Woodland Wreaths

I'm finishing up my Christmas cards.   It's a joy each year to open my bin of Christmas goodies and rediscover some beautiful stamps that I love.  Here are 2 cards using a beautiful Wplus9 set called Woodland Wreaths - I used the same colors on both for a kind of seaside feel, and changed up the backgrounds.  And I think this may be the first time I've put white berries on them......

supplies: Simon's Surf Blue and Green Apple cardstock, white cardstock, Wplus9 Woodland Wreath stamps and matching dies, Simon's Jelly Bean, Hero Arts Latte chalk ink, and broken china distress oxide inks, Memory Box Peace Collage woodblock stamp, VersaMark and white embossing powder, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die

I knew Memory Box for their woodblock stamps when I first started this hobby - and their Peace Collage remains a favorite of mine.

And my 2nd version:

supplies: same cardstocks and inks, Wplus9 Woodland Wreaths stamps and matching dies, Hero Arts Holiday Sayings sentiment, Sizzix Ornate Frames embossing folder

I've listed my supplies, but I'm not linking them - most of them are out of stock or discontinued.

How are you coming with your Christmas cards?  I think I'm going to call mine finished!  

Rejoice!

Sharing a card today that contains all my favorite things: music, a wreath, and a bird!  This is a CASE of LaVon's card from last year, using many of the same elements, and adding a new Simon die to the mix.

supplies: cream, green and Schoolhouse Red card stock, vellum, gold foil paper, retired Hero Arts Pine Cone Wreath and Merriest Christmas Wishes stamps, cardinal from Hero Arts Vintage Christmas Post stamp set, Simon's Rejoice die, music stamp from a retired Skipping Stones set, antique linen distress ink, Zig markers

Thanks for your visit.  

It's DieCember!

And here's a card I made with the die that I was sent - it's called Moon and Star Border.

supplies: white and glitter white cardstock, wilted violet, blueprint sketch, and chipped sapphire distress inks, Simon's Moon and Star Border die and Seeing Stars sentiment

I simply inked up a panel with 3 distress inks, then randomly cut the border die on the diagonal, and affixed it to a backing of white glitter paper, adding a few of the stars to my sentiment strip.

You can see all the fun new things HERE.  What's your favorite?

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!

Mint Wishes

The sold-out Simon Ltd Edition Holiday Card Kit arrived today, and in between bagging leaves, I dove right into it!  I got it mostly for the pretty patterned papers, and they did not disappoint; I almost don't want to cut into them, so I used them minimally for my first card.

supplies: mint, green, and silver glitter card stock, vellum, pattern plank and mint stripe from Kaisercraft Mint Wishes paper pad, Simon's More Spring Flowers and Yuletide Holiday clear stamps,  Hero Arts Charcoal ink for sentiment, Tim Holtz Mini Holiday Greens, clear sequins

I tried a white on white embossed rose, but in the end, I watercolored that one lightly in Cracked Pistachio distress ink, and added a white-embossed vellum one on top to make it paler.

Here's one more, again using the gorgeous papers, and adding the Joy die from the kit, and my own silver snowflakes and sequins.

The "Merry Christmas" strips are from one of the papers that has 5 or 6 different stripes on it - I just cut it apart and used it to separate the other papers a bit.

Love this kit!!

Cyber Week at Simon Says Stamp

Simon has planned a fun week beginning today through Friday, as a prequel to DIEcember!  I was sent the newest Suzy's Watercolor Prints, and here is a sample:

supplies:pink and dark green card stock, Suzy's Classical Christmas Watercolor Print, Zig markers and water to color

This is just one of 12 holiday designs in the pack of Watercolor Prints, and I really enjoyed taking my time to color this up.  I chose to trim it a bit, but they are A2 size and can be popped right onto a card base for an easy card!

Giving Thanks

I made this card for a special friend, but it works also to wish you all in the US a Happy Thanksgiving - may you be surrounded by family and friends, and enjoy this very special holiday!

supplies: white, kraft, Lipstick Red, Orange Peel, and  Sunshine card stock, Tammy Tutterow's Mad for Plaid stencils, fossilized amber, carved pumpkin, and candied apple mini distress inks, stitch stamp from Winnie & Walter Stripes stamps, leaf die and sentiment from Hero Arts Sept 2016 My Monthly Hero Card Kit, Stitched Circle die, Doodlebug Rainbow Hearts sprinkles

Happy Thanksgiving!

Simon Says..........Food/Drink

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

This week our theme is Food/Drink and my teamies and I are playing with Mama Elephant products.

supplies: white cardstock, Doodlebug Designs Fairy Tale design papers, Mama Elephant Carnival Toppers sentiment and flowers, Hero Arts Cupcakes, Zig markers and water, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die

I used my Simon's Stitched Rectangle die, cut 3 times to get the exact rectangle dimension I needed for this card.  After cutting it the first time I repositioned it twice more to narrow and shorten the rectangle.

Now it's your turn!  As always, we have another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Five for Friday!

Hello!  Here's my contribution to Tammy Tutterow's Five for Friday post on Friday of this week.

supplies: Cotton Candy and Slate cardstock, a floral plank design paper from My Mind's Eye, Tammy's Hello There cling and Bitty Posies dies, pink and grey Zig markers to color, pastel felt, pastel pearls

I stamped the Hello There directly onto my patterned paper, then colored in the thicker letters with markers.  That panel was framed in slate, then affixed to a pink card.  In Tammy's stamp, there are tiny clusters of flowers where you see my felt ones, and I didn't think I could color them to show up against the patterned paper, so I opted to cover them with some of her darling Bitty Flowers cut from felt and centered with pearls.

I hope you'll visit Tammy's Blog to see what my talented sisters have done this time!

Peace

I've been wanting to revisit a card I made 4 years ago.  It has always been one of my favorites; I like the mood it invokes.  Goodness knows we'll all need a little peace in the coming weeks!  Here is my newer version, just updating the trees in the foreground and the sentiment.

supplies: white, green, and Schoolhouse Red card stock, Tim

Holtz Woodlands and Holiday Words dies, Penny Black Christmas Cottage wood stamp, Zig markers to color, My Favorite Things Snow Drifts die, cardinals from Impression Obsession Birch Tree die set, salty ocean and peacock feathers distress inks, ink blending tool, Simon's Falling Snow stencil, Nuvo Moonstone glimmer paste, adhesive foam squares

I stamped and colored the cottage, then sponged in the sky with distress inks.  Next I overlaid a snowy slope, and stenciled on my falling snow, using glimmer paste for some sparkle.  When that was dry, I added the panel to a longer than usual card (about 6" X 4 1/4"), then affixed my sentiment, trees, and birds.

As always, thank you for stopping by to visit!

You Take the Cake!

Got my Simon December Card Kit yesterday, and had some fun today playing only with the papers.  This kit is a collaboration with Doodlebug, who makes the CUTEST papers!

supplies: red and kraft card stock, Tonic Tropical Tide glitter card stock,  Doodlebug Milk & Cookies design papers,  Milk & Cookies sprinkle (gingerbread boy), MFT Mini Stitched Scallop Square dies

The reverse of one of the papers includes 5 stand-alone motifs - I chose this plum pudding one, and continually framed it with the other papers in the pad.  On that same sheet is an area with little sentiment strips - I framed this one with some of the candy-stripe paper in the kit.

The kit is sold out, of course, but you can still get the papers and sprinkles, if you like.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend - it's raining and dreary here, so I'll be in the craft room!

Winter Cheer

Here's another Snowy card, paired with a Tim Holtz stencil.

supplies: white and Mint card stock, Tim Holtz Holiday Knit stencil, picked raspberry and cracked pistachio distress oxide inks, Penny Black Snowy, sentiment from a retired The Craft's Meow set, glue pen and prisma glitter, pink pearls, adhesive foam squares

I first embossed the stencil into the card stock, and then added my inks - I like the subtle difference embossing makes.  I smooshed some picked raspberry onto my kraft mat, spritzed it with water, and then colored in Snowy's hat and scarf this time, adding some glitter to his hat and some pink pearl buttons to his body.  I had first stamped the sentiment in pink, but it faded into the background, so it ended up black, tucked in behind the popped-up snowman.

The oxide inks blended like butta through the stencil, and cleaned up easily, too!  Love these colors together - like sherbet!  Thanks for stopping by......

Simon Says........Furry Friends

If you'd like to see my card for the Your Next Stamp DT Dare, please scroll down a post, or click HERE.  Thanks!

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

This week our theme is Furry Friends, and the team is showcasing Newton's Nook products.

supplies: white and kraft cardstock, Bristol paper, fall patterned papers (Echo Park I Love Family, Doodlebug Flea Market), Newton's Nook Autumn Newton stamps, colored with Spectrum Aqua markers and water, mermaid lagoon and peacock feathers distress inks and water, adhesive foam squares

I colored and cut out the image, then popped it above a smooshed distress ink background, and surrounded that with some patterned papers.

Here's another card using the same set.

supplies: white and kraft cardstock, Bristol paper, patterned papers from Echo Park's I Love Family and A Perfect Autumn, Newton's Nook Autumn Newton, Simon's Stitched Rectangle and Stitched Circle dies

Now it's your turn!  As always, we have another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Your Next Stamp November DT Dare!

I'm back again one more time as the November Guest Designer for Your Next Stamp!  Today starts the monthly DT Dare - this month we are to choose our favorite Christmas color combination!

I love lime and pink together for the holidays, and here's the card I made, using the new Holiday Scribble Tree die set:

supplies: Green Apple card stock, pink and lime glitter paper, My Favorite Things Merry & Bright plaid, YNS Holiday Scribble Tree die set, Wonky Stitched Rectangle die, bright pink gems

This pink and lime plaid shows off my colors perfectly, so I started with a panel of that, then cut the Scribble Tree 4 times.  One of them is a lime glitter paper, which I dropped slightly below the solid lime cardstock tree.  I added a pink glitter star and gem "ornaments".

Would you like to win a stamp set of your choice from this newest November YNS release?  Just leave a comment at the YNS blog by November 18th at midnight EST.  The random winner will be announced on November 20th.

Many thanks to Your Next Stamp for this opportunity to play with their newest release!