Simon Says Stamp Celebrate Release {Flower Power}

I'm thrilled to be helping with the Celebrate Release from Simon Says Stamp!  My card for today features the new Flower Power stamp set that features an assortment of daisies and flowers in all kinds of sizes and a few leaves and hearts.  It also features quite a few uplifting and encouraging sentiments so I was happy to be able to sneak two onto the card without it seeming odd or busy!

I had thought up the design for this card one night when I couldn't sleep, so once I had time to sit down and get busy, it came together quite easily. To begin, I cut a bunch of 1/4 inch strips of scrap cardstock in rainbow colors (omitting purple). I cut a panel of white cardstock measuring 3 3/4 inches by 5 and then glued the strips using liquid glue. I like using liquid glue on projects like this because it gives me a little "wiggle room" (literally) to get the strips placed neat and straight.

When it was all said and done, I only used two blue strips, so I decided to heat emboss the "hugs and happy thoughts" sentiment on the teal cardstock using white detail embossing powder.

I cut a slightly narrower panel and got to work building the flower pattern using the included images. Once I had what I wanted, I got to work coloring them with an assortment of alcohol markers. I don't do much coloring at all anymore so many of my Copic markers have dried up, so I had to use a few from my inexpensive set I got on Amazon. I added some black ink splatter for added interest and detail.

I attached the teal sentiment underneath the colored panel and then adhered it to the panel with the strips using foam squares. I mounted the entire thing onto a white card base using additional foam squares. I added some Tim Holtz Rock Candy glitter to the flower centers, leaves, and the smaller flowers. I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins to finish it off! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Bloom With Happiness

Hello friends! for those of you who saw my last post, today's cards were made while I was impatiently waiting for THOSE dies to arrive! I was itching to use the cute rainboots, so....to bide my time, I pulled out some equally fun rainboots to scratch the itch! ha ha!

Both cards feature the fabulous Pro Stamper's Box: February; I actually just used the "assembled examples" ideas from the website for both of the cards. I was just having fun with all of the little images that I didn't want to use brain power to think up a layout! LOL! Do you ever have those times when you just want to play and have fun and not have to think too hard? 

Both cards use the the Cover Plate: Quilted die for the background; one done in Aqua Mist and the other is Green Parakeet.

I used the new  Watercolor Wonderful Stencil Collection on the largest of the ovals included in the Love to Layer: Ovals die collection. I simply used the 3 stencils on a panel of white cardstock and then framed the portion I wanted to cut out with the oval die and then ran it through my die cutting machine.

I made a few adjustments here and there with swapping images because I didn't actually stamp enough for both cards with what was shown on the assembled examples image.

I love how you can customize the rainboots with different stamps to create fun looks!

I used both of the included sentiments between the two cards. These were so fun to make! I absolutely ADORE making summer cards, but I'm having so much fun with spring, I hope I can make a few more before the industry switches gears! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Beautiful Blessings of Spring

I'm on a spring card kick if you haven't noticed! I treated myself to a few of the new goodies from Honey Bee Stamps that I simply couldn't resist! The tulips are getting ready to bloom here and I can't wait....so, in the meantime, I will make some paper versions!

For this card I used the delightful Lovely Layers: April Showers-Honey Cuts and the Blessings of Spring Stamp Set. A few additional products found their way into my shopping cart, so I'm hoping to sneak more crafty time to play with those soon!

I die cut the umbrella pieces from Bitty Big: Pink Posey pattern paper, with the exception of the black stem and the pink handle, and then added some SU! Regal Rose ink around some of the edges. I used the layering guide that came with the dies, so I used that for shading cues. I glued everything together with liquid glue and foam squares to create the illusion of a real umbrella.

I set that aside and got to work on the flowers. I die cut all of the pieces I planned on using to create three flowers each, but as you can see, I didn't end up using that many. These are good sized blooms, so you don't need too may to fill up the boots. I die cut all of the pieces from white cardstock and then colored them with finger daubers and distress oxide inks.

The boots are die cut from Lemon Tart cardstock with some shading using SU! Crushed Curry ink around the top portions. I used liquid glue to add the bottom portion that is covered up by the sentiment! ha ha!

The bird was die cut from Fine Linen cardstock for all three layers. I added dark brown distress oxide ink to the base , left the middle layer as-is, and then added lighter brown to the top layer and then glued it all together. There is an impression where the eye is so all I needed to do was use a fine-tip sharpie marker and a white gel pen to create a realistic looking eye.

I cut a piece of Echo Park gingham pattern paper to 4 by 5 1/4 inches and adhered it to a top-folding A2 card base using a tape runner. I added the boots using foam squares and then the umbrella. I had fun filling the boots up with the bloom and additional leaves. The birdie is perched on the toe of the boot. I added the sentiment and some glitter and a few dew drops for a raindrop feeling! I can't wait to play with these darling dies again soon! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {A Note to Say...Hello!}

 

Hello and welcome friends!  I'm popping in with something fitting for the upcoming spring season. As I was preparing my Easter dinner and dessert, I chose to serve strawberry shortcake and those beautiful berries inspired today’s project. When the To Pie For Die came out, it was autumn pie season so I was thrilled to pull it out for the spring season and make something fresh and fruity!

To begin, I die cut the strawberries using the BotaniCuts Strawberries Die  from white cardstock. I used finger daubers and Distress Oxide inks to add the color to both the greenery, berries, and flowers. I added some extra detail using colored pencils to the individual leaves, the berry tops, and the little strawberry blossoms. Once that was done, I set them aside and got to work on the pie.

As I mentioned earlier, I used the To Pie For Die; I die cut the crust portion from Fine Linen cardstock and the “filling” portion from white cardstock. I used the extra bits of lattice strips to weave though crust for an authentic lattice pie crust. I used some brown ink to add to the edges of the crust for that “golden brown” look and over the top of the intersecting lattice portions for realism. The “filling” was colored using the darkest ink I used on the berries. I glued the entire thing together to complete the pie and set it aside.

The background was created using the Square Dance Stencil. I used the same color ink for all of the steps for a subtle tone-on-tone look, but used different pressure for each of the steps.  I added some ink splatter in a darker ink for some contrast and interest. I added it to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue and then got to work with the arrangement of the card. I didn’t have a “set” idea for the sentiment so I had fun looking through options, but finally settled on the Scripty Hello Die and the accent sentiment from the Scripted Sentiments Stamp Set.

I used the swirly portion from the Frosted Frames Die and left the loops intact because I like how it “grounded” the frame a bit more. I added it to the stenciled background panel using liquid glue. I added the pie with foam squares pretty much in the middle of the card, added the berry cluster using additional foam squares. The sentiments are also added using mini foam squares. I added a few berries and leaves to the bottom with some additional blossoms for added interest. This is one of those cards that just makes me happy and I sure hope that it makes the recipient happy, too! Thanks for fluttering by!

Hugs {My Dear Friend}

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on yesterday's post! I'm back today sharing my project I made for this week's Papertrey Ink Flash Sale. This card features the Into the Blooms: Blossoming Beauties and a few other favorites that were released this time last year. 

To begin, I die cut all of the pieces 3 times each; this gave me quite a few extra blooms and a few extra leaves that made their way onto one of the tags I shared yesterday.  I used Lovely Lady and Raspberry Fizz ink for the largest pink flower, Lemon Tart and Bright Buttercup for the yellow flower, Summer Sunrise and Orange Zest ink for the orange flowers. The leaves are colored using Green Parakeet and New Leaf ink as well as the centers.

I added some Bright Buttercup ink around the edges of a Lemon Tart A2 panel and some Orange Zest ink splatter. I used the Cover Plate: Exquisite die and white cardstock and layered it over the top of the yellow panel using liquid glue. I didn't want to cover up too much of the background, so I die cut the largest bracket in the Love to Layer: Delightful Brackets die out of vellum. I used the medium bracket for the focal point to anchor the flowers and leaves.

I used foam squares to adhere the white bracket to the vellum bracket and then used additional foam squares on the vellum layer behind the white layer so they wouldn't show through. The sentiment is from the Perfect Pairs: Essentials stamp set; I think it plays well with the flowers and the stark contrast of the white embossing.

I added a trio of sequins and some glitter, which now I can see I didn't brush off the excess very well from the sentiments (whoops!). I added the entire panel to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue. I will tell you a secret since we're friends....I think the focal point is too low on the card (even though it's centered) because of the size of the sentiment. I actually pulled the entire vellum portion off and lifted it up a bit, but that was AFTER I edited and uploaded my pictures! (shhhhhhh!)  So, if you plan on making this card or something similar with a heavy font at the bottom, try placing it a bit higher and see if you like it better! (wink) I like the bright cheeriness of this card so hopefully it will brighten your day! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Spring Brings Hope Anew

Hello and welcome friends! I have quite a few springtime projects to share with you today. Over the last few releases and crafty sessions I've ended up with a lot of extra bits and bobs that I set aside to use on other projects. I like adding tags to baked goods and gifts here and there during the year, so I decided to sit down an make some tags with the extra bits. As you can see, this is NOT a tag....this ended up being one of those "if you give a mouse a cookie" situations! ha ha!

Let me explain; I DID make tags, which I'm sharing in this post, but those tags inspired cards, which meant making MORE bits and bobs to use, which turned out to be a few crafty sessions full of pure delight. Easter came WAY too early this year, and I wasn't ready to be done, so I chose to make some springtime cards.

This card was the second in the series and I will explain how I made it. To begin, I used the Exquisite Leaf Frame Hot Foil Plate and Glimmer Hot Foil-Champagne on Lilac Grace cardstock.  I trimmed it down and then stamped the "brings hope anew" portion of the sentiment at the bottom. The sentiments are from the Spring Snowdrops Stamp/Stencil set and they are just perfect for my cards.

The bunny and egg are from the new Spring Silhouette die set that was released in February. I die cut them from white cardstock and then colored the bunny with Classic Kraft ink and colored the eye with a fine-tip Sharpie marker and then added a white dot using a white gel pen. The egg is colored using a blending brush and Speckled Egg Distress Oxide ink. I added speckles to the bunny and egg using brown ink. The butterfly is from the Elegant Eggs die and it got some splatter as well.

I used a few different die sets for the foliage and flowers; the dotted detailed leaves are from the Into the Blooms: Blossoming Beauties die set (I used these on my Flash Sale project this week), Winter Medley Die for the flowers and greenery they are glued to, and finally, the BotaniCuts Strawberries Die. I arranged them around the egg and then added glitter to finish it off. The entire panel is adhered to a top-folding A2 card base using foam squares.

My second card is actually the first card I made with the tag as inspiration. As I mentioned earlier, it was the tags that inspired the cards. I had so much fun with this little tag that I thought it needed a bigger, card version. As you can see, I got a bit carried away with the Shimmer Spray (it's almost gone so it ended up spraying with globs of glitter) but it actually looks just fine in real life.

This card was made exactly the same way as the first, just with Berry Sorbet cardstock and a different sentiment, but it's from the same set.

Here are two of the original tags. The tag base is from an old retired PTI die, but they are cut using Aqua Mist and Berry Sorbet cardstock. The oval is from the Love to Layer: Delightful Brackets Die...I also had this out from my Flash Sale project. I am planning on blogging that project, so stay tuned. The eggs are left over from THIS card if you're interested in seeing how I made them.

The "thinking of you" sentiment is from the Perfect Pairs: Essentials stamp set. I had that out from the Flash Sale as well and it fit perfectly in the space for the tags.

My next series of tags uses the same tag base, but this time I die cut it twice: once from pattern paper and once from white cardstock. I glued them together for a sturdy piece. I used the Vase Collection 7 stamp set and then filled them with the flowers and greenery from the Winter Medley die I linked on the first card.

The For You tag uses an old tag die as well and the same gingham paper as the two previous tags. A few strawberry blossoms from a project I'll be sharing in a few days and the main flower is from the Into the Blooms II dies. The purple flower tag has lots of leftovers from THIS POST. I will talk more about the elements when I explain how I made the card that was inspired by the tag.

I decided to actually add a similar tag directly to the card front. Over the years when I have made tags, I have suggested to my readers that if they aren't into tags or tag making, they can simply add them to a card front. THIS is what I'm talking about! ha ha! As you can see, I didn't deviate from using the Hot Foil plate for the background; such a perfect frame for your focal point. The purple rectangle layer uses the new Elegant Script Hot Foil Plate and has such a fun subtle detail on the tags. The tag-tag, not the tag on the card, features a sentiment from the Rejoice! Stamp Set. I added glitter to finish off the card. A new, full bottle of Shimmer Spray arrived yesterday so I can add some to the cards that didn't get any (I didn't want to risk any more blobs). So, in the end I made WAY more pieces than I had leftover, but I had SO much fun! And, to enhance the "if you give a mouse a cookie" theme, I decided that I want to deliver these cards around the neighborhood with some lemon cupcakes so that required new cupcake boxes (because I was out) and edible butterfly accents for the cupcakes. So....you can see what happens when you simply want to "use up" the extras sitting on your desk! LOL! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I also started a new sewing project so I will be sharing that soon on my other (sorely neglected) blog.

 

Project Inspiration {Rejoice!}

I have a fun Easter project to share with you! This was shared in the Papertrey Ink newsletter this week and I wanted to share even more of the details for those who are interested. When I was decorating for Easter a few weeks ago, I found the Easter card that my sister gave me last year. I was so thrilled to get it because it was such great inspiration for me and I saved it because it's a cute decoration AND because I was itching to try making my own version using stamps/dies/hot foils.

To begin, I used the Ornate Swirls Hot Foil Plate on a 4 by 5 1/4 inch panel of Aqua Mist cardstock. I took the plunge and cut into my last FULL sheet of Aqua Mist cardstock and that was risky just in case the foiling didn't turn out! ha ha! It has a slight issue, but there's no way I was going to throw it away and try it again!

I also use the Weave-A-Basket die to cut out the pieces of the basket from white cardstock. I assembled the woven portion easily and then got to work on the eggs. There ARE eggs that are included in basket die collection, but the inspiration piece used much larger eggs so I chose to use the smallest solid egg die included in the Elegant Eggs Die collection. I simply used an assortment of hot foil plates using champagne foil on white cardstock. I cut them out with the egg die and then blended the color using blender brushes and ink.

I used a few different dies to create the flowers and greenery: Spring Silhouette for the leafy vines and the smallest flowers, Into the Blooms: Spring Nest for the pink and blue flowers to the right of the small white flowers, Into the Blooms: Wreath dies for the remainder of the flowers, and the Wrap-It Ribbons die for the bow.

I layered the basket onto the foiled panel and added the bow to the top using foam squares.

I tucked the eggs inside and then arranged the flowers and greenery until I was satisfied with the arrangement.

I layered it onto a top-folding A2 cardbase, added some glitter, and the sentiment. This particular sentiment has been a favorite this season and is from the Thoughts of Easter stamp set.

I heat embossed it in gold and then used the coordinating Thoughts of Easter Sentiments dies to cut it out.

Also, I forgot to mention that I used a mustard marker to color the centers of the very tiny flower centers.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! Thanks for fluttering by!