Merry & Bright

Today is my last chance to get another entry in for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge so I thought I would also enter it in the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #57. The Wednesday Challenge is still "Anything Goes" and that is also what the current challenge is for the Simon Flickr Group. The only requirement for the Flickr Group is to use at least one Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Stamp Set or Die. Since I use Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Dies in 95% of my cards, it's an easy one to qualify for.  

In my previous post, I talked about how I inked up some watercolor paper and then splattered it with gold, letting it dry so I could cut Holly die cuts from it.  I got the idea from my friend, Yana Smakula.  Well today, I took that one step further with another of Yana's ideas.

Before I found Papertrey Ink and discovered their awesome cardstock, I had a lot of SU! cardstock and I still do.  Papertrey's Cardstock is much thicker and smoother but in mimicking a technique that Yana did a month or two ago, this time I started with a sheet of SU! Wild Wasabi Cardstock and did ink blending on that using Papertrey Ink's Pine Feather Ink.  Since I was starting with a green background vs. the white one I usually do, it took a lot less work and ink to get the color I wanted.  Yippee!  I am so glad I'll have a purpose for all the SU! card stock in my leftover paper stash.  I use a lot of die cuts in my work and this is a great way to be able to use this supply.  I keep the SU! Cardstock in a separate place from my Papertrey Ink Cardstocks.  I did a half sheet of cardstock this way to get this deeper green that I used on my card.  Once I had it inked up, I spritzed it with Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mist in Gold Lamé and set it aside to dry while I figured out the rest of my elements.

I cut a large Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle from the Sheet Music paper. This was a partial sheet in my scrap bin and the only piece I have of it. I gave the patterned paper a mist of Iridescent Gold Shimmer, then gave it a few seconds to dry.  I really wanted to use it with this WPLUS9 Be Merry Stamp & Die Coordinating Set and the Woodland Basics Die Set which are part of the WPLUS9 Holiday 2016 Collection. I am crazy about this release. I made a True Black top folding card base for my project and adhered the rectangle panel to that.  I actually ordered the Be Merry Set directly from the WPLUS9 Store this time around.

Next I went back to the inked up cardstock and cut a piece of it large enough for the greeting. Treating it first with my Powder Tool, I then stamped the greeting in Versamark and heat set it with Hero Arts White Embossing Powder.  I have a few white embossing powders, but this is now my absolute favorite.  It melts fast and is super smooth and bright white; even brighter white than WOW!'s Opaque Bright White.  There are so many really fine details in this stamp set, especially around the banner. It can get lost in the heavier lines of some embossing powders, but not the Hero Arts White Embossing Powder.  It doesn't say fine detail on the container, but it is a very fine powder.  I've tried several including Ranger, but this is by far my favorite!

Once I had that completed I die cut it with the coordinating die from the Be Merry Die Set.  I also cut several of the large Holly Leaves from the stand alone Woodland Basics Die Set and then began making my arrangement on the card front.  I used Thin 3D Foam Squares for the greeting and Ranger Multi Medium Matte for the holly leaves and sequins.  I used sequins from Cartwright's in the color "Ruby Slippers".  Being a Kansas girl, that color name is particularly pleasing to me.  One of my favorite papers from several years ago is from Basic Grey and is called "Ruby Shoes".  I still have a few sheets of that paper left in my stash as well.

Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog today to see my project.  I truly appreciate all of the kind and encouraging comments you leave for me.  I've started making my Christmas cards to send to friends and family so you'll be seeing lots of those up on my blog in the coming weeks. Have a great day everyone!