite cards that I made this month.

I'm in full floral mode!

This morning, I "think" I installed a new program to replace blogger's "Follow by Email" widget, which is going to disappear sometime in July.  It's over there in the right sidebar, entitled Follow Me!.  So for a month or so, you may be getting 2 emails, one from feedburner (disappearing soon) and one from follow.it.  I apologize.  And if you don't already, and want to get an email every time I post here, please fill in the new form with your email.  Let's see if this works!

I'll be taking a wee break from blogging this first half of June.  You'll see my scheduled Simon Wednesday Challenge posts, and maybe a few other posts now and again.   

A Graduation Card

 School colors are blue and white.

supplies: white and blue foil cardstock, Simon Extra Large Congrats die and Graduation sentiment strips, Your Next Stamp Mini Star Splatter clear stamp, (or part of the Mini Ink Splatter set), blue and white star sequins

I couldn't capture the shine of the blue foil cardstock, but, along with the sequins, this card is appropriately festive!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Block, Take 2

 My first play with this gorgeous stamp set was way too busy, so here's another card done much simpler.  I recently used these same colors on some birthday cards, and I thought the combination was so pleasing that I'd try it here, too.  

supplies: white cardstock, Spellbinders Love Block set, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle die

This time I simply stamped, clear embosssed, and colored the main image, framed it in black, and then placed it on the sweet scalloped card.  No other additions, not even a sentiment.  Much better, in my opinion!

Thanks for coming by today.

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

It's Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is the ever-popular Anything Goes, and the team is featuring our own Simon Says Stamp exclusive products.  

supplies: white and Surf Blue cardstock, vellum, Simon Blooming Meadow stamps and dies, white embossing powder, alcohol markers, Simon Just Because die, Lawn Fawn Quilted Backdrop cover die, pale blue sequins

These Blooming Meadow flowers are some of my favorites this year, so I thought I'd bring vellum into the mix for something different this time.  I love how this turned out!

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!

Joyful Bouquets

 I treated myself to some new goodies recently. Today's cards show the Joyful Bouquet washi and matching dies that I have been waiting to get.  I love this washi tape!  It was very easy to transfer to some white cardstock, using my stencil pal, and then use the matching die to cut out all the pieces at one time.  Please excuse the wonky shapes on today's cards - I had to tilt them to show you the gorgeous gold highlights.

supplies: white, Cotton Candy, and gold metallic kraft cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio Joyful Bouquet Washi and matching die, Stitched Scallop Rectangle dies, The Greetery Love die, adhesive foam to lift central rectangle and bouquet

This Cotton Candy card is the perfect backdrop for the bouquet.  The scalloped stitched framing makes this card definitely feminine, and the beautiful font of the sentiment only adds to that.

Next up is a card that uses the tiny bouquets that are included in the tape.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio Joyful Bouquet washi and matching dies, MFT Sending You Hugs die, adhesive foam

On this one I used the negative die-cut popped up above the card base, with several small bouquets underneath the "hugs" and another on top of the card.  The lovely gold is so appealing!  

And 1 more, mixed with a new cover die.  The sentiment dies are a part of that set.

supplies: white and metallic gold cardstock, watercolor dp from Lawn Fawn, Ink to Paper Dainty Deliveries border and sentiment dies, Pink Fresh Studio Joyful Bouquet washi tape and matching die, stencil pal, gold thread and gem

This may be too busy for some people, but I really like this new border die also, for its daintiness.  Because of the gold in the bouquet, I added a gold sentiment and a little bow made of gold thread, secured with a gold gem.  I chose the watercolor background because of the single purple flower in the bouquet, but so many colors will work with this washi.  There are 10 yards on the roll, so this will be perfect for last-minute cards I need in a hurry. 

Thanks for your visit today!

Slimline Hugs

 I fell in love with the recently released Floral Garden clear stamp set; here's my first play with it.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Floral Garden, alcohol markers, a hugs die, ancient Martha Stewart butterfly punch, irridescent sequins

I stamped and embossed the full image.  After coloring in all the flowers, I decided to make it into a slimline, so I trimmed out part of the design (the remainder makes a nice bookmark!).  That was framed in black, then placed on a white card base.  I wanted my sentiment to be at the bottom, which left some space at the top for a butterfly, which I repeated again amongst the flowers, securing them only in their centers so I could pull their wings up for some dimension.  I added some sequins to a few of the flower centers, and also on the butterflies bodies.

These make a nice change from my regular A2 cards, and they fit into a business envelope.

Thanks for stopping by - have a great day!

You Are My Rainbow

 I received the June Simon Says Stamp Card Kit yesterday and dove right in this morning!  I had fun making my card!

supplies, all from the Kit: white cardstock, striped dp from the Doodebug Custom Rainbow patterned papers, Build a Rainbow stencil, ink cubes, clouds and sentiment from My Favorite Color stamp set, Doodlebug Chasing Rainbows heart sprinkles 

I began by stencilling the rainbow using the inks in the kit - love the colors!  Then I trimmed that panel, stamped the clouds and sentiment, and fussy cut the clouds.  I cut small strips from one of the striped patterned papers and edged the card base before attaching my stamped/stencilled panel, then glued on the clouds, popping 2 of them up, and finally added those sweet tiny hearts.

Here's the kit in all its glory - don't wait too long on this one!

Gerbera Daisies!

 This weekend we are adding some annuals to our gardens; with temps in the 80s the next few days, I think it's safe now, although our frost date here is the end of May!  That got me thinking about this pretty Gerbera Daisy Background cling, so here are a couple cards made with it.

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, Simon Gerbera Daisy Background cling stamp, alcohol markers to color, Sending Smiles dies

My favorite color for these flowers in a salmon-pink color.  I filled in the background, what little of it there is, in black.  

And here's the 2nd one: lots of different colors and a white background.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Gerbera Daisy Background cling, Zig markers and water to color, Thinking of You Line die, sequins

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

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

For this week, we'd like you to use dies or punches.  The team is featuring Memory Box products.  Here's my card.  What Mom doesn't love a hand-picked bouquet of daisies?

supplies: white and Surf Blue cardstock, patterned butterfly paper from Carta Bella Flower Garden pad, Memory Box Pinpoint Leaf plate and Daisy Silhouette dies, sentiment from Simon (retired) Mom & Dad Icons set, PinkFresh Studio Adore Alphabet dies, pink sprinkles, adhesive foam

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!

 

Two New Cover Dies

 There are so many fun products for our cards, and cover dies are some of my favorites.  Here are 2 cards showcasing my 2 newest cover dies, with oxide ink backgrounds.

supplies: white cardstock, Concord & 9th Thinking of You Perfect Pairings dies, salvaged patina, peacock feathers, mermaid lagoon, and blueprint sketch oxide inks

After cutting out both dies in the set from heavy-weight white card, I smooshed the individual oxide inks onto my kraft mat, spritzed them with water, and then dragged a white panel through them, drying between each color.  If there was any white showing at the end, I brushed on an ink to cover it, then spritzed with water and also added more of the diluted inks by splattering.  When all was dry, my panel was pretty warped, so I ran it through my laminator twice before attaching it to my card base.  Then I glued on the framing cover die, and popped up the sentiment.

For my 2nd card I used the same oxide inks, but this time, brushed them on in stripes, blending the colors between.  I used the same inks for the sentiment die, in reverse order.

supplies: white cardstock, Ink to Paper Border Bling Dainty Deliveries cover die and Penny Black birthday die, salvaged patina, peacock feathers, mermaid lagoon, and blueprint sketch oxide inks, blender brushes

Blue has always been my favorite color, and all of these shades are pleasing to me.  I hope they make you smile, too! Thanks for stopping by.

Birthdays in May

Here are a couple more birthday cards for this month, just varying the coloring a bit, as well as the framing.  I used one of my favorite stamps for them.  Sadly, I think it's retired.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Stampendous Laurel Burch Butterfly Heart, Hero Arts Sending Love sentiment, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle and Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice dies

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your Sunday! 

Hollyhocks Mini Slimline

 I'm still on the mini slimline bandwagon, and I thought I'd CASE some of my own cards and convert them to this new size.  

Back in 2014, I took an online class called Stretch Your Stamps 2, and one of the lessons, taught by Dawn W., was to doodle around a stamped floral image.  I pretty much CASEd the card I made then for today's card.

supplies: white and coral cardstock, long-retired Avery Elle Oh Happy Day solid floral and leaf stamps, Altenew inks, Simon Beautiful Butterflies sentiment, a fine-tipped pen to outline the stamped images, pink and yellow pearls

I stamped the solid flowers and leaves vertically to create my hollyhocks, then dipped my wet paint brush into one of the green inks and created stems to connect them.  Then I just doodled/outlined around everything.

This was just as much fun this time around as it was back then!  Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your day.

Simon Says.......Stencil It!

 

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

This week we want to see your work featuring stencils.  The team is playing with Pink Fresh Studio products, but you can use anything you'd like.  I chose a set of layering stencils and made 2 cards with them.

supplies: white cardstock, grey plank dp, PinkFresh Studio Daisy Wreath stencil set, kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, cracked pistachio and lucky clover distress oxide inks, blender brushes, sentiment from Simon Beautiful Butterflies, pink enamel dots, adhesive foam

After stamping my wreath I fussy-cut it into 2 parts and layered them over an oval on which I'd stamped my sentiment, then lifted it above the card base.

For my 2nd card, I stamped the flowers in 2 colors, overstamped a sentiment, then trimmed the panel.

supplies: white cardstock, PinkFresh Studio Daisy Wreath stencil set, Altenew mini ink cubes (Hydrangea and UltraViolet, Chamomile and Snapdragon, Lime and Fresh Leaf), sentiment from Simon (retired) Beautiful Day, Penny Black Stitched Stackers framing die, yellow enamel dots

I love these layering stencils because I don't have to do any coloring, which is not my strong point.  With some pretty inks, you can bring these to life!

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!

Birthday Wreaths

 I need several birthday cards this month, so over the next week or so, I'll be sharing some of them.  This first one came about because I've been lusting over the new Pink Fresh Studio Washi Tapes with gold accents in them.  The ones I want are currently sold out, so I thought I'd take an old Pink Fresh Studio stamp and die set and try and get the same results with gold embossing.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out, but now I can't get a decent photo of it to show you!   So I'll show you the card first....

supplies: white and distress watercolor cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio Floral Elements Wreath and matching die, gold pearl and Super Fine Detail Gold embossing powders, Zig markers and water, Wplus9 Doodle Buds sentiment, Pink Fresh Studio Stitched Scalloped Rectangle die, adhesive foam 

.....and a much better picture to show you the lovely glow the pearl gold embossing gives.

The gold pearl is on the light side, so for the sentiment I switched to a regular gold embossing powder.

If you have this gold pearl powder, give this a try if you've never done so - I think you'll love the results!

While I had these Floral Elements out I made another card, this time using brighter colors, alcohol markers, and a real potpourri of supporting elements.

supplies: white cardstock, aqua gingham patterned paper, Floral Elements wreath and matching dies, Paper Smooches Fab Frames die, Simon Happy Everything die, Memory Box Open Studio Big and Little Words sentiment, adhesive foam to lift wreath and words

As always, thanks for coming by today!

Happy Mother's Day!

 Here's the card I'm giving to my Mom today; she's 96 and these are her favorite colors.  My order from The Greetery came just in time to make it!

supplies: white and Doll Pink cardstock, The Greetery Flower Market Bouquet stamp and matching die and Fit to be Tied bow die, Altenew mini ink cubes, Clearly Besotted Sweet Little Sentiments, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice die

Wishing all you Moms a very happy day today!

Inspired by Dawn and Laura

 Today's card was inspired by 2 papercrafting stars, Dawn McVey and Laura Bassen..

I wanted to play again with the Mix and Match Squares stencil, so I borrowed some of Dawn's signature colors for it.  The design of the stencil reminded me of the abstract paintings she's been working on lately. Then I remembered seeing this card by Laura back in February when the stencil was released.  Here's my version.

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, Simon Says Stamp Mix and Match Squares stencil, distress oxide inks, blender brushes, flowers from Beautiful Flowers and leaves from Thankful Flowers, white embossing powder, Tammy Tutterow sentiment, irridescent sequins

I masked off each little square and brushed on the colors.  That panel was trimmed to fit inside an A2 card, then I overstamped my sentiment and attached my vellum elements and some sparkly sequins.

This is one card I think I'll keep on display in my craft room to remind me of this mix of colors.

Thanks for coming by.

Simon Says.......Feminine

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

 This week the theme is "Feminine" and the team is playing with Stampendous products.  My card uses their Lovely Flowers clear stamp set.

supplies: white and a watercolor dp, Stampendous Lovely Flowers jar and flowers, Zig markers and water, sentiment from Simon (retired) Best Mom Ever, Picked Raspberry Oxide ink, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle Stackables and Hero Arts Nested Circle dies

I liked the diminutive size of the scalloped rectangles for this 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!

Spring Bouquet cards

 Here are 2 cards using the luscious floral swags in the new Spring Bouquets clear stamp set.  I made them into slimline cards.  The first is a mini, just a hair over 6" long.

supplies: white and watercolor cardstock, Spring Bouquets rose spray, watercolor markers and water, sentiment from Beautiful Butterflies, Tim Holtz Flourish stencil and squeezed lemonade distress ink

After coloring and fussy-cutting out my floral and sentiment, I stencilled, then embossed the stencil for my background.  If you've been here before you know that one of my favorite flowers is a yellow rose.

My next card is a "normal" slimline size, 8 1/2" long.

supplies: white and black cardstock, watercolor paper, vellum, Spring Bouquets spray and sentiment, watercolor markers and water, (retired) Hero Arts script woodblock (Artistic Windows), Doodlebug heart sprinkles

The flowers were stamped on a panel trimmed to fit my card base, and after coloring it, I masked parts of the design to stamp the little script for a background.  I added my sentiment on a strip of vellum.

This is a gorgeous stamp set, and the 4 sentiments in it are lovely, too.  It was my top pick from Simon's latest Born to Sparkle release.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by - enjoy your week!