Color Throwdown #358

I'm sneaking in at the 11th hour with a card for the current Color Throwdown.  These were my high school colors back in the dark ages - how could I not play?  :))

supplies: white, navy and yellow cardstock, Altenew Vintage Flowers, Simon's Dots and Lines stencil, Hero Arts sentiment from Hello Sunshine Daisies, yellow pearls

Pink & Main

There's a new company brand at Simon Says Stamp called Pink & Main!  I was lucky enough to get a couple of their stamp sets and today I'm sharing 2 cards I made using them.

supplies: orange, black, and white cardstock, orange check dp from Bella Blvd, Pink & Main's Hey Pumpkin clear stamp set, VersaFine onyx black ink, Spellbinder's Deckled rectangles die

There are lots of fun elements in Hey Pumpkin, but I chose to concentrate on the fun carved faces for the pumpkins on this card.  They are fun and not too scary, perfect for my little grands.

This next card uses their Bubbly Card Borders stamp set.

supplies: Pink & Main Bubbly Card Borders, Simon's Big Scripty Greetings, VersaFine onyx black and Ranger pink gumball inks

There are 6 individual borders in this set - I only used 2 of them......this would work nicely with any stamps that are striped, too.

I hope you'll check out Pink & Main if you like cute stamps - they are currently 27 different sets at the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon's September Card Kit

This month's Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp has some really fun elements this time.

The acetate cards inside the kit really intrigued me, and there is something there for everyone!  For my first card, I was especially drawn to this gold leafy branch design, and used it to make a shaker card, possibly for an autumn birthday.

supplies: all supplies from Simon's September Card Kit, except melon cardstock used on sentiment, Ranger Super Fine detail gold embossing powder, and Simon's Fall Festival sequins

The papers in this kit from PinkFresh Studios are so unusual, and I chose 2 of them for this next card.  I just stamped my sentiment from the new Birthday Bits clear stamp set in the kit over the balloons, and added some of the small elements at the top left corner, along with some of my own sequins.

We are FINALLY getting some rain here this morning; a welcome relief from those humid temperatures we've been having lately - love having the windows open once again!  I wish you all in the states a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

Tuesday's Take 3

Cath Edvalson has started a blog and she's loaded it with inspiration, just like back in the day with her Moxie Fab column!  She has a challenge that she's calling Tuesday's Take, and it was just what I needed to get back into the groove after a 2 1/2 week vacation!

As soon as I saw her inspiration photo, I couldn't wait to play, especially since I just got this new card-sized die, which matches the design she gave us!  Here's my entry:

supplies: white cardstock, and Hero Arts shallows layering paper, Lil Inker Circles and Diamond Stitched Pattern die and coordinating Darling Diamonds stamp set, Simon's Smile Circle die, Spellbinder's circles dies

I thought the circle smile die would work nicely as a sentiment with the design, as it adds another circle to the design, yet it allows the background stamping to be seen.  

Here's Cath's inspiration piece:

ETA: I just realized that this is perfect for Virginia's current challenge: Geometric Patterns!  So I'm adding it to that challenge, also.

Simon Says.........Make It Colorful!

It's time for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

Our theme this week is "Make it Colorful"!  And the Design Team are using Doodlebug products this week.  I have been in love with Doodlebug forever - colorful is certainly their middle name, and I love that they have kept their products compatible with each other from year to to year!  

supplies: Doodlebug Sunkissed 6" paper pad, Lily White Mini Paper Doily, and Spring Flowers sprinkles, Hero Arts Hello Stamp & Cut stamp and die set, Sizzix flowers embossing folder

All of the papers on this card come from the Sunkissed pad.  Since this card was busy with patterns, I also made another more CAS card, using Doodlebug Swiss Dots washi tapes:

supplies: assorted Doodlebug Swiss Dot washi tapes, My Favorite Things Die-Namics Happy die, typed words from Winnie & Walter's The Big, the Bold, and the Happy clear stamp set, assorted sequins to match

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store for one lucky random winner of our challenge!

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too!

You Make Me Smile

Just dropping in with a quick card today.  This was made for a challenge and never shared:

supplies: May Arts Natural twine, Simon's Cream cardstock as card base, Basic Grey Vivienne papers, Simon's Expressions for You stamp set and die, PTI Bloom Builders #3 flower die, Doodlebug flower button, Doodlebug Cupcake Sprinkles (enamel dots)

I hope my card makes you smile today - thanks for coming by!

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

It's time for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

Our theme is our usual end-of-the-month Anything Goes, your favorite!!  The Design Team are playing with Hero Arts products this week.  If you have any of their stamps, stencils, or dies, we'd love to see you using them!  

By now you should have noticed how much in love I am with anything that is a multi-step stamp......most of them up until now have been florals, but Hero Arts is expanding that idea.  They call it color layering,  because you use inks to color the stamped images, and I couldn't wait to play with this Bird and Branch set!  I also used one of their new Stamp & Cut sets for this card.  The mixed fonts of type with a beautiful script is lovely, and what a great idea to give us a die to work along with them!

supplies: Hero Arts Color Layering Bird & Branch clear stamp set, Brilliance pearlescent sky blue, Hero Arts Cornflower, Stone Wash, Green Hills, and Grass, Memento Luxe Toffee Crunch, and VersaFine Onyx Black inks, Hero Arts Happy Stamp & Cut stamps and die set, Hero Arts Grass layering paper and dp from an old Echo Park Dots & Stripes paper pad, Hero Arts light blue pearls

My next card is a CASE of a card by Karen Mead.  When I saw her card I immediately added this Paint Spots woodblock stamp to my wishlist at Simon.  I think this stamp makes a perfect birthday or celebration card -  it looks like fireworks to me!  Wouldn't it look great embossed in metallics against a dark background?  And once again, the mixed font on the sentiment stamp is so appealing to me; I believe it's Kelly Rasmussen's handwriting.

supplies: Hero Arts Paint Spots and Happy Birthday to You woodblock stamps, mermaid lagoon distress, Ranger Electric Lime, Lemon Twist, and Cheese Puff dye inks, Simon's Hollyhock ink, and Hero Arts Punch ink, Simon's Stitched Rectangles dies, striped paper from Doodlebug's Sunkissed paper pad

I decided I wanted to back the stamped panels with a striped one, and so I pulled the ink colors from the striped paper.  

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store for one lucky random winner of our challenge!

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too!

CASE-ing Kelly

I am most honored today to be Kelly's latest {CASE}ing Genius!

{CASE}ing Genius is a weekly post on Kelly's blog, where she chooses a fellow card-maker, lets us get to know that person a bit with a fun interview, and some of her cards, and then CASES one of those cards.  It's been a great way to meet more wonderful designers!

Kelly and I both love flowers, and we both feature them prominently on our cards often, so I can't wait to see what she does with me as her muse!  I hope you'll go over to her blog, You and Your Big Dreams, and leave us both some love there.  

I was so tickled that she wanted to feature me that I decided I'd turn the tables on her and CASE one of her amazing cards!  I was really taken with this post, where she stamped, masked, die-cut and inlaid, using her amazing coloring skills with Copics.  And she ended up with 2 gorgeous cards!  Here's my CASE of them:

supplies: Altenew Painted Flowers, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die, Winnie & Walter's Big, Bold Friends cutaway

I stamped my flowers on a white cardstock panel, keeping them as close together as I could, but I didn't do any masking.  These are multi-step stamps, so next I colored the flowers and leaves, using 2 shades of ink for each color you see here.  The next step was to die-cut the stitched rectangle from that stamped panel, and also from a clean white panel.  And from those smaller stitched panels, the word was die-cut, then inlaid back into the opposing panel.  The white panel was inlaid back into the stamped panel, and then the whole thing was popped above a card base.  The smaller panel with the floral background was affixed to another white card base, and voila!  2 cards for 1!

Thank you so much, Kelly, for your amazing inspiration, and for featuring me on your blog today!

Simon Says.......Back to School

It's time for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

Our theme this week is Back to School, and the Design Team are using products from My Mind's Eye.  Here's my card:

supplies: My Mind's Eye Remarkable paper pad, (notebook paper from MME Sky's the Limit), Hero Arts apple, (from Simply the Best, now discontinued, but THIS apple is very similar and so is THIS one) My Favorite Things Die-Namics By the Letters die, typed words from Winnie & Walter's Big, Bold Seasons (masked)  and Big, Bold You, EK Success Binding Edge punch, May Arts natural twine, enamel dot

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store for one lucky random winner of our challenge!

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too!

A la Mary Engelbreit?

Here's a card for the current CAS(E) this Sketch challenge:

supplies: white, black, and Hero Arts Poppy layering paper, Doodlebug and Little B washi tape, Die-Namics Blueprints 20 cross-stitch die, Winnie & Walter's Big, Bold Friends cutaway, Wplus9 Blanket Stitched Blooms, Hero Arts Punch, Grass, and Butter Bar inks

After assembling my panel following the sketch, I off-set it slightly left on my card base.  Don't these colors and designs remind you of Mary Engelbreit with the reds and black?

Here's the sketch:

My favorite color!

They're using my favorite color at this week's Color Throwdown, so I had to have a play!

supplies: 2 greys, 4 blues and 1 green cardstocks, Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain stamped in charcoal ink, PTI Bloom Builders #3, buttons, Essentials by Ellen Bold Blossoms (leaves), Simon's love you die

I made my own planking in the background with a woodgrain stamp, then cut it apart and repieced it onto a darker grey backing.  The rest of the elements are die-cuts, and I put buttons in the center of the flowers.

Don't you just love this inspiration photo with the gorgeous shades of seaglass?

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend!

I'm supposed to be ironing.......

......but when I saw the August Monthly Meetup challenge at the Lil' Inker blog was Anything Goes, I put that off for another day and pulled out my brand new (to me)  Circles & Diamonds Stitched Pattern die and had a play.  This is a different kind of die, in that it cuts the stitched pattern into paper, and then you use the Darling Diamonds stamp set to give it more detail and color.  I just got this die last week, haven't had the time until today to really experiment with it.  I paired it with my stamp set, and ended up with three four cards for this challenge, the first 3 based on various color schemes from past color challenges that I've played in.  ETA: after looking at all of these lined up, they kind of represent each season.  This first one would be summer:

This also uses Lil' Inker's Spring Flower die and a die-cut sentiment.  The colors come from this color challenge, and you can see that I was influenced by those sunflowers, too:

Card #2 is a Christmas design:

The khaki centers were stamped twice with the striped stamp, turning it 90 degrees to get this checked/plaid look.  I trimmed down the stamped panel for this one, framing it in kraft and placing it on a red card base.   I added a stamped sentiment and some sparkly snowflakes.  Here's the color challenge that inspired this card:

And I'm back to fall with my third entry:

Since the orange peel shapes were in different colors, they reminded me a bit of falling leaves, and I ran with that idea.  A happy coincidence is that this stitched frame works perfectly in size with this design, so I added it as an inner frame to bring in more of the aqua.  I also added a die-cut sentiment and some falling leaves to the mix.   These colors came from this challenge:

..............and then I read the fine print for the challenge: "Projects should exclusively feature LID goodies to be eligible to win but do not need to exclusively feature LID goodies to participate."  Okay, then, here's one more in spring colors using pinks and mints that follows the rules!

I love the center diamond with the heart, so that is featured on this card.  I didn't want to cover up anything, so I stamped my sentiment from Spot On on vellum and embossed it in silver, scored and folded my vellum strip so that it stood up above everything else,  then added some pink pearls on either side.

To say that I'm thrilled with this Circles and Diamonds die and stamp combo is an understatement - I love that you can use it with as little as 2 colors and as many as 4, and I'm sure more than that.  It lends itself to embellishing, yet it's interesting enough on it's own to stand by itself with just a sentiment.  The designers of the stamp set gave us some really fun patterns to fill in the stitched areas with.  Before I made cards I was a quilter, and I love that now I can make my own paper quilts whenever I'm in the mood.  I evidently miss making quilts, and could have gone on.......except for that darn ironing!!  Thanks for sticking with me for this long post!

 

Happy 5th Birthday, Lil' Inker! 

Simon Says.........Food or Drink

It's Wednesday and that means a brand new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge blog!

This week our theme is Food or Drink, and the Design Team are all using Simon Says Stamp exclusive products.  

My first card features probably my favorite treat:

supplies: white and several kraft cardstocks and a variety of Doodlebug paper pads, Simon's Ice Cream Cones die and Ice Cream Dreams clear stamp set, Die-Namics BluePrints 20 stitched die, Simon's moonshine sequins

The Doodlebug design papers are perfect for my ice cream scoops, as they are always such nice tiny prints, and don't overcome the die.

And I used this cute coffee cup die for my second card:

supplies: Simon's Coffee Cup die and What's Brewing? stamp set, papers from Amy Tangerine Plus One paper pad, Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear sequins

Now it's your turn!  Heidi has yet again provided another $50.00 gift voucher

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

Do you use Instagram?  If you do, we'd love you to add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there, too! 

And - don't forget our Kids Summer Vacation Challenge!  All kids from ages 2 through 16 can enter - and there are THREE prizes being given away!!