Favorites from April

 Here are my favorite cards made this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dotty Daisy

 I recently brought home this Daisy and Leaves die and for it's debut I decided to paper-piece it and use a favorite color combo of yellow, black, and white.

supplies: white cardstock, dotted patterned papers in yellow, green, and black, Simon's Daisy and Leaves and Thinking of You Line dies, yellow flower sequins

I thought this flower die was a good price point and a good size - you can use it just once on a card as I did, or twice, cut in white and placed over a colorful inked background for something bright and cheerful.

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend!

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

 

Welcome to the new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is Anything Goes, and the team is featuring Stampendous products.  You don't have to use this brand to play along with our challenge, but if you do have any of their products, we'd love to see them used.

supplies: white and a sky blue from Memory Box Ocean Blue paper pad, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Stampendous Lovely Flowers clear stamp set, Zig markers and water, a Simon Reverse sentiment strip, stitched Oval die

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!

Fragrant Florals

 When I saw this Altenew Craft Your Life kit, I was head over heels!  I loved the idea that the stamps, stencils, embossing folder and die were all the same size and can be used interchangeably together.  So here is my first play with my kit.  I hope they continue this idea for future kits!

This first card used the embossing folder, stencils, and the die.

supplies: white cardstock, Fragrant Florals embossing folder, matching stencils, matching die, gold pearls, adhesive foam to lift 

I first embossed the design, then used a variety of Altenew mini inks and blending brushes with the stencils to color this pretty bouquet.  Then I die-cut it, ran it through the embossing folder one more time, and popped it above my card base with adhesive foam, along with one of the sentiments in the stamp set, and some gold pearls as flower centers.

Here's card 2, using the outline stamp, the embossing folder, and the stencils.

supplies: black and white cardstock, Fragrant Florals outline and another sentiment from the stamp set, matching embossing folder, matching stencils, various Altenew mini ink cubes

I trimmed my panel and matted it in black before mounting it onto my card base.  The embossing shows up better in real life, but it is more subtle than the first card.  

I LOVE that I don't have to color these flowers with markers; that is not my strength, especially when the areas to be colored are this large.  Stencils to the rescue!

I believe this kit sold out, but I also believe that Altenew will bring it back again.

Thanks so much for stopping by - enjoy your day!

Simon's May Card Kit - Brushed Flowers

 This month's Card Kit is a fun one, with a pretty stamp set and patterned papers, plus a set of 4 ink cubes in a brand new mini size, and a holder to keep them stable when we're working with them!  I made 3 cards with the kit.

supplies: white cardstock, one of the dps in the kit as a mat, Brushed Flowers stamp set, Rose, Citrus, Ocean, and Lucky inks, Simon's Stitched Rectangle and Stitched Circle dies, adhesive foam squares to lift circle

To make this card I first trimmed out a stitched rectangle and a stitched circle from white card.  I traced the circle shape onto the rectangle, then stamped some flowers and leaves all around it, using the new mini inks - they are nice and juicy!  On the circle I first stamped the sentiment, and then added some smaller fussy-cut flowers and leaves from the same set.  The rectangle was then matted in one of the patterned papers in the kit, affixed to my card base, and to finish I lifted the circle above the whole thing.

supplies: white and black cardstock, a printed paper from the kit, sentiment from Brushed Flowers, Blossom Field embossing folder 

This time I simply trimmed out one of the gorgeous patterned papers, matted it in black and then added another of the sentiments from the stamp set.  I was just going to place that on a blank white card base, but remembered this Blossom Field one and thought it was a nice match with the paper..  Please note it is NOT included in the kit.

And finally, I used the smallest flowers and leaves to stamp a background for another of the sentiments.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy card, vellum, Brushed Flowers stamps and sentiment, oxide inks, Stitched Rectangle and an oval die, adhesive foam to lift panel

I stamped an A2 panel full of the flowers and leaves, then trimmed it with a stitched rectangle.  From that I cut an oval, which was placed onto my card base.  That was covered with a piece of vellum containing the sentiment, and then I popped the remainder of the stamped panel above everything, adding a little flower and some leaves.

Here's the kit.

Don't forget to visit the gallery for this kit for lots more ideas!

New Spellbinders Goodies!

I had the most fun putting together today's card!  It uses some Hollyhock dies and a garden sentiment from Susan Tierney Cockburn's latest collection called Through the Garden Gate, along with a new Becca Feeken slimline die called Half Slimline Bracket from her new Layered Fleur Bouquet Slimline release!

supplies: grey, Surf Blue, Green Leaf, pale yellow, and coral cream card, Susan Tierney Cockburn's Hollyhock dies and Through the Garden Gate sentiment, Becca Feeken's Half Slimline Bracket dies

The slimline bracket die looks like a beautiful wrought-iron gate to me, so I chose a medium grey for that and placed it against a light blue background.  Then I constructed my hollyhock stem and added it along with the sentiment.  

Hollyhocks are another plant that I can't seem to grow well in my gardens, so I was thrilled to be able to play with this paper version!  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Simon Says.......Rain or Shine

Welcome to the new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

"Rain or Shine" is our theme this week.  The team is featuring Sunny Studio products.  You don't have to use this brand to play along with our challenge, but if you do have any of their products, we'd love to see them used.

supplies: white card, Sunny Studio heart patterned paper, Sunny Studio Sunny Sentiments clear stamp set, My Favorite Things Radiating Rays stencil and squeezed lemonade oxide ink, My Favorite Things Wonky Stitched Rectangle die, Altenew Pocketful of Sunshine enamel hearts

I started by trimming a white panel using the wonky stitched rectangle die.  Next I attached my stencil and inked through it.  I removed the stencil and stamped my sentiment,  then reattached the stencil and embossed it with an embossing pad.  The clouds and sun were stamped and fussy-cut, then attached to my card base, adding some little enamel hearts.

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!

Garden Hugs

 I've only used this gorgeous embossing folder once before - high time to play with it again!

supplies: white card, Altenew Lush Garden 3D embossing folder and matching stencils, Altenew Spring Bouquet pinks and Lime mini ink cubes, Simon Stitched Rectangle and Big Scripty Hugs dies

Before embossing my panel I trimmed it with a stitched rectangle die.  I decided to make this monochromatic this time, so I used a set of 3 pretty pink mini inks, and then just cut my sentiment 3 times, stacking them to make sure it showed up well.

Happy Monday - hope your week is a good one!  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Layered Fleur Bouquet dies

 Becca Feeken has a new collection out called Layered Fleur Bouquet Slimlines,  I have 2 cards today using some of these new floral dies.

First is a card that uses her Layered Tulips dies.

supplies: white, yellow, and green card, Layered Tulips and Eyelet Lace Frame dies, distress inks for shading

I thought that this bouquet of tulips would look pretty mixed with Becca's Eyelet Lace frames.  My card measures 5 x 7 inches, and I pulled the different tulip layers up a bit for some dimenstion., securing everything at the bottom of each flower.

Next are the Cherry Blossoms.

supplies: white, Surf Blue, kraft, Green Leaf, a pink and a yellow cardstock, pink marker to shade flowers, Layered Cherry Blossom dies, a cloud stencil and tumbled glass oxide ink, Simon retired spring sentiment

I cut out all the branches, leaves, and flowers using colored cardstock, just shading the flowers a bit with a darker pink marker.  After constructing the flowers and lifting up some of the petals for dimension, I added them to my branches atop a stencilled cloud background onto which I had first stamped my simple sentiment.  To finish I added leaves,

My card is a mini-slimline, measuring about 3 1/4" X 6 1/4".  I'm finding I prefer this size over the larger regular slimlines.

Many thanks to Spellbinders for sharing these die sets with me; I'll have another die from this collection coming soon.

Spellbinders NEW Essential Solid Oval Glimmer Plate!

 Spellbinders is releasing some new Solid Glimmer Plates in 4 different shapes!  I was thrilled to be sent the Oval one, and I made 2 cards with it.

supplies: white card, Rose Gold Metallic card, Rose Gold Glimmer Foil, Solid Oval glimmer plate, Glimmering Peony glimmer plate, Memory Box sentiment die, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

To start, I foiled the Peony in Rose Gold on white cardstock, fussy-cut it out, and set the used foil piece aside for use on my 2nd card..  On a fresh panel of white cardstock, I then foiled the solid oval in the same rose gold glimmer foil. 

I trimmed out the foiled oval panel, and attached it to a white card base, then added the foiled fussy-cut peony and a sentiment die cut from metallic cardstock.  Here's a 2nd picture where I tilted the card to get you a better look at the gorgeous glimmer.

My 2nd card uses that left-over piece of foil from the above card along with the new Solid Oval glimmer plate once again.

supplies: white and rose gold metallic card, Solid Oval Glimmer Plate, recycled rose gold foil from 1st card, Hero Arts stamped sentiment, copper embossing powder

To make this card, I put the oval glimmer plate onto my glimmer machine and heated it as usual.  When it was hot, I added the recycled rose gold foil with the peony design on top, pretty side down, along with a panel of white cardstock, and ran it through my Spellbinders machine to transfer the design.  After peeling off the foil and discarding it, I trimmed my panel and placed it over a sheet of rose gold metallic cardstock, then added my embossed stamped sentiment banner.

Here's another picture with the card tilted to show the foiling.

These solid glimmer plates are game-changers; now we can get double-duty out of our foils!  I was pleasantly surprised how well they work - these cards are truly my first plays with this new oval glimmer plate!

Many thanks to Spellbinders for sharing this with me!

Simon Says........Interactive

 Welcome to the new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

"Interactive" is our theme this week, and the team is playing with Lawn Fawn products!  I got myself their Platform Pop-Up die set and had a ball making my card this week!

supplies: Lawn Fawn 12" Let's Polka striped dp, lavender solid cardstock for bow, various Doodlebug Designs Petite Prints for flowers, leaves, and small sentiment, Platform Pop-Up dies, Impression Obsession Happy Birthday Top Edger die, MFT (retired) Sending You Hugs die, Stitched Blooms and Stitched Flowers dies

This box is beautifully designed, everything went together smoothly!  I first constructed the box with 3 tabs and then added a bank of flowers behind and 2 sizes of sentiments.  The little bow is included in the Lawn Fawn set, and has stitching details like the flowers do.

Here is the box folded flat for mailing.  This envelope measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 3/4" tall.  The compressed box measures 5 1/4" wide and if you lower the flowers, or use something smaller, it would fit into an A2 envelope.

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!

Some Easter Cards

 Happy Monday!  I have a pretty little Easter die that I haven't used nearly enough, so today I pulled it out and made 2 cards.

supplies: white cardstock, Simon's Center Cut Flowers cling stamp, markers to color, The Greetery Easter Jubilee Easter die and stamped sentiment, Pink Fresh Studio Folk Edge Rectangle die

I centered and stamped the floral circle on white card, then colored it with markers. Next I centered the Easter die and cut it from that panel.  Separately, I cut the word again from a white scrap and inlaid it back into the design, then stamped my sentiment.  Then I remembered this Folk Edge Rectangle and used it to border my panel - I think it picks up nicely on the details in the letters.

Next I tried to think of a different way to use this die.  I came up with cutting it from some washi tape and making it into a mini slim-line card - here's the result.

supplies: white and light coral card, The Greetery Easter Jubilee die and stamped sentiment, Pink Fresh Studio Hydrangea and Rose washi tape

There is a large element in this washi tape that is the perfect size to fit the Easter die.  So after cutting out my letters, I affixed them to a skinny rectangle, framed it with coral, and then surrounded it with more of the other florals from the same washi set.  This is one of the washis that have gold line accents, so that added feature makes this even prettier in the flesh!

It's a bit early, but I wish you a lovely Easter!

Spring Tulips

 Here I am again with another spring flower card.  I will continue on this path until we actually have spring outside - this year seems to be taking forever!  Today's card features a Hero Arts set of dies that I have had my eyes on since its release, but have just now gotten around to bringing home.

supplies: white and Memory Box Fresh Aqua cardstock, Hero Arts Watering Can and Flowers dies, markers to color, Spellbinders (retired) Floral Oval Doily die, Simon's Reverse Sentiment Strip

The details in these dies are wonderful - there's even a slit at the top of the watering can to fit your tulip stems and leaves down inside.   I haven't used this doily for awhile - I like the lovely details on it also.

Has Spring sprung for you?  It's currently snowing here!  Nothing that sticks, and it's pretty, but my patience is wearing thin!!  Thanks for stopping by today - enjoy your weekend!

April Hot Foil Glimmer of the Month Kit

 The Glimmer Hot Foil kit for April is a fun one this month!  I have 2 cards for you!

supplies: white card and gold metallic card, Spellbinders April Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month,  gold glimmer foil, distress inks in yellows and oranges, gold sequins

supplies: white cardstock and rainbow metallic card, Spellbinders April Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month, Mini Rainbow Stripe glimmer foil, sequins to match

This kit consists of a large ray glimmer plate, and 3 sentiment glimmer plates, plus 2 dies, 1 a circle and the other an indented scalloped circle..  So on both of these cards I first foiled the large ray design, then one of the sentiments which I then cut into a circle and framed with the other die.  I randomly added gold sequins to the first design, and lined up some colored metallic sequins on the 2nd.

You can find all the information you'll need HERE to get this fun kit for yourself.  You'll have until April 24 to join the club, and you can "unjoin" at any time!  Each month you'll also get a roll of glimmer foil!  

Simon Says.........Happy Birthday!

Happy Wednesday!  Time for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog!

This week marks the Wednesday Challenge's 13th Birthday!  So we're asking you to help us celebrate with birthday cards.  The team is featuring our own Simon exclusive products; you don't have to use these products to play along, but if you have any we'd love to see them being used.

supplies: Cotton Candy, Mint, and white card, Floral Field embossing folder, Birthday die, partial Reverse Grad Sentiment strip, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers and Stitched Blooms dies, a pink enamel dot

This daisy embossing folder is one of Simon's first and one of my favorites.  I paired it with a newer Birthday die and a daisy flower, in soft colors suitable for a 13-year old!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50 gift card

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!

Joys of Spring

 Today's card uses a new stamp that was part of a recent Simon Spring Card Kit.

supplies: white and Surf Blue card, vellum, Simon Joys of Spring daffodils and sentiment, Vine Canopy embossing folder, a stitched oval die

This stamp set has lots of lovely motifs - a watering can full of flowers, 3 butterflies, and a butterfly house, plus sentiments in this mixed font.

We have a few daffodils finally blooming here and there, so we're making progress!  How about you?  

Have a great week, thanks for stopping by!

Spring Birds

 I had loads of fun making today's card - it's a mix of My Favorite Things and Spellbinders goodies, with an old The Craft's Meow sentiment.

supplies: white, kraft, Cotton Candy, Green Leaf, Green Apple, blues from Memory Box Ocean Blue collection, My Favorite Things Happy Patterns cloud dp,  Home Tweet Home birdhouse dies, and flowers from (retired) Birds of a Feather die set, Spellbinders Sweet Birds on a Branch dies, The Craft's Meow (retired) Happy as a Lark sentiment, heart sprinkles, twine to hang birdhouse

Hope my little blue birds of happiness brighten your day today!  Thanks for stopping by!