Lisa Horton Spotlight Frames and Florals Collection

There's another fun new release at Spellbinders, this one designed by Lisa Horton!  I chose 3 different die sets and here's what I made.

supplies: white, 4 shades of aqua, and green cardstock, Woven Lattice Texture die, Layered Anemone dies, A Little Hello Sentiments stamp/die set

I'm so pleased with the Woven Lattice die and the Hello dies!  The lattice will make a wonderful background for all kinds of cards, and the big hello can be broken apart and used singly, doubly, or triply (is that a word???) like I used it today - love the font, too!  It also includes a set of 7 small sub-sentiment stamps that will make it even more versatile!  As I'm writing this post, it is already sold out, but that just means it will be back asap - put it in your wishlist at Spellbinders.

Thank you for coming by today - I hope it's a good one for you!

Bayfair by Rosie's Studio Card Kit

Here's a new Card Kit from Spellbinders from the Bayfair Collection!  I really enjoyed playing with the patterned papers, ephemera, and chipboard embellishments - there's even a set of buttons to match!  I also received Spellbinders new Guillotine Paper Trimmer, and used it to make all of these cards - it cuts like butter!

Here are three cards I made with the papers and ephemera, and a 4th card using the flower dies in this collection.

supplies: white and burgundy cardstock, Bayfair 6" Designer paper, large floral Ephemera Diecut, and Chipboard sentiment strip, Hemstitch Rectangle die

On this 2nd card I used 2 identical pieces of ephemera to form a wreath which I popped above the pretty floral background, then added a foiled gold chipboard sentiment.  I also added 2 small gold-foiled flowers in the centers of 2 of the wreath flowers to add some more gold foiling.

supplies: card base, pink Bayfair Designer paper, 2 Ephemera diecuts, Chipboard sentiment, adhesive foam squares

The collection also has some blue items, which I used for my 3rd card.  Since the main motif is on the small side, I cut down my card base to 4 1/4" X 5".  The banner reads "live laugh love" in gold foiling.

supplies: white cardstock, blue Bayfair Designer Paper, blue gingham Chipboard rectangle and sentiment banner, 2 blue butterfly Ephemera

This collection also includes a floral die set called Floral Spray, which I paired with another of the Designer Papers for my final card.  I also added one of the Bayfair buttons to the center of one of the flowers.

supplies: peach to brick, 2 greens, black cardstock, Bayfair Designer Paper, Floral Spray, Bayfair button, Curved Everyday Sentiments glimmer plate/die, gold glimmer foil

I love this script designer paper from the pad, so I paired it with just a few of the flowers that are included in the Floral Spray die set - this one has lots of possibilities for layering, too!

Hope I've inspired you to give this Bayfair Collection a look!  

Before I go, I wanted to make sure you've seen the amazing sale going on over at Spellbinders, with savings of up to 50% off on a really large inventory of products!  Click HERE to see what you can't live without!  The sale continues through May 30 at midnight Eastern time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sealed for Summer release from Spellbinders

Here are 2 cards that use several elements from the new Sealed for Summer release: the Floral and Vine 3D embossing folder, and the Glimmer Bouquet foiling plate. 

supplies: white and gold mirror cardstock, vellum, Floral & Vine 3D embossing folder, Glimmer Bouquet plate and matching die, Gold glimmer foil, Zig markers and water, Punch & Pierce Frame Sentiments dies, gold confetti

After embossing with this pretty folder, I foiled the floral bouquet and colored it, then cut it out and centered it on the embossed front, then added my sentiment with its shadow on vellum, along with some gold confetti to the centers of the smaller flowers and around the edges.  As always, the foiling takes this simple design up a notch!  And that embossing folder is another keeper!  

For my next card I went monochromatic, with tiny white touches.

supplies: white and Peach Sorbet cardstock, Sealed for Summer Glimmer Bouquet, Blush glimmer foil, sentiment from Illustrated Floral Glimmer set, Essential Glimmer Rectangle glimmer plate, peach alcohol marker, white gel pen

I foiled the bouquet and some older glimmer dies on a panel of Peach Sorbet cardstock using blush glimmer foil, then added some extra color and details with a peach marker and a white gel pen.

Thanks for coming by today - enjoy your day!

Winter Blues

Can you stand another card using these Antique Rose stamps?   I had stamped them in various colors, but never used these aqua ones, so I decided to do a monochromatic version.

supplies: white, and aqua foil cardstock, dotty dp from Whimsy Stamps Mix n Match 2 paper pad, Altenew Antique Roses stamps, Sweet Dreams and Green Valley inks, Fine Frames die, foiled sentiment from Birch Press Design Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate and Die set, teal glimmer foil, adhesive foam

I started with this paper with a mix of different sizes and shades of aqua dots.  Then I cut some fine frames from aqua metallic cardstock next, to reinforce my foiled sentiment, then arranged my florals and sentiment and popped them above everything. 

I didn't think of it until after I'd named my post for today, but those dots do look a bit like falling snow!  

Thanks for stopping by - have a good day!

Spellbinders Hot Foil Glimmer of the Month Kit for July

 This month's Glimmer of the Month Kit is a welcome addition to our hot foil plates - it makes different sizes of stripes!  For my first card I paired it with Teal glimmer hot foil and made a monochromatic card.

supplies: white, aquas and green card, Stripe Hot Foil Glimmer plate, teal glimmer foil, Be Bold Blooms dies, foiled sentiment and die from Be Bold Glimmer Sentiments set, aqua sequins

I foiled the striped glimmer plate horizontally across the top of my card, then just added my flowers and a foiled die-cut sentiment.

There is also a die in this set that cuts 3 different widths of stripes!  My next card utilizes that.

supplies: white and summer colors of cardstock, Spellbinders July Glimmer of the Month Stripes die, Be Bold Blooms die, Pink Fresh Studio Curvy Leaves die, Simon Says Stamp reverse sentiment strip and Detail Bohemian Cover Plate , adhesive foam squares

I chose 5 summery colors of cardstock and cut out the stripes - the die gives you 3 different widths with each cut.  Then I decided on a color order, and glued the strips diagonally to a scrap of white cardstock. That panel was trimmed and run through my machine with the cover plate for some subtle texture.  After attaching the panel to my card front, I simply added a single flower and leaves and a sentiment.

You can find all the information you'll need HERE to get this fun kit for yourself.  You'll have until July 28 to join the club, and you can "unjoin" at any time!  And don't forget that each month you'll also get a roll of glimmer foil!

Blue Roses

 I haven't played with these lovely multi-layered stamps in quite awhile.  Today is the day!

supplies: Audrey Blue and white card, Altenew Antique Roses stamps, Sweet Dreams and Green Meadow inks, Maker's Movement/Tammy Tutterow Sweet Petite Sentiment, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice dies, adhesive foam squares

These layering stamps are pretty easy to line up, and also to fussy-cut when they're finished.  I also did the same with the sentiment.  They would look lovely in any color, but today I was in a blue mood.

Happy Friday - hope your weekend is a great one!  Thanks for stopping by!

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.

Lush Garden

Happy World Card Making Day!  I hope that you can find some time today to embrace the day and have some fun!  I love the thought of so many of us doing the same thing all across the world!

 Altenew has done it again!  I splurged and bought their Lush Garden kit last month, and I'm so glad I did!  

The first thing I grabbed when my kit arrived was this 3D embossing folder and its matching stencils.  

supplies: white card, Lush Garden 3D embossing folder and matching stencils, various Altenew mini ink cubes, PinkFresh Studio Sending Phrase Builder die

What a beautiful piece of art this is!  I had a rough time cutting it down to fit my A2 card, it's that pretty!  I didn't want to cover up a bit more of it than needed, so this smiles sentiment was a good choice, I think. 

Next I pulled out the layering stamp set and matching dies in this kit.  There are 2 different flowers in it - I used just one of them, twice, on my card for today. Isn't it a beauty?

supplies: white, black, and pink card, Lush Garden embossing folder, stamp set, and matching dies, Cherry Blossom and Green Valley ink, Hero Arts Sending Love sentiment and banner die, adhesive foam squares

I stamped the flower twice, and used the 3 lightest Cherry Blossom inks for details on the top flower, and the 3 darkest inks of the same set for the bottom one.  Then I embossed another panel with the 3D folder and lightly brushed on the very lightest ink onto all the flowers.  After arranging my flowers and leaves with the help of Press 'n' Seal, I popped them above the embossed panel, and added my sentiment banner.

It is a real treat for me to have a set of supplies that all coordinate so nicely with each other, and I know this one will get lots of use!

SubLIME

Hi crafters!  There's just something about lime that I love, so today I decided to pull out a beautiful floral spray and try and do a card in mostly lime.

supplies: Bristol paper, black and Green Leaf cardstock, a dotty paper from BoBunny, Simon's Beautiful Flowers image and sentiment, embossed in white, Tonic Irish Clover markers, white pearls

This year I even found some lime zinnias for my garden, and I've been enjoying mixing them with all the other colors!

It's a beautiful day today - think I'll go spend some time outside, maybe pick a bouquet!  

Cinch & Go Flowers

I was so pleased to receive some Spellbinders dies recently!  Here are 2 cards using Becca Feeken's Cinch & Go Flowers III.

The first one uses shades of aqua:

supplies: white, Sea Glass, Surf Blue, Audrey Blue, and Green Apple card stock, Doodlebug patterned papers, Becca Feeken's Cinch & Go Flowers, Simon's Beautiful Flowers sentiment, glittery blue brads

And my 2nd uses my happy colors of white, yellow, and black:

supplies: white, black, and Green Apple card stock, patterned papers from Lawn Fawn and My Favorite Things, Cinch & Go dies, sentiments from Simon's Happy & Smile and Happy stamp sets, yellow brads

The layered dies have 4 sizes of the flower, plus a backing and a leaf sprig.  On these cards, I used all 4 layers of the flower, but they would work in any combination.  I used white and colored card stock, but you could sponge on distress inks to make your own custom colors.  Irregardless, they add a wonderful dimension and take a card to the next level!

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday - thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says.........Sparkle & Shine!

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

Our theme this week is "Sparkle & Shine", and the team is playing with Tonic Studios goodies!  I chose a pack of glitter card stock, and paired it with some Simon butterflies.

supplies: white and Tonic Tropical Tide Glitter Card, Bristol paper, Simon's Beautiful Day butterflies and sentiment, Zig Markers light blue, cobalt blue, and black, Wink of Stella clear Shimmer brush

I chose a simple sketch that uses 3 of everything, and mounted my finished panel to more of the glitter card.  

Now it's your turn!  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!

Just for You

Here's a mix of layered stamping, and a stencil.

supplies: Surf Blue and white card, Altenew  Beautiful Day flower and leaves, Altenew Warm & Cozy, Sweet Dreams and Tropical Forest mini ink cube sets, Simon's retired Summer Garden sentiment, unknown stencil, tumbled glass distress ink, Memory Box Pinpoint Rectangle die, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins

I stamped the flower twice, and cut out a whole one and just the inner petals, and stacked them with an adhesive foam square for some dimension.  Then I stencilled a panel of white card, trimmed it into a smaller rectangle, and added my sentiment, along with the flower and leaves, and some sparkly sequins.

Thanks for your visit!

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

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

It's Anything Goes week, and the team are playing with Tim Holtz products.

I've been wanting this Scribble Woodland cling stamp set, and when they arrived recently, I made a monochromatic card with the lovely little cabin stamp and one of the sentiments.  I love little cottages in the woods!

supplies: white, glitter white, dark teal, and Audrey Blue cardstock, Tim Holtz Scribble Woodland cottage and sentiment, peacock feathers distress oxide ink, shaded with peacock feathers and mermaid lagoon distress inks, spritzed with water, Tim Holtz Woodlands die, Taylored Expressions Winter flurry embossing folder, Spellbinders Circle die, glue pen and Prisma glitter, adhesive foam squares

Next up, a card using a plaid stencil for the background.

supplies: kraft, green, and Simon's Lipstick Red card stock, Tim Holtz Plaid stencil, Candied Apple distress ink, Tim Holtz Mini Holiday Greens dies, Simon's Merry & Bright sentiment and Stitched Circle die, adhesive foam squares

Now it's your turn!  Once again we have another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Celebrating the Fifth Anniversary of A Blog Named Hero!

Welcome to my stop for today's 5th Anniversary Celebration of A Blog Named Hero!  I have been honored to be a guest designer there several times.  We all share a love of Hero Arts products, and I'm thrilled to be able to be a part of this celebration.  It's taking place over 2 days, and of course there are lots of prizes!  Here's the card I made for it, using some oldies from 2011:

supplies: white cardstock, Doodlebug Gingham petite print, Hero Arts Large Blossom and Sending Smiles Messages, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, peacock feathers distress ink on flowers, finger dauber, Audrey Blue ink for sentiment, dyed seam binding, white pearls, adhesive foam squares

Hero Arts made several of these negative print stamps that allowed open spaces for coloring the images, while inking the details and background.  I chose to white emboss this one over an aqua gingham design paper.  I darkened the centers of the flowers by dabbing on some peacock feathers distress ink, trimmed the image, then popped it above the card front, adding some of my favorite pearls and a pretty ribbon.

There are prizes to be won for commenting on the cards along today's hop, and there are a separate set of prizes for doing the same for yesterday's hop!  Here are the prizes for today:

• $50 gift card to Simon Says Stamp
• $50 gift card to Gina K Designs
• $25 gift card to Winnie & Walter
• $25 gift card to Lawn Fawn
• $20 gift card to Avery Elle
• prize pack from Mama Elephant
• gift card from Studio Katia
• one Online Card Class of your choice
• one set of distress oxide inks from Jennifer McGuire Ink

Comments must be left by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, March 28, and winners will be announced on March 30.

So get hopping!  Your next stop is Francine Vuilleme - I know she'll have something wonderful to show you!  If you'd like to begin at the start of today's hop, please start at A Blog Named Hero.  

Thanks, as always, for coming by, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Be Sunny

I have another Tammy Tutterow cling stamp to show you today!  This big bold sentiment is all you need for the front of a card, and you can be as fancy or as simple as you like when you color it in.  I made this one monochromatic.

supplies: white, black, and pale gold cardstock, Be Sunny cling stamp, Spectrum Noir yellow markers and a pale pink one, a Gingham stencil and squeezed lemonade distress ink

Tammy's cling stamps are perfect for people like me who like to color but don't own a million markers.  Here I just used 4 of the Spectrum Noir yellows to give a slightly ombre effect  on  the "Sunny" part of the design, and then each other word was colored with a different yellow.  To finish, I stencilled a large gingham pattern over the whole panel.   A simple black frame brings out the black outlines, and you're done!

Sending Hugs

Just sharing a card I recently made.  It's a bit dreary here today - I hope this brightens your day a bit.

supplies: Simon's woodgrain cardstock, medium shade of Hero Arts Pool layering paper, Simon Artful Flowers, various aqua inks from Simon and Hero Arts, Signo white gel pen for flower centers, Simon Painted Hugs die, sentiment from Hero Arts XO (retired), DieNamics Blueprints 20 scalloped die, Pretty Pink Posh Share Handmade Kindness sequins

Thanks for coming by - I wish you a great week! (and some sunshine!)

Monochromatic Blooms

I got a clothing catalog in the mail yesterday and was taken by a lovely sweater......thought I'd use it as my inspiration for today's card.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Paper Smooches Blossoming Buds, Spectrum Noir Turquoise markers, Wplus9 Hand Lettered Hello, Simon's Stitched Rectangles, Moonshine sequins

Here's my inspiration:

Hope you're enjoying the first day of spring!  It's spitting snowflakes here this morning!

Jennifer's Monochromatic Stamp Layering

Jennifer McGuire had a set of absolutely gorgeous cards on her new blog earlier this week - I loved everything about them, and couldn't wait to try making something similar myself.  So I pulled out some old Hero Arts background wood stamps from 2008 and 2009 and followed her directions.  Here are my resulting cards:

supplies: white cardstock, Hero Arts Grass layering paper, Hero Arts Flourish Pine background stamp, Grass ink, Simon's White pigment ink, Signo gel pen, Penny Black Hope is Born stamp, VersaMark and white embossing powder, vellum

supplies: white and blue cardstock, vellum, Hero Arts Stunning Snowflakes, Cerulean ink, Simon's white pigment ink, Signo white gel pen, sentiment from Simon/Tim Holtz Holiday Stamp Set from 2013, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, Penny Black Snowflake dies, Pretty Pink Posh sequins

In each case, I stamped the background stamp first in an ink to match the paper, then turned the stamp 180 degrees and stamped it again in white.  That white ink takes a bit of time to dry, but when it was, I went back in with my Signo white gel pen and added lots of dots, following the design of the stamping.  As Jennifer did, I trimmed the first sentiment into a banner and sewed it onto my background before attaching it to my white card base, but I simply added dots of Glossy Accents in the corners of my 2nd sentiment panel to attach it.  It virtually disappears!

Every year Jennifer has a Christmas card design that I fall in love with, and though it's early right now, I think this is mine for this year!  Thank you, Jennifer, for your inspiration!

Be sure to hop on over to Jennifer's Blog to see her cards using this wonderful technique!