Simon Says........Beautiful Blossoms

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

This week we want to see your Beautiful Blossoms!  My teammates and I are playing with Prima flowers.  I chose a pack of little 3/4" paper flowers, which contains mint, peachy-pink, and cream flowers.  Today I didn't use the mint ones, but substituted some leaf sprig die-cuts in that color.

supplies: ivory, Mint, Cotton Candy, and gold Metallic Kraft cardstock, BoBunny Early Bird Collection patterned paper, canning jar from Simon Mandy's Flowers set, Prima Bits and Pieces Apricot Honey flowers, leaf sprig die, MFT Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle die, Hero Arts Nesting Rectangle dies

This little canning jar is the perfect size to hold an arrangement of these little flowers that look like dogwood blooms to me.  Each one has miniscule gold balls in the center, so I pulled the gold outward with one of my mats when I framed the main panel.  And the colors were so spot-on in the patterned paper that I had to use that too!  

Here's a closer look at the flowers.

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!

 

Simon Says.........Stars/Stripes

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

Our theme this week is Stars and/or Stripes and we're highlighting My Favorite Things goodies.  I chose their Peek-a-boo Star die and made a shaker card for the 4th of July!

supplies: ivory cardstock, scrap of acetate for window, dps from (retired) BoBunny Anthem Collection, Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday sentiment, Altenew Azurite ink, MFT Stitched Star Peek-a-Boo Window die, gold and silver sequins, adhesive foam strips, red gem stars

After affixing my striped panel to my card base, I cut a panel from the starry paper, die-cut the star from it, and then, using skinny foam strips, made it into a shaker full of silver and gold sequins.

I'm sorry that these design papers are no longer available - they are perfect for what I wanted to do with the star die.  AND it appears that my star die has retired!  THIS ONE should work just as well.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 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!

For You

I found the sweetest little bouquet die recently and couldn't wait to get it home to play!

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, BoBunny Early Bird patterned paper, Pink Fresh Studios Partial Cut Bouquet and Bow die, alcohol markers to color, aqua ribbon, pink baker's twine, PTI Tiny Tag and sentiment

This die makes a partial cut of the bouquet, leaving the center part attached to its base.  Here I added an aqua ribbon, threading it through the slits that are provided.

For my next card, I took it a step further, cutting it from both white and kraft card, then inlaying the colored white one back into the kraft base.  The 3-piece bow dies are part of the set. 

supplies: white, Cotton Candy, and kraft cardstock, Pink Fresh Studios Partial Cut Bouquet and Bow dies, alcohol markers to color, Tammy Tutterow's Tiny Sentiment, tiny heart sprinkle

I love how these turned out!

Thanks for coming by - have a great week!

Sending Love

Playing with some pretty paper from a past Simon Card Kit.

supplies: white, Sea Glass, and Cotton Candy card stock, floral dp from Bo Bunny Early Bird pad, MFT Blueprints 20, Mini Stitched Scallop Rectangle, Scribble Roses Overlay, and MFT Birds of a Feather leaves, Simon Handwritten Sentiments, Doodlebug Heart sprinkles, adhesive foam squares

Thank you for stopping to look.

Butterflies

As soon as I saw these papers from Bo Bunny's Early Bird paper pack in the Simon August Card Kit,  I knew what I'd do with them.

supplies: white, pink, Surf Blue, yellow, Soft Navy and kraft card stock, dps from Early Bird paper pack, Simon's Stitching Butterflies dies and sentiment from Beautiful Day, Memory Box Pinpoint Rectangle die, adhesive foam squares to pop up butterflies

This may be too busy for a variety of reasons, but for me, it brings back my quilting days - I loved to find just the right patterns to mix together!  Thank you for stopping by.

Black, White and Yellow

Here's another card using the supplies in the August Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp.  I have always loved text/script as an element, and adding black and yellow to the mix is icing on the cake for me.

supplies: white and yellow card stock, dps from Bo Bunny Early Bird and a black dot, Simon's Mandy's Flowers clear stamp set, Tonic Nuvo Sunshine and Irish Clover markers, Doodlebug Tiny Hearts, adhesive foam squares to lift flower

Here's the Card Kit:

Enjoy your week!

Simon's August Card Kit

I know I've said this many times, but this may be my favorite Simon Card Kit EVER!  The amazing stamp sets, lovely papers, and those teeny hearts - swoooooon!  Here's my first play (it won't be the last)!

supplies: white and Cotton Candy card stock, Simon's Mandy's Flowers clear stamp set, Tonic Nuvo markers to color, Bo Bunny Early Bird patterned paper, twine, Doodlebug Tiny Hearts sprinkles, Simon's Scallop Stitches and my own oval dies

After stamping the flower jar image and cutting it into an oval shape, I pierced each side of the top of the jar with a needle and threaded the twine through, then tied it into a bow and topped it with one of the adorable tiny hearts.  The rest of the card was just a matter of layering the gorgeous elements together.

This kit is really an amazing value - it is less than the price of the 2 stamp sets in it!  And it's even better if you buy it at the subscription price!!  I know this set will be a much-loved classic!

Hello There, Summer!

Today is the first day that I've felt that summer is really here, and so I made a card to celebrate!

supplies: white and black cardstock, various BoBunny DoubleDot 12" cardstock, Simon Summer Flowers and (retired sentiment) from Sketchy Banner Greetings, (retired) sketchy banner die, Impression Obsession Painted Stripes, Simon's Fresh Fruit ink cubes, Zig markers, moonshine sequins

I didn't feel like coloring today, so I just stamped the hibiscus and leaf on a variety of subtle dotty cardstocks in tropical colors, then used markers to add some tone-on-tone details before cutting them out.  I LOVE this painted stripes cling stamp, and also the Fresh Fruit colors - because the inks were mini cubes, it was easy to make each stripe a different color.  I added some sequins in the flower centers and sprinkled more around the flower spray for some subtle glitz.

Hope your day is beautiful wherever you are today!  Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Simon Says........Going Dotty!

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

Our theme this week is a favorite of mine, "Going Dotty!"  And the DT are all playing with fun Stamping Bella goodies.  You don't have to use them to enter, but if you do have any of their products, we'd love to see what you do with them!

I have 2 StampingBella sets now and love using them - they are perfect for paper-piecing!

supplies: white,pink, and Bristol cardstock, BoBunny periwinkle double dot and an unknown lime dot patterned papers, StampingBella Isabelle Loves Ice Cream, colored with Zig markers and a colored pencil (her shoes and flower in her hair), sentiment from a retired Flourishes stamp set, Simon's Scallop Stitches Border and Blueprints 20 scalloped rectangle dies, fine black pen for doodling border

I've used my favorite periwinkle color to paper-piece her dress, coloring the rest of the image with markers and pencil.  I doodled a border after trimming the panel, then framed it in a pink to match the ice cream.  For my backing papers, I used scalloped dies to mimic the lace on her dress.

Here's my 2nd card, keeping it simpler this time:

supplies: white and surf blue cardstock, Doodlebug Dot Rainbow Petite Prints dp, Stamping Bella Lolly and her Brolly, sentiment from Newton's Nook Spring Showers, markers to color, tumbled glass distress ink and a finger dauber to color background, punched hearts

Last time I used this stamp, I paper-pieced her in yellows, but I'm loving this fun mini dot green this time!  To go along with the sentiment I chose, I covered the raindrops on the stamp with little punched hearts.

Now it's your turn - I can't wait to see what you create!  Heidi has provided another $50.00 gift voucher

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Merry

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  I hope yours was a lovely one.....

I have another card today that uses nothing but dies - no stamping involved!  I remembered this wreath die that was in the Hero Arts September My Monthly Hero Card Kit and decided to see what it would look like as a Christmas wreath.

supplies: woodgrain and BoBunny Wild Berry Red dot dp, Hero Arts September Card Kit die, Winnie & Walter In a Word: Merry cutaway and Take a Bow cutaway, hole punch

I started with a woodgrain design paper, and scored and inked it to make planks, then cut out 3 wreaths, and staggered them to make a fuller wreath.  The merry and berries are cut from the reverse of the dot cardstock that I used for the bow.

Enjoy your weekend!

Sunshine

Here's a card using the sketch from Sugar Pea Designs Mix it Up challenge #15.

supplies: white, brown, 2 golds, and green cardstock, dp from Bo Bunny Believe pad, PTI  Bloom Builders #3, DieNamics Layered Leaves, sentiment from (retired) Technique Tuesday Bring on the Sun by Ali Edwards, brown button, various sequins

I love this sunshine sentiment and will never tire of getting it out and using it every year.  This time I added a sunflower to it.

Hope your week is full of sunshine - given and received!

Just Because

I just recently treated myself to this Concord & 9th Layers of Love die set.  I have always been drawn to hearts and so this 3-piece set just had to come home with me.  I made 3 cards.

supplies: white, Hero Arts Carnation, and a BoBunny dp from their Pincushion Collection, Layers of Love floral dies, Simon's Handwritten Sentiments, Hero Arts pale pink pearls, adhesive foam squares

I don't think I've seen anyone use this set yet with printed papers, so that's where I started.  I love this little pink, green, and brown number, and it had flowers and dots, too, so that was my choice.  The white panel was popped above the card, and I added the flower sprig to the top, along with a couple pearls.

Next, I wanted to use something besides white for the floral heart, so I chose a piece of Watercolor Wash design paper from My Favorite Things.  This card is completely flat for easier mailing.

supplies: white, lavender and MFT Watercolor Wash dp, Layers of Love floral dies, Hero Arts Hello Sunshine sentiment, white pearls and lavender gems

And lastly, I added the striped die to the mix:

supplies: white and Bazzill Robin's Egg cardstock, Layers of Love heart dies, Wplus9 Handwritten Hello die, Spare Parts paper roses

I die-cut my sentiment into the top layer, and saved the negative parts to add after the top white layer was attached to the aqua 2nd layer.  The 3rd layer is the white card base.

I've always been a late bloomer, so I'm late as usual to this Layers of Love party, but I know this will get lots of use all throughout the year, not just for Valentine's Day!

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend!

Simon Says........Animal Magic!

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog!

Our theme this week is "Animal Magic", and the team are all playing with Paper Smooches products.  If you have any, we'd love to see you using them, too, but you don't have to in order to enter.

I chose their Bird House die set, and as it turns out, my cards are made up of almost all dies!

supplies: white, black, red, and kraft cardstock, dp from Basic Grey's Picadilly paper pad and a scrap of music paper, Paper Smooches Bird House dies, Memory Box Grove Branch, sentiment from Wplus9 Blanket Stitched Blooms, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die, twine

After determining I wanted to hang my birdhouse from the branch, I had the choice of stamping leaves around it or finding a suitable design paper, and I was happy to unearth this floral and leaf piece from a 2011 Basic Grey paper pad.  It's not too busy to compete with my music, allows the branch to stand out, and I like the colors, too!  The green scrap with my sentiment stamped on it is from the same paper pad, too.

There are 2 birdhouses in this set, and I used them both in my next card:

supplies: white and green cardstock, various dot design papers, most of them from Bo Bunny's Very Vintage Double Dot paper pad, Paper Smooches Bird House dies, Wplus9 branch dies from Folk Art Florals, Taylored Expressions Leafy Vine embossing folder, Impression Obsession frame die and sentiment from Hero Arts retired Right at Home

Now it's your turn - I can't wait to see what you create! Heidi has provided another $50.00 gift voucher

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Look for the Miracles

I have 2 cards made from Simon's June Card Kit.

supplies: white cardstock, a panel of Bo Bunny's Believe dp, in kit, vellum, Simon's Look for the Miracles sentiment and hearts, in kit, white embossing powder and VersaMark ink, white seam binding

This is a simple design, highlighting this lovely sentiment.  There are several dps I could have used behind this, but I loved this bright, happy heart one!

For the 2nd card, I stamped many of the designs from the Look for the Miracles stamp set on a panel of white cardstock, using my new mini Misti!  (I have been having such trouble getting clean crisp impressions lately that I finally caved and got one - WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!).  Then I cut the stamped panel in half, and then each half into 2 pieces, and remounted everything onto a Sunshine card base, adding some of the enamel dots in the kit in the flower centers.  I used Orange Peel and Island Blue strips to highlight the dream diecut in black.

Here's the sunny kit:

So much to love - don't wait too long!

Two MFT Challenges

It's about time I made a card using My Favorite Things  Beautiful Blooms.  When I saw this week's MFT Sketch challenge, it gave me a place to start.

supplies: Beautiful Blooms stamps and dies, dps from MFT's Farm Fresh Gingham  and Tranquil Textures paper pads

Here's the sketch:

And while I was at it, I checked the colors at MFT's Color Challenge, and decided to make a Christmas card using them!

Supplies: red, grey, and white cardstock, dps from Lawn Fawn and BoBunny, My Favorite Things Santa's Elves stamp set, Spectrum Noir markers to color, Winnie & Walter In a Word: Merry cutaway, Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes die, circle die, Pretty Pink Posh Sweet Pea sequins

These are our colors:

Thanks for coming by!

Spring Blessings

First I want to give a warm welcome to my newest follower, Rina!  During this time of Blogger's ruthless cutting away of our followers, it is wonderful to see a new face!  Thank you, Rina!

Here's a card I made as part of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge that Kathy is running all this month, and it also works for the current challenge at Power Poppy, to use a medium we don't often use.  We recently had a day here in NE Ohio with temps in the 60's!  That is unheard of for this time of year!  Maybe Punxatawney Phil will be right this year!!  I celebrated by pulling out this old 1995 stamp from PSX and coloring it with colored pencils, which I haven't used in a long time:

supplies: white cardstock, dps from BoBunny Soft Shades Double Dots pad, PSX untitled stamp, Spectrum Noir colored pencils and tumbled glass distress ink for background, Simon Christmas Blessings die, Spellbinder's Labels Eighteen die

Because this image is so large, I previewed several die-cut sentiments for it.  I chose this one because it is relatively delicate and doesn't cover up my work!

Simon Says..........Have a Heart!

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for another challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog!

Our theme this week is "Have a Heart", and my teamies and I are using Reverse Confetti products.  

supplies: white cardstock, BoBunny Strawberry Double Dot cardstock, Reverse Confetti Love Blooms, Hero Arts Punch and Grass chalk inks, Simon's Large Heart Doily and Scripty Big Hugs dies, DieNamics Blueprints 20 scalloped die

Now it's your turn - I can't wait to see what you create!  We have another $50.00 gift voucher

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

I'd like to add this card to this month's Die Cut Diva's challenge: Love, Marriage, and Anniversaries.