The Card Concept {Rich Holiday}

Hello everyone! Every two weeks on Wednesday, The Card Concept posts a new challenge for you to participate in.  This week, our theme is Rich Holiday and we have this beautiful inspiration photo for you.  I know Christmas is still about 8 weeks away, but in our family, my husband and his siblings take turns hosting and this year is his sister Brenda's turn.  She lives in Arizona and didn't want to worry about travel during what could very possibly be blizzard or icy conditions.  That happened the last time she was hosting and there was ice and snow and no way for some of us to even make it home.  So this year, as Brenda is hosting again, we're gathering for the Family Christmas dinner at Thanksgiving.  As a card maker, I started making Christmas cards back in August so I'm really ready for Family Dinner in November. I've been working on things for my Sisters-In-Law and some of my grands to take to the dinner.  It's also the time of year when I take all the cards I have left from this year and let them select whatever they want.  I make a minimum of 4 cards each week and often more than that so there is always a lot for them to choose from.

For my card for this challenge, I wanted to use a new kit from Gina K Designs called Merry and Bright. This is actually my first kit from there, and I have to say, I have been highly impressed with the products from the inks to the paper and the stamps.  I ordered two ink cubes (Cherry Red and Fresh Asparagus) to try out the colors. Everything is extremely nice quality.  And the layering weight white cardstock is to die for.  It is so silky and stamps like a dream. It is #80 and similar to Neenah Solar White #80 cardstock.  My kit came with several sheets of 7 different color cardstocks and it's been great to get to try it out without having to buy whole packages. I did actually go back and order some of the cardstock to go with this kit specifically in colors I don't have from Papertrey Ink and I ordered two packages of the layering weight white just to have for stamping card fronts; also the Cherry Red, Fresh Asparagus, and Edible Eggplant. As much as I love Purple, I just don't use it as often as I thought I would.

For my card, I stamped a few of each size of poinsettias from the kit in Cherry Red and stamped the leaves in Fresh Asparagus onto Layering Weight White Cardstock. I left them dry for a half hour or so while I did a few other things and then die cut them with the coordinating dies. This is my third card from this kit so far and I made one similar to this last week so I had an idea of what I wanted to do for this card.  So I got all the elements die cut, stamped, heat embossed and ready to assemble.  For the center of the Poinsettias, I applied a generous amount of Ranger Multi Medium Matte and then put gold seed beads into it.  When that glue was dry, I flicked it on the back so that all the extra beads would come off and put them back into the container.

The label is actually an old die from Spellbinders called Bookplate.  Because it is older, you have to run it through a second time to get the embossing effect. I misted it on the back with one mist of water which helps the paper fibers to stretch.  Once I had that done, I made sure to let it dry completely, then used my powder tool before stamping the greeting (from the kit found here) in Versamark and heat set with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  Using the bookplate die as a stencil, I brushed the label with Versamark and then went over it with Gold Perfect Pearls.  It's very subtle and hard to see in the photo, but I like the effect.

After that I started assembling my card.   I made a top folding card base made from Stamper's Select White Cardstock and added first the gold foiled mat layer and then the Red Velvet panel on the top of that. Red Velvet Cardstock came in the Merry & Bright Kits as well.  Next, I added my sentiment label with Scotch 3M Foam Tape.  I had laid out my arrangement out ahead of time so I'd have a good idea of how I wanted to place everything.  I used Thin 3D Foam Squares to add the flowers and dot liner adhesive to adhere everything else to the card.  This is a very clean card with lots of "White" Space but still lots of layering and dimension.

Be sure to go to The Card Concept Challenge Blog and see all the beautiful inspiration from the other DT Members.  There are some stunning creations.

Sentiment Windows

This week's Make it Monday from Papertrey Ink features Dawn McVey and shows us a technique that uses a sentiment window (video found here).  I had never really thought about doing this before, but I like it as the sentiment does double duty because it's visible from the outside and inside of the card.  It was super easy to do although I did mess up my first attempt by putting to many thick layers on my card front.  I liked the combination I had first, but I just couldn't get that third layer cut so I had to start over.  I'll save the other card for a different project. 

I started with a top folding card base made from Stamper's Select White Cardstock.  I cut a Pinefeather Bitty Big Plaid background panel using a stitched rectangle die. I am loving the prints in the Bitty Big Papers and I'm excited to see what colors we get this month. Then I used the oval die from Noted: Scalloped A2 Dies to cut the oval window in my card.  I decided to use some of the previously stamped Berry Branches from Betsy's Beautiful Berries: Winter that had been stamped in Pinefeather with Pure Poppy Berries. The shadows on the berries had been stamped in Scarlet Jewel but I covered that up with some red glitter and a quickie glue pen.  It was okay though because it gave me a guide for where to put the glue.

Next, I chose a sentiment from the "A Thrill of Hope" Stamp Set and using my card in my Mini MISTI, lined it up in the window so that it will show through on the front as well.  After using my powder tool on the inside of the card, I stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat set it with Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  I arranged the berry branches around the open window, being careful not to get any adhesive on the area that would go through to the card base.  I didn't, but if you accidentally get some on there, you can deactivate the sticky by putting some powder on it or using an adhesive eraser to remove it.  I will probably mail this card so I used sticky dot adhesive on there rather than foam tape.

This was super fast and easy to pull together and I still have several sets of the berry branches ready to go in other colors so I am planning to make a few of them.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to check out all the entries on Nichole Heady's Blog.

Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #59

I have been enjoying playing in the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenges since I discovered it earlier this summer.  Heidi and the crew at Simon Says Stamp always have a gift certificate for each of the challenges which run bi-weekly.  I won one of them a few weeks ago.  There's also no limit as to how many times I can enter each challenge as long as I am meeting the other qualifications of a new project and using some of the Simon Says Stamp branded Stamps or Dies. So it's kind of a nice change of pace.  The theme this week is for Christmas/Holiday and heaven knows I've been doing plenty of those, but I have a few more for friends to do.  My family cards have all been done and mailed out, but I still have several friends I want to make one for.  

Today, I needed to make some cards for the men in a friend's life that she wants to give them for Christmas.  For this first group of cards, I used the Simon Says Stamp "Look For the Miracles" Stamp Set.  I know it isn't a Christmas set but, after all, Christmas is all about miracles so I think this sentiment works well for this style.

I started by splattering some gold metallic watercolor and some white pearl watercolor all over a half sheet length of  Night of Navy Cardstock (my last sheet by tapping my brush onto the handle of another one to make the splatter.  I do this in a shallow box lid to contain the mess and set it aside to dry overnight usually.  The size of your brush determines the size of your spatter.  My most commonly used brush is my #8 Silver Black Velvet Brush and my #4 Silver Black Velvet Brush.

I also found some metallic watercolor online that I am enjoying very much and I wanted to share my find with you.  So last year around this time I invested in a set of Finetec Mica Gold Watercolors.  I love them and I have used them several times but no one seems to carry the little refill pans you need once the pans are empty and two of mine are nearly gone.  The refills are made, but I haven't found them at all my usual places. This means that I don't use them as often as I want because it is not something that's going to be easy to replace and I am hoping I don't have to buy the full set again.

The other day, I ran across some Metallic Gold and Metallic Pearl White Watercolors in 8 ounce bottles. The price point was low (around $8.00), especially for the amount of product you get.  You can mix it with a bit of water or use it straight from the bottle. This means I can use all the Gold Spatter I want on my projects, so be forewarned that I am sure it will be in use often around here.... now that I don't have to hoard it anymore. *Ü* The Brand is Sargent Art and I found mine on Amazon.

Back to my card.  I splattered Gold Watercolor Paint on the navy cardstock, let that dry over night, then splattered it again with the White Watercolor Paint and let that dry all morning.  Next I stamped the sentiment from the "Look for the Miracles" Stamp Set in Ranger Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder and heat set it. Next I got several of the Snowflakes from the Papertrey Ink "What the Doodle Snowflake" Stamp set and stamped them randomly around the rest of the background and heat embossed them using the same Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder.  I did cut the panel with the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die and mounted it to a top folding card base made from Papertrey Ink Classic Kraft cardstock.

I made three cards in this style and then I switched it up by creating the same design on a Bazzill Whirlypop panel with Hero Arts White Embossing Powder and only Metallic White Pearl splatter. To stay with the slightly lighter colored theme, I heat embossed the snowflakes in WOW! Metallic Platinum Sparkle Embossing Powder and mounted that to a top folding card base made from Stamper's Select White Cardstock.  

That is it for today!  Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my blog.  I really appreciate all of the kind and encouraging comments you leave.  I have several other projects finished so I will be back very soon!

CAS on Sunday & Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

I've got a card today for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with an "Anything Goes" theme for this week as well as the CAS on Sunday Challenge with a "Christmas" theme.

Sometimes, in the everyday business of creating, we forget all of the tools we have at our disposal.  I know that my embossing folders sit in a basket on the shelf in my closet (behind closed doors usually) and I tend to forget they are there. I need to remember to bring them out more often as it is a really quick way to add texture and dimension to a project without a lot of fuss or mess. Some of the newer embossing folders are 3D although I still use both kinds.

I'm making a few cards for a friend's family and I wanted to make a really special one for her parents' card.  I know her mom loves purple and I wanted to use the Spellbinders Poinsettia Dies to make their card.  I originally did some ink blending on watercolor paper using Seedless Preserves Distress Ink but when I went to add the angled band across the front, I didn't like it that the papers weren't the same, so I cut another poinsettia in this gorgeous thistle colored shimmering cardstock. This paper is some I got several years at a scrapbook store in Whitesboro, TX.  I love this particular shade of purple so I've been hoarding what I have left but it was the perfect paper for the card I was creating today. And while I tried several different colors of card bases, I didn't really like any of them except the white. I needed to add some visual interest to the card base so I reached for my neglected embossing folders.  This particular one is the We R Memory Keepers Next Level Gemstone Embossing Folder.  I love the different facets or planes this folder creates on my plain white cardstock.  These come two to a package with two different designs and are 6 x 6 so that you can run your card bases either direction which is always fantastic for me because I make so many top folding vertical cards.

I added shimmer mist to the green cardstock for the leaves so everything would be shimmery.  The poinsettia dies cut four layers so you just have to adhere one on top of the other and finish off the center with the embellishment of your choosing.  Pearls are always a classic choice for me. To give a little bit of dimension, I cut Thin 3D Foam Squares in half  and put that just under the tips of the petals on the largest layer.  I used Ranger Multi Medium Matte to adhere the center of the poinsettia to the card base.  Additionally, I added one of the Thin 3D Foam Squares under each tip of the leaves and a drop of Multi Medium Matte at the center where I tucked the leaves in under the bloom.

Next I cut a piece of Gold Glitter Paper 1.5 inches wide and then another piece of the purple shimmer paper 1.25 inches wide so that just a narrow border of the gold glitter would show on each side of the band.  I stamped the sentiment from the Concord & 9th Holy Night Stamp Set.  I attached the band to the card on a diagonal using 1/4" ScorTape.

This turned out to be one of my favorite Christmas cards I've made this year. The detail of the white card base might not be very visible in this photograph, but it is definitely there when you see it in person.  Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I'll be back soon with another card.

Simon Says & Inspired

My card today is for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge #34. The theme at Simon's is A Christmas To Die For (using a die) and the Inspired Challenge gave us this picture to use for inspiration.  I love the black and white with pops of red and green.  For my red and green, I decided to use a Poinsettia.

I started my card by cutting a black card base from True Black Cardstock.  I also cut a white inside panel so there would be a place to write a message. Next I cut a base layer from Altenew Spicy Yogurt Cardstock at 5 3/8th x 4 1/8th .  For the next layers I cut the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die (4 x 5.5) from Pure Poppy Cardstock.  The music paper was the final scrap I had left and it had already been cut down into a stitched rectangle previously.  Next I die cut the bloom of the poinsettia using the Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia Die with Pure Poppy Cardstock and the leaves from some scraps of cardstock.  The poinsettia cuts 4 layers of the flowers so they are very easy to put together.

Additionally, I cut three of the "Believe" die cuts and one black shadow.  I put the three layers together using a little bit of spray adhesive and then used Ranger Multi Medium Matte to adhere the shadow to the back of the die cuts.  This Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Believe Die is my favorite from this year's release and I know it will be a favorite for many years to come.

That is my card for today!  It was super easy to put together and I love how it turned out.  Also, there was no stamping, just die cutting so it came together really fast.

Thank you so much for stopping by and be sure to stop over at both of the challenge blogs to see if you find some inspiration there. I really appreciate the kind and encouraging comments you leave for me.

I'm also entering this card into the Simon Say Stamp Flickr Challenge #59.

Simon Says.... Christmas Critters!

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for this week is Christmas Critters.  While I don't have any critters specifically for Christmas I do have this set of Winter Pals and that's probably close enough for this challenge.  I worked some snowy hills into my card along with a snowy night sky which I hope conveys that feeling of Winter/Christmas where I live. The design of this card is very similar to one I did earlier this week while still being a bit different.

I started with a panel of medium blue cardstock and did ink blending using Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and a Mini Round Ink Blending Tool.  I used a lot more ink at the top of the panel than at the bottom although I'm not sure you can see the difference in the end.  After that I added some "snow" by making spatter with Heidi Swap Color Shine Spray in White.

I stamped the critters, sled and tree from Wplus9 Studios' Winter Pals Stamp Set in Simon Says Stamp Intense Black Ink onto Stamper's Select White Cardstock from Papertrey Ink, then colored in the penguin, sled and tree using all Cool Grey Markers (C1, C3, C5).  For the little girl bear, I used Warm Grey Copics (W1, W3, W5).  I used B000 and BG05 (Holiday Blue) for the ear muffs on the penguin plus a couple of pinks for the little hood on the bear.  After I was finished coloring them, I die cut them with the Winter Pals Coordinating Dies. I cut three of the largest sized oval from the MFT Stitched Ovals Die and glued them together for a thicker frame.  From the leftover positive piece from the inside of the ovals, I cut those using the Landscape Trio Dies from Mama Elephant and spritzed them with Tsukineko Sheer Sparkle Shimmer Spritz to make them look snowy so I could use them for hills. I also used Clear Wink of Stella Shimmer Pen on everything else.  I assembled everything onto the blue panels and then adhered that panel to a White Top Folding Card Base made from Stamper's Select White.  The banner was die cut using the banner die from Be Merry Stamp and Die Sets.

I love this style for my grandkids or for friends, like my hairdresser, who have young children at home.  In fact, she has a not quite 4 month old at home so her littles always love critters.

I hope you enjoyed my card today and that you'll come back soon to see my next project.  Don't forget to subscribe or follow me on Facebook and Instagram, although I update Instagram much more often than my Facebook Page.  I guess because Instagram is a bit more interactive I tend to go there much more often. Have a great day everyone!  We have a beautiful fall day on tap here.

Papertrey Ink's November 2016 Create Along With Us

It's time for the Papertrey Ink Create Along With Us Challenge for November 2016. The idea is that we are inspired by one of the projects from the Design Team during release week.  I had a hard time deciding which direction I wanted to head this month. The projects from Nichole and the whole team are always inspiring but I loved the projects that incorporated a tag into the cards done by Betsy and Melissa.








I started by die cutting the Tag Sale #4 Die from Coaster Board and Hawaiian Shores Cardstock.  I glued the Hawaiian Shores layer to the coaster board layer using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  Next I cut the 2nd largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle from Canson Bristol Watercolor Paper.  This die just happens to be the exact size for the tag die. After treating the circle with my powder tool, I stamped the Papertrey Ink Splits - 'Tis the Season onto the circle and heat set it with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  This is still my go to powder for most things.  I love that its a really warm gold. I just used an acrylic block to do my stamping.

I had originally planned to watercolor this part of the "ornament" but I ended up using my Copic Markers doing some very basic coloring.  I used two colors on the candles but one color for the greenery (G17) and another for the holly berries (R29).  The candles were colored using BG01 and BG05. Once the coloring was complete on my circle, I misted it with some shimmer spritz and let it dry.

Several months ago I got a paper pad from Hobby Lobby called Be Bold, Be Bright and it has all these gorgeous foiled prints in it.  I really only use these papers as backgrounds from time to time and I have hardly used any at all, but when I want something really special looking, I love to pull them out.  I die cut a piece with the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die and mounted that to a Top Folding Card Base made from Stamper's Select White.  I pulled the banner greeting from the Botanical Blocks IV set and stamped it onto the banner from Tag Sale: Quilted Die cut from the same watercolor paper.



This was another super fast card to put together but still allowed for a little bit of a handmade touch and would be easy to do multiples of.

Thank you so much for stopping by to look at my project today.  It always means a lot when you take time to leave kind and encouraging comments.

The Card Concept #61 & Caring Hearts Card Drive

Every time I sit at my desk to work this month, I try to make four more cards just for the Caring Hearts Card Drive which distributed more than 22,000 Holiday Cards last year to the elderly who live in nursing homes.  So with the idea of making a few rather than just one, I used the same design that I showed on Instagram the other day, just with slightly different colors. This design is so fast that really, I should make about 10 each time!  (In the end, I made 12 today.) However, I don't have much in the way of printed paper, so it takes a while to choose that. Otherwise, it's super easy to make these cards.  I was having a problem the other day with an ink pad when I was working on these cards but my replacement pad was in yesterday's mail so I could go ahead and make a few more of these.  You can see in the next Photo that my leaves are a different color (Ocean Tides) than the ones I made today, but I decided not to make anymore until my replacement ink pad came.

I did use the MISTI to stamp the sentiment since it is two different fonts and on two different stamps and I needed to be able to stamp it again if my first stamping was not as clean as it should have been. I started with panels of 5.5 x 4.25 inch Stamper's Select White Cardstock and stamped my greeting from the Simon Says Stamp's Believe in the Season Stamp Set. I sprinkled Ranger Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder over the top and heat set it. I stamp, sprinkle, stamp, sprinkle, & heat set 2 panels at a time. Lots of people do more than this but I found if I have too many at once, I tend to mess up the embossing powder before it gets heat set. Some folks stamp 10 at a time for instance but I don't get impressions as good when I do it that way as I think the ink dries too much before getting sprinkled.  I guess I am kind of a slow stamper. Whatever happens, you should always do what works for you personally.  Other people's experiences can be your guideline, but do it how you like.

I wanted to add a few thoughts about MISTI here as food for thought.  I have the MISTI and also the Mini MISTI.  There is also available a Large Misti which will stamp a 12 x 12 sheet of paper. At the time when I got mine, the regular sized MISTI was the only size available. Just after CHA this year, the other two sizes were released.  Heidi Crowl had a "Steals & Deals" flash sale at Simon Says Stamp sometime in the past 6 month and had the Mini MISTI on there for $29.00 so I snatched it up!  I love the small size since I usually work on a panel of cardstock but you need the larger, 8.5 x 11 inch size if  if you want to stamp directly onto a card base.  Also, the Mini MISTI takes up a lot less real estate on my desk.

Image from my Instagram Account on November 8

On the first 4 cards from today, I used the Holly Leaves and Berries from Papertrey Ink's Enclosed: Bell Stamp Set to stamp the images by stamping first in Versamark Ink and then adding my color choices for each thing - in this case Pine Feather and Pure Poppy.  I want to make sure you understand what I did here so I'm going to explain it a bit further.  I stamped first on the Versamark Ink Pad and then without cleaning that off, stamped again in the colored ink. So there is a double layer of ink so to speak is what I stamped onto my paper.  I sprinkled each of them with WOW! Neutral Ultra Shimmer Embossing Powder which deepens the color and makes it look all sparkly.  

I wanted to do a comparison for how that worked as opposed to stamping just in the ink, without any Versamark added, then covering with embossing powder. So that I could keep it straight in my mind which was which, I used Simon Says Stamp Clear Embossing Powder for these next four cards.  I would stamp in ink only, sprinkle the embossing powder, heat set it, then while that was still warm, sprinkle the clear embossing powder again and heat set it and again a third time. These make the glossiest, smoothest berries and leaves.  The 2nd time helps, but it's that third time of sprinkling and heating that really makes them nice.  The look very much as if I put a coat of glossy accents on everything but I didn't have to wait for them to dry. Pine Feather is a very deep green ink and the clear embossing powder just intensifies this.  When I worked on this design a couple of days ago, I did those by sprinkling the berries with WOW! Primary Apple Red Embossing Powder, but honestly, the clear was so much easier to do and I could do it without having to change embossing powders mid stream.  These stamps are small in size and I have my container of Clear Embossing Powder sitting right there for an immediate sprinkle.  Since I planned from the beginning to heat emboss the stamping, I had moved over to that area of my studio where I keep those tools.  I wouldn't have had enough time to get the embossing powder onto the damp ink if I had stamped them at my desk and then moved them the heat embossing area. These inks are not pigment based so they don't stay wet very long. Time is of the essence and you can't dawdle on this step.  I used an acrylic block to stamp the leaves and berries.  I could have used MISTI since it was sitting there but it seemed easier to just stamp them normally.  And although I did this by hand, they are really close to being in exactly the same place on each panel - proof that practice really does help.

The patterned papers are from Wild Rose Studio's Bird & Berries Collection and Painted Poinsettia's Collection. I didn't mess any of these up when I was die cutting them with the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles Dies but I was worried I might because they are so thin.

This is the one time of year that I used pre-made note cards from Hobby Lobby but they are not the same size as usual being 4 x 5.5 inches.  Anytime I am making a large group of cards, I use these, to be consistent and because they are fast and ready to go.  I love the narrow margin around the outside of the die cut so if I trim 1/4 inch off of the longer side, then this is a perfect fit for this look.  I actually wish someone would make a die with the stitched edge and the slightest bit smaller than a standard A2 card base; like 5 3/8th's x 4 1/8th.  So far, no one does.  Everyone makes one that is a quarter of an inch smaller on both sides or the same size of 4.25 x 5.5 inches. I'm looking for the in between size.

On some of these cards, I did a bit of ink blending around the edges of the smaller rectangle (cut using the second largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle) with Pale Peony or Spring Rain Ink and a Mini Ink Blending Tool. Since this is card stock and not watercolor paper, I used a back and forth scrubbing motion just on the edges which gives some added texture. All in all , this was a very easy card to make and to duplicate. I noticed that my friend, Yana, did a card with the same basic design the other day and all I can say is that "great minds think alike". She used the Simon Says Stamp Poinsettia Stamp Set for her "Holly" which is a genius idea. Yana always makes me take a step back and try to see my stamps in other ways but I'm not nearly as good at that as she is.

This last card is the one I'll be entering into The Card Concept Challenge #61 in the Clean & Layered Style. The color Pink was my total inspiration for this challenge although I did more cards in both the pink and the blue.  If you'd like to contribute cards to this great card drive, you can find all the details here at Jennifer McGuire's Blog or you can contact the Activities Director at a local nursing home to see if there is a need in your area.  I bet there is!   

Inspired By All The Little Things #31

Hello everyone!  I took a few days off at the end of the week last week and the weekend off because I had lots of company, so I am scrambling to get back into my groove this week.  This is always helped along when I get new products to work with.  I was so excited when I saw the inspiration image for this week as I knew my order had shipped on Friday and was scheduled to be delivered on Monday (yesterday) so I would have a couple of new things that I really wanted to use for the Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge #31.  

I started by using a sheet of the soft, warm yellow paper from the Wild Rose Studio Harvest Meadow Paper Pack (a 6 x 6 paper Pack) and stamping the Holly Leaves from the Papertrey Ink Enclosed: Bell Stamp Set with Ripe Avocado Ink.  I did this by starting in the center of the paper and rotating it vs. rotating the stamps to get the leaves going all different directions and nicely spaced although I didn't do any kind of measuring.  My friend Yana is a whiz at this but this was my first try to do a pattern of this sort.  I actually surprised myself with how well it turned out.

Next I stamped the Holly Berries using Pure Poppy Ink and then stamped the Hero Arts Music Background in Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  Even though the paper is very thin, I still heat set that ink with Simon Says Stamp Clear Embossing Powder being careful not to hold it too long in one spot.  This prevents the pigment ink from smearing. Then I cut a panel of Pure Poppy Cardstock with the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die, cut the printed paper I had made with the same rectangle, then re-aligned it back into the die to take about 1/8th inch more off two sides which gives me about 1/16th of an inch all the way around for the Poppy Mat. This is a favorite technique to stretch my dies even further.  

Before/After stamping the pattern

This card really mixes a lot of different brands of products for the finished card; Wild Rose Studio, Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink, Simon Says Stamp, Winnie & Walter and there's even a punch from SU!  I love to take the bits and pieces from any brand I have to get the exact look I want on my finished product.

Once I had the patterned paper created I just pulled in all the bits and pieces off my desk to create my card. The Poinsettia is from the Simon Says Stamp Winter Flowers Stamp & Die Combo, the banner and leafy branch are from Papertrey Ink's Songbird Dies, and even though there is a bird in that set that I really like, I felt it was too big for this project so I used my SU! punch for that.  I used Festive Berries Re-inker to paint the Poinsettia but I was going more for the color rather than the technique on that element.  Because I used Black Versafine for the sheet music, I wanted to also use that ink for the bloom.  A little Nuvo Crystal Drops in Ebony Black Gloss for the center and for the bird's eye finished out the details.

For not having any sheet music paper, I am pretty darn happy with how this came out.  The card base is made from Mossy Meadow Cardstock (SU!) and the banner and branch are both cut from some Antique Gold Shimmer Paper scraps. Be sure to stop over at the Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge Blog to see how everyone interpreted this challenge.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.  I appreciate it when you take time to leave encouraging comments.  I hope you'll come back soon.

Shine Bright Like A Diamond

I am popping in with a super fast post today!  I took several days off last week to get a few days in with my best girls (my daughter and best friend were both here) and also one of my brothers was here with his daughter, my niece Livvie (short for Olivia).  Liv is a senior in high school this year and an honor student who will be starting college next fall.  She is planning to be a lawyer.  It was so awesome to see her and my brother and we browsed through my Heritage Album and filled her in on as many family stories, traditions and so on as we could remember.  It was a lot of fun.

I wanted to get something made quickly today for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week in the theme of "Shine Bright Like A Diamond".  I tried to keep things as simple as possible for today's card.  I have so many ideas in my head right now that it is hard for me to stay on task and finish one before starting another.  I have bits and piece for at least a half dozen more sitting on my desk.

I started by doing some ink blending on a piece of watercolor paper using a Mini Ink Blending Tool and some Simon Says Stamp Audrey Blue Ink.  If you use a light touch, you can give it just that hint of color which exudes more of a light source look rather than a definitive color.  You can enhance that look my adding a bit of shimmer mist to that panel and letting it dry. I love using this on my cards and when it was dry I cut it with the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die in the largest size. Next I stamped the Pine Branch from the Sunny Studios Holiday Style Stamp Set. I first inked the stamp in Versamark and then without cleaning off the stamp, added Pine Feather Ink then stamped it onto the watercolor panel. By doing it this way, you can add embossing powder over the top to intensify the color and provide iridescence.  I used WOW! Neutral Ultra Shimmer Embossing Powder and heat set it. This ink is my favorite green for the holidays but I don't really have any other ink in a similar color.  Simon's has a new ink color called Evergreen that's on my wishlist. Next I cut the What The Doodle Ornament from gold glitter cardstock. I used a metal shim and didn't have any trouble but my glitter paper has a kind of vinyl backing on it which can sometimes give me trouble.  Luckily it didn't today.  I also cut the Simon Says Stamp Believe Die from the same glitter paper.  Using Ranger Multi Medium Matte, I attached the die cut to the branch and the die cut word below.  I also added some of the Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequin Mix which has them in the 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm size all in one package.  I don't usually have all the sizes so I'm glad that Simon Says Stamp offers these in a mix.

I mounted everything onto a top folding card base made from Pine Feather Cardstock and attached my panel using 1/4 inch Scor-Tape for a super strong hold. Finally, I added Stardust Stickles to all of the openings on the ornament for the ultimate in sparkle and shine.  It did take a little while to dry, but I feel like the end result was worth it.

This is it for me today but I hope you'll stop over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog to see all the great ideas and inspiration there.

Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #57

Each year right after Halloween, the grocery stores and nurseries start putting out their Poinsettias.  While I love the traditional red ones, it's the lovely pink ones that make me happy and speak to my heart with their beauty.

I watercolored this poinsettia from the Papertrey Ink Botanical Blocks IV using Worn Lipstick and Mowed Lawn Distress Markers with a water brush.  I used Sugar Pea Designs Zig-Zag Stitched Rectangle Dies, Hibiscus Burst Cardstock, Canson Bristol Watercolor Paper, Versamark, Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Foiled Cardstock, and of course the Simon Says Stamp Exclusive "believe" die.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this die!  I'll be happy when the Simon Says Stamp Believe Stamp Set arrives but I had to wait to order until it was back in stock and it hasn't shipped yet.

Since the sentiment is "believe", I had to dig through some stuff and find some Jingle Bells.  They aren't silver bells like in the Polar Express Movie, but since I used gold accents on my card I saved the silver ones for another time. *Ü*

This card was created for the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #57 which is still "Anything Goes".  You can still play today or until 9:00 a.m. EST tomorrow!  Have a great day everyone!

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!

The Challenge #83

Hello!  I'm back today at Always Playing With Paper and The Challenge #83, a Christmas Inspiration Challenge.

I loved the bright pops of color on the white packages in the photograph and really wanted to use the same colors for my card.  In fact, I have two cards for you today featuring the Be Merry Stamp and Die Combination from WPLUS9 Design Studio.  I love the big bold graphics of this set with its mixed typography and how the die is designed to go around the entire sentiment including all those fun little details like the lower swoosh of the "g". There are a couple more choices of greetings you can use in the same set as well.

Both of these cards were made with Stamper's Select White Cardstock for the bases. This is my very favorite cardstock of all that are out there.  It is #110, heavy weight, super smooth and stamps beautifully, no matter what kind of ink you choose.  All of Papertrey Ink's card stocks are just beautiful and the quality simply can't be beat. The greeting was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed using Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder which is my favorite embossing powder and and my favorite gold as well. *Ü*  I love that it has a warm rich tone to it.

Dawn created a card similar to this on the WPLUS9 Blog during the first week in October and I loved it.  There is set of stand-alone dies that were created to work nicely with this set called Woodland Basics and that is what Dawn used in her video tutorial.  I already had the Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Dies which are along the same lines, so I wanted to try those out first. I'm okay with how they look but I think the Woodland Basics are a better scale for the stamps so I'll be trying those in the near future.  I did some ink blending on watercolor paper in blues & greens then die cut them with the Holiday Greens Dies.

I stamped the flowers on Pure Poppy cardstock, heat set them, die cut them, then arranged them around my sentiment. The Be Merry Coordinating Dies have a few little flowers and stems in it and I used those in combination with the Holiday Greens die cuts.  I also have a sentiment stamped and heat embossed using WOW! Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder, but I haven't used it for a card yet.  I have to say, I really loved Dawn's card that she created using black cardstock and I definitely have it on my list of cards to make. I also have a few other stamps and dies that I want to try with this sentiment but I really love how large it is and the detail in the stamp as well.

I also wanted to try this card in some classic colors as well which is what I like to use for masculine cards.  I really like how it turned out. The sentiment was stamped on True Black, then die cut.  The greens are cut from gold foiled cardstock and the flowers on Pure Poppy Cardstock again. The greens on the cards were adhered with Ranger Multi Medium Matte and the sentiments with Thin 3D Foam Tape.  

Be sure to stop over at The Challenge to check out all of the Design Team's projects and inspiration!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Treat Box, Bag or Envelope

This week over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, the theme is "Treat Bag or Box". It just so happens that I had something perfect for this challenge. The limited edition Holiday Kit from Papertrey Ink this year is called Post & Parcel and has the dies to create these adorable letter boxes that are large enough for chocolates, mints, or candy, and the optional Gift Card Envelope Die that has been added to the regular line is the perfect size to hold those gift cards.  There were so many dies included in the kit this year and that made it very hard for me to resist.

Betsy Veldman's Post & Parcel Sneak Peek

This is the first time I've had a chance to sit down and play with this set, but it was so easy to put together having Betsy's download and YouTube Video available to reference.  Even the adorable little padlock is part of the die cuts included in the kit.  As soon as I saw Betsy Veldman's and Kay's projects, I knew I was in trouble because I loved both of them.  I didn't even have to look at what the rest of the Design Team had done to know I was getting the kit.

Kay Miller's Post & Parcel Parcel Peek

As I mentioned, there was a separate Gift Card Envelope Die that you could purchase and that is one of my favorite things and will be able to be used for many things in the future.  I can hardly wait to make Valentines next year, especially keeping in mind that Betsy has other ideas for the Gift Card Envelope Die.  It is separate item from the Post & Parcel kit which sold out, so it will continue to be available for purchase.

Truthfully, these pastel colors don't photograph all that well, but I had this stripe and damask patterned paper from American Crafts that I've held on to for a long while.  I knew it would be perfect to use with these dies.  I was careful to line up the stripes before cutting the paper. I had thought this paper would match Aqua Mist Cardstock from Papertrey, but it wasn't quite the right shade, Aqua Mist having just a touch more green than the Robin's Egg Blue of the patterned paper. You can see it a little bit in this photograph, but it's okay using elements with such a small amount.  It's just not that noticeable.

One of the things I discovered when assembling my letter boxes is that although there is a die included in the kit that makes a slot for receiving "mail" (such as a gift card) in the box, I felt it weakened the box lid and opted not to use it on most of the ones I made. The one thing I didn't try was a double thickness so I need to try that another time.  The boxes are easy to assemble using 1/4th inch Scor-Tape and I used the 1/8th inch wide Scor-Tape for the envelope flaps and Letter Box top.  

The Gift Card Envelope Die will make a really quick way to dress up any kind of gift card any time of year.  All of the greenery for the swags is included in the kit and the stamp set to make more in whatever color you like is also part of the kit. Think of all the ways you can give a gift card and how many lovely papers you have that you can make envelopes out of.... The possibilities are endless. The die cuts the shape and puts in the score lines for you as well as cutting the little slit for the envelope flap to tuck into.  The Post & Parcel Pre-printed Papers and pre-printed envelope cuts are available in the Papertrey Ink Store on an ongoing basis and are printed on Papertrey's Signature White Linen Cardstock. There are so many elements to this kit and I touched on only a few.  I used one of the kit stencils to add the "Post" word to my letterbox and the stamp set to the insert of the Gift Card Envelope.  Betsy always thinks of all the details.  Everything was assembled using Scor-Tape, Ranger Multi Medium Matte and Thin 3D Foam Squares. Simon Says Stamp carries all of these products.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.  If you have time, drop me a comment because I love hearing from you!  

Make it Monday #263

I have a really quick pretty card today for the Make It Monday Challenge this week!  Amy Sheffer has been using a design where she incorporates frames into her background panel on a card.

The image on the right is Amy's card. We both used the Holiday Greens Stamp and Die Combinations for our cards. I used the exact same set as Amy and only did my colors slightly different.  We also used the Inspired: Jesus Stamp and Die Combination as well.  This set, like What The Doodle: Ornament, packs a big punch for a mini set.  The stamp set is $5.00 and the Die cut word is $3.00.

I had made a card with a background similar to the one Amy showed us here just the night before so I wanted to go with a different color for my background shading.  One of my current favorite color combinations is Dark Chocolate with Scarlet Jewel so I used the Scarlet Jewel ever so lightly on the background, making the color more intense at the center and fading out to the edges.  I spritzed it with Iridescent Gold Shimmer Spritz and set it aside to dry.  While I love White On White Cards, they are more difficult to photograph so I often try to make the card base in a coordinating color as I did here with the Dark Chocolate Cardstock.  I used the two smallest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles Dies to make my frames for the background, cutting 4 of them.  I die cut two of each of the Holiday Greens from Stamper's Select White and then stamped the pieces in Pine Feather, Olive Twist, Autumn Rose,  Dark Chocolate, and a touch of Scarlet Jewel on the rose colored buds.

I cut three of the Jesus die cuts and adhered them one to the other for a thick embellishment then used Scarlet Jewel Ink with an ink blending tool making it darker and the bottom and lighter as it went up.  I stamped the rest of the sentiment on Dark Chocolate Cardstock and heat set it with WOW! Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder.

I used Ranger Multi Medium Matte to attach everything to the front panel and then my ATG to attach the panel to the Dark Chocolate Card Base.  I stamped all of the greenery by hand rather than in my MISTI.  I hope you enjoy my take on this challenge.  This definitely is a style I probably wouldn't have come up with on my own but turned out so great.  Thanks for the Make it Monday Challenge, Amy!  Be sure to pop over to Nichole's Blog to watch the video from Amy. Thanks for stopping by and especially for those kind and encouraging comments.