simon says... make your own background

Hi, friends.. it's Wednesday! And this week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is Make Your Own Background!

So put away that patterned paper, and create your own! :) This week's product focus was stencils.. aaaaalll the rage right now. So here's my card, using a stencil, some ink, and a sponge to create my background:

I used Simon's Exclusive BLOCKED CIRCLES stencil with a couple Distress Inks (FESTIVE BERRIES and TUMBLED GLASS) and slightly shifted the stencil between color applications to get that great pattern. I accented it with a circle stamp from Simon's Exclusive LOTS OF DOTS set. The sentiment is from the Simon Exclusive HAPPY EVERY DAY set as well. I pretty much love how this came out.. it was SO quick to do. Plus, imagine the color combinations you could do with this! What do you think? :)

So now you're up! Link your custom-made background project HERE no later than 8am next Wednesday (the 11th), and you'll be included in the random drawing for a very generous prize voucher to spend at Simon!

And have you heard? Simon Says Stamp just introduced their very own line of inks and card stocks! Super quality, gorgeous colors... head HERE to check 'em out!

That's all from me.. thank you for peekin'. See you soon! :)

simon says... anything goes

That's right, friends! Time for another Wednesday challenge, and time for another chance at a very generous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

This week's theme is Anything Goes.. always popular. :) And the product line we all used was none other than the FAB Tim Holtz/Ranger! If you have Timmy/Ranger products in your stash, we'd love to see you use them along with us, but it's not a requirement.

So here's my card:

I used an image from the PSYCHEDELIC GRUNGE stamp set along with a sentiment from THE JOURNEY clear stamp set. I used BROKEN CHINA for the blue ink as well (the green is THIS one from Hero Arts), and spritzed the inked image with water before stamping to blend the inks together a little more. A Hero Arts NOTECARD, some fussy cutting, and some ENAMEL DOTS, and ta-da! :)

And now it's your turn! Upload your project HERE no later than 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 4th), and you'll be in the drawing for that awesome gift voucher! And head on over HERE to see the rest of the DT projects!

Thanks for reading today... I hope you and your family have an amazing Thanksgiving! See you soon. :)

awesome news - sweet stamp shop

Howdy, peeps! Do I have something to share with you today... I'm in the 'Designer Spotlight' over at Sweet Stamp Shop! :D

My wonderful friend, Judy Marino (who's on the Sweet Stamp Shop DT and whom I've known since the Hero Arts Flickr group first started) emailed me about it one day, and once the shock had worn off, of course I said "yes"! Looking at past spotlight designers, I don't feel I qualify... but I couldn't be more humbled and grateful. ♥ Nicole sent me some of the November releases to play with, and let me tell you, their stamps are So. Much. FUN!

Head on over HERE, to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog to see what stamp sets I used (this trendy alpha is a must, MUST-have). Judy also asked me a few stamping/cardmaking related questions, so you can read that little interview as well. AND, be sure to swing by Judy's blog HERE to see a card she created inspired by one of my recent designs... GORGEOUS  :)

Thanks for sharing in my excitement today! And thank you to Judy and Nicole for this incredible opportunity... I had a blast, and l LOVE your stamps! :) xxoo

simon says... KISS!

Hi friends! It's Wednesday! :)

Time for a new challenge, and another opportunity to win that amazing $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp! 

This week's theme is Clean & Simple. My fave. ;) And the product line we all worked with was from the FAB Kelly Purkey! If you have any KP Exclusives goodies in your stash, we'd love to see you use them as well! But it's not a challenge requirement.

As for my card:

I used the fun AUTUMN stamp set (the tag image was heat embossed on KRAFT and then fussy cut), along with THIS OCEAN INK from Hero Arts, and a sprinkling of enamel dots. To me, Clean & Simple means minimal layers, strong design, and white space... i luuuuuv the white space. :)

So, link up your Clean & Simple creation HERE, before 8am EDT next Wednesday (11-13-13), and you could be the randomly-drawn winner of that amazing voucher to Simon Says Stamp!

Only five entries per person, and no back-linking, please... only new projects will be accepted. And swing by HERE to see what the rest of the team did for this challenge... as always, simply amazing!

Thanks so much for stopping by... see you soon! :)

simon says... halloween (or halloween colors)

Back again, with a Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog post! :)

As always, your participation could win you (via random drawing) a very generous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

This week's theme is Halloween/ Halloween Colors (purple, orange, black). Here's a color inspiration board to get the mojo goin'...

..so even if Halloween cards aren't your thing, you can still play along using the colors shown as your inspiration... yay! :)

Here's my card:

I used the Hero Arts SCARY HOUSE cling stamp and heat embossed it on to a glossy paper, gradient background (sponged Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick, and Spiced Marmalade - the moon was masked). The card base is Simon's WHITE WOODGRAIN CARD STOCK, liberally inked with Hero's Charcoal Mid-Tone ink (direct to paper technique). After using the Charcoal ink, I inked up my brayer with some BLACK INK and lightly rolled it over the paper a few times. The brayer ensures the black ink just sits on "top" of the woodgrain, and not get in the recessed areas.

It really helps emphasize the texture and give it a very weathered look (that center-left photo on the inspiration board is what really inspired this technique)! The sentiment was created using KELLY PURKEY WHITE ALPHA STICKERS, stacking several of each letter so they look like they're pop-dotted.

Now it's your turn! Upload your Halloween/Color Challenge project HERE, no later than 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 30th), and you'll be entered into the drawing for that amazing gift voucher!

And please go HERE to see the incredible projects created by the rest of my fab teamies, including our newest addition, Emily Leiphart! :)

Thanks for reading.. later, 'gators! xo

simon says... use a stamp

That's right, peeps! :)

This week's Wednesday Challenge theme is to Use A Stamp... red rubber, photo polymer, whatever you like, as long as it's not digital. :) The product lines the DT used this week were Clearly Besotted and Neat & Tangled. If you have either of these fab stamp lines in your stash, please use them in your creations along with us! But it's not requirement of the challenge. :)

So now for my card:

This is one of those cards that I think looks better in person, LOL. It's probably because I couldn't get the background to show up very well... NOT a great photographer, here. ;) But I just loved this hydrangea image from Clearly Besotted's JUST FABULOUS set. There's even a matching die set! I didn't use them here.. instead, I chose to fussy cut everything, but left it slightly connected to the "frame" for interest. The vase was heat embossed (with THIS ink and THIS EP), and the flower was stamped with THIS ink and THIS ink. I used THIS white dye ink to stamp the background inside the frame:

I used the fine-line image in the set to do the background, which really adds a lot, I think! :)

Ok, so now it's your turn! Upload your stamped project HERE by 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 16th), and you'll have a random shot at a very generous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp, provided by the very sweet Heidi and her gang!

Thanks for reading today... see you soon! xx

wishing you... a happy world cardmaking day! :)

Hi, friends.. happy World Cardmaking Day! :) I hope you are celebrating today by gettin' crafty! I had a few minutes myself, so I popped into my craft room and played with more of my Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® 2013 exclusive goodies:

I ♥ the TINY COIN ENVELOPE die! I have no idea when I'll actually use it to put a coin inside, heehee.. but it's sooo cute and makes such a fun embellishment. :) (For size reference, this card is 4.25 inches square.) I put the heart (cut from the HOLIDAY SHAPES die) on with a pop dot and tucked the flap under to close the envie so it can open and close... you could put a small stamped sentiment inside.. wouldn't that be fun! This sentiment is from the SKETCHY BANNER GREETINGS (stamped with THIS ink).....

...and finishes off inside, with another diecut heart. :)

I hope you have a wonderful, productive day, and a great weekend! Thanks so much for reading. ♥

even more simon STAPtember® exclusives.. feather dies and an alpha

Hello, once again! Lots of posts from me lately, I know. I'm just having SO much fun with these STAMPtember® goodies! :)

This one features the trendy FEATHERS dies and SIMPLE LETTER OUTLINES alpha, both STAMPtember® '13 releases. The rest of the sentiment is from THIS set here (also a Simon exclusive), and I used card stock from the September '13 card kit and twine from the October '13 card kit. I love this color combination! May just get me out of my 'pool & red' rut. LOL :)

Hope you're having a fab weekend.. thanks for stopping by! :)

more simon says stamp STAMPtember® exclusives.. whimsical flowers

Howdy again! Back with another card featuring some of the STAMPtember® exclusives... this time, the Whimsical Flowers set! :)

These bold, graphic flowers are so fun! I first stamped the solid flower image in the set three times with Hero Art's Fresh Peach ink, masking the center flower. Then I stamped the patterned flower on top of each one with Hero's Raspberry Jam, carefully lining them up. Love these colors together and how the peach shows through! I finished them off by stamping the outline and centers with black ink, fussy cutting the edge, and mounting it on to my card base with pop dots. The sentiment is heat embossed with a super-fine detail embossing powder. I promise the white panel is straight and evenly matted in person... the angle of the photo makes it look like it's not. :)

Don't forget you can go HERE to see all of the brand new STAMPtember® releases in one place... stay tuned, because I have more projects to share using STAMPtember® '13 goodies! ;)

Thanks for stopping by today! xo

simon says stamp october '13 card kit cards

Howdy, friends! I've got a couple cards from the Simon Says Stamp October '13 card kit for ya tonight.

I was supposed to post this first one last week and totally spaced it. LOL So here it is, with a bonus card to make up for it... :)

I'm in love the with the lined script sentiments in this stamp set! They stretch the full length of a card base. Here, I just stamped it and then fussy cut under it for interest. I also used some of the patterned papers and sequins from the kit.. the sequins are so LUSH! Very opaque, creamy colors with an almost pearlescent look to them. Not your typical "arts-n-crafts" sequins! ;) I just put some gemstones in the centers.

This one is pretty self explanatory.. it took me maybe five minutes to make. :) It would be great to make a set of these as a gift! Just use a different patterned paper background on each one. I thought about adding some enamel dots or something, but chose to leave it as-is. But I did give the li'l birdie an "eye" with my Unibal Signo. :)

There are still some kits left! RUN, and get yours HERE... it's sure to sell out!

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow with another Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge post! xo

Simon Says... it's a blog hop!

Welcome to the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® Wednesday Challenge group blog hop! :)

A bit about STAMPtember®:

Simon Says Stamp was founded in 2002 with an interest in exclusively selling rubber stamps. It didn't take long until we realized we couldn't stop there. During the past 11 years we celebrate rubber stamping in it's full glory by giving access to people around the world to a one-stop shop. Rubber stamps still remain the heart of our business, and we are celebrating by hosting a STAMPtember® event intended to inspire, educate, and celebrate the greatness of rubber stamping. Part of the enticement of rubber stamping is that stamps can be used in creating or complimenting ANYTHING! from stamping dates on bank documents and postage parcels in the early 18th century, rubber stamping has dramatically expanded to include card making, life documenting, art journaling, scrapbooking, mixed media, and many forms of altering and expressing art!

To celebrate the 4th annual Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® event, we're 'hopping' along and sharing some great projects featuring the new STAMPtember® product releases, YAY! This is one of the BIGGEST releases Simon has had to date, and features new stamp sets, dies, flair, and stencils... AMAZING stuff! Check out the releases RIGHT HERE!

My favorite products of the release are all the incredible dies... which, on their own are already very versatile and can be used any number of ways. But so many of Simon's dies are really unique! A lot of them coordinate with stencils and stamp sets... furthering their value and your creativity!

We're SO excited that you're here to celebrate with us and hop along in this special challenge group hop! :) Once you're done 'hopping' please be sure to head over to our Wednesday Challenge group blog found RIGHT HERE, and participate in this week's challenge: Celebrate STAMPtember® by using any Simon Says Stamp product on your project. As always, Simon Says Stamp will be randomly giving away a $50 voucher to one lucky participant to spend at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp superstore!

So now, on to my card:

I used the super-fun BIG HELLO craft die, and diecut several strips of card stock all at once. Then I adhered them evenly spaced onto my card base with pop dots. The sentiment is from the new WHIMSICAL FLOWERS stamp set, and I LOVE how fine the font is! I used VersaFine ink in Onyx Black, which is fab for fine-line/detailed images. Overall, I wanted to keep the card simple and bold, just like the die... SO many possibilities with this one! :)

Thanks so much for visiting my blog on the hop! Your next stop is the sweet Laura Sterckx! You'll find her blog, 'Making Cards Is Fun' right HERE. :)

The hop began at the newly designed official Simon Says Stamp blog, so if you encounter any broken links while 'hoppin,' you can head back there for a full list of participants and stops. The Simon blog has a new address and an amazing new look, with all the great inspiration you've come to love and expect from Simon Says Stamp! :)

Don't forget to click below to play along in the challenge once you're done 'hopping' and officially inspired! :)

simon says... animal antics

Howdy, peeps! Have you heard?! :)

Yep - the annual STAMPtember® event is underway! :)

Simon Says Stamp was founded in 2002 with an interest in exclusively selling rubber stamps. It didn’t take long until we realized we couldn’t stop there. During the past 11 years we celebrate rubber stamping in its full glory by giving people around the world access to a one stop shop. Rubber stamps still remain the heart of our business and we are celebrating by hosting a “STAMPtember” event intended to inspire, educate, and celebrate the greatness of rubber stamping.

Part of the enticement of rubber stamping is that stamps can be used in creating or complimenting ANYTHING! From stamping dates on bank documents and postage parcels in the early 18th century, rubber stamping has dramatically expanded to include card making, life documenting, art journaling, scrapbooking, mixed media and many forms of altering and expressing art.

Be sure to join everyone over at the Official Simon Says Stamp Blog every day for new product reveals, inspirational ideas, blog hops, prizes... it's just a big ol' party, and you will NOT want to miss it! ;)

Now, on to today's post:

That's right! A new challenge is up over at the Wednesday Challenge Blog...

..and the theme is Animal Antics. The product line we on the DT used features some of the cutest animal images in the stamp arena - Lawn Fawn! Some of us also used products from The Craft's Meow. If you have either Lawn Fawn or The Craft's Meow in your stash, we'd love to see you use them along with us! But it's not mandatory for the challenge. :)

Anyway, on to my card:

Aren't these little guys adorable? :) Every image, including the sentiment, is from the Critters in the Snow set. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink (the best for coloring with Copics),and then colored the penguins with Copics C5 (body - a few layers of this one was needed to get a deep enough color.. but don't go too dark, or you'll lose the other black-stamped details, such as his eyes and tail) and YR68 (feet). I also used the BG10 to give the snow depth and definition (using a cool aqua in select areas helps to make your white elements look 'whiter', and acts as a shadow). I also stamped the snowflakes in the background with some white dye ink, for a subtle look.

And now it's your turn! Upload your Animal Antics-themed project HERE no later than 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 11th), and you'll be included in the random drawing for a super-generous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

That's it from me today. I know I said I had a card from the September card kit to show you, but someone needed it and I mailed it before remembering to take a picture first... oops. LOL I'll have another one for you tomorrow. Stay tuned. Thanks for reading! :)

hello... :)

Hi, friends! Just a quick Simon Says Stamp July 2013 card kit share today... :)

This is such a fun kit... what am I saying, they're all fun. LOL But this one is super festive. I *love* the stamp set in this one, which you can get by itself HERE. I used all Hero Arts inks to match the colors in the kit (RED ROYAL and BUTTER BAR and TIDE POOL) and stamped the dotted line in a fun, random pattern for the background... totally happy with how it came out. The stickers ("Hello") are also from the kit, found separately HERE.

Thanks for reading! See you soon. :)

simon says... by the sea

Hi, friends! Time for another challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog! PLEASE NOTE: the challenge blog now has a new name, new look, AND a new home...

may I introduce, 

the NEW Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

You can click either the badge or my link above to get to the new blog. Please be sure to update your bookmarks and blog readers! Email subscribers, your addresses have been saved and transferred over, so you're already good to go. Go check it out! We love our new home, and we know you will, too.  :)

And now, back to the challenge!

This week's theme is the trendy By The Sea. Anything nautical! Here's a lovely inspiration board provided by the ever-fab Joy Taylor to help get those creative juices flowin':

The DT all used products from Fancy Pants on our creations, so if you have any Fancy Pants in your stash, we'd sure love to see you use it, too! But of course, it's not required to be able to participate in the challenge. Anyway, here's my card:

I used the adorable DOWN BY THE SHORE 6x6 paper pad. All of the papers you see here - with the exception of the white card stock - are from that pad. Such perfect colors and cute patterns! The sentiment is from these Kelly Purkey alphabet stickers RIGHT HERE, and though I very rarely use it, this card definitely warranted a bit of twine... THIS ONE would be fab for those nautical-themed cards! :)

So now it's your turn... upload your By The Sea creations to the NEW challenge blog, found RIGHT HERE. As always, please have your project uploaded no later than 8am EST US so you can be eligible for the random gift voucher drawing!

And please stop by the new blog HERE to see what my fellow teamies have done for this challenge, and leave them some love as well. :) xo

That's it for me today. Thank you so much for your supportive comments regarding my mom. They are appreciated more than you know. ♥ See you soon... :)