simon says... thanks/Thanksgiving

Hi friends!

As usual every Wednesday, the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog has a new challenge for ya!

This week's theme is Thanks/Thanksgiving. And the product line we all used was Hero Arts. If you have Hero Arts in your stash, we'd love to see it used, too! But it's not a requirement.

Here's my card:

I've had this SIMPLE LEAF BACKGROUND for a while now, and love how it looks using the emboss resist technique. After embossing with clear embossing powder on to their SNOW LAYERING PAPER, I generously sponged autumnal-colored inks all over. The sentiment is from Hero's THANKS A BUNCH set and stamped with CUP O' JOE ink. A few of their coordinating gemstones and a bit of corner rounding here-n-there finishes it off. :)

So now it's your turn! Upload your Thanks/Thanksgiving creation HERE before 8am the 20th, and you'll be entered in the random drawing for that amazing gift voucher to spend at Simon Says!

And head over to the challenge blog HERE to see what my amazing teamies did for this challenge as well!

Thanks for reading. I hope you and yours are doing well as we head into the holiday season.. can't believe it's almost the end of the year. Where did it all go?! :)

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... Christmas/Happy Holiday

Hiya, friends! Are you ready? :)

This week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is Christmas/Happy Holiday. Perfect timing, as I bet many are already working on their seasonal cards, yes?  :)

Here's mine:

This Hero Arts POINSETTIA image is one of my all-time favorites. It's perfect! I stamped it with RED ROYAL ink, fussy cut it out, and added some STARDUST glitter to the center with Glossy Accents. The background is an image from the Hero Arts POINSETTIA & BERRIES set, stamped with Hero's white dye ink for a subtle look. The sentiment is also from Hero's MIRACLE OF THE HOLIDAY clear set stamped with CUP O' JOE ink... even the card base is GRENADINE Layering Paper! :)

Now it's your turn... upload your holiday project HERE by 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 23rd), and you'll have a chance to win a very generous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

Only five entries per person, and only new creations accepted.. no backlinking, please. :) Be sure to head HERE to see the creations from the rest of the DT, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by today... see you soon! xx

simon says... go dotty

Hi, Friends! Get ready to play! :)

This week's theme is Going Dotty! The DT all used either Saturated Canary or Basic Grey on our projects. So if you have either product line in your stash, please use it along with us! But it's not a requirement of the challenge if you don't. :)

As for my card...

..I used the Basic Grey HIPSTER 6x6 paper pad. I punched out a few circles and embellished them with some dot stamps from THIS awesome Simon exclusive set (inks used are HERE and HERE), as well as some enamel dots. The sentiment is from THIS Hero Arts set. Love the warm and cozy feel of this paper collection... perfect for fall. :)

Speaking of fall, how in the world is it October already?? :P

Anyway, it's now your turn to get dotty! :) Link up your creations HERE before 8am EDT next Wednesday (the 9th), and you'll be entered into the random drawing for a VERY generous gift voucher from Heidi and the gang to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

That's it from me today.. as always, thanks for reading. See you soon! :)

simon says... anything goes

Another Wednesday, another challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog. :)

This week, the theme is Anything Goes! Always a fan favorite. And another favorite is the product line we used - Simon Says Stamp Exclusives! This could be the stamps or the dies... just show us you Simon Exclusives. If you don't have any in your stash, don't fret... you can still play along in the challenge. :)

I used both on my card:

I used the HAPPY stamp set, and the HOLIDAY SHAPES dies. Tried my best to line everything up perfectly straight, but I can see now that my old eyes deceived me and I was NOT successful. LOL Anyway, The pink card stock is from HERO ARTS and so is THE INK. I'm sorry the stars look so blurry (I had lights coming from both sides, so it caused a double shadow), but they were diecut and then covered with a little dab of Glossy Accents and dipped in sparkly, black glitter. THIS ONE would work extremely well.

Here's a TIP: The best method I've found for glitter clean up is a good ol' disposable lint roller... just a cheap one, say, from the dollar store! Roll it all over your work surface, your clothes, anywhere, and then tear off the sheet and throw it away. Super quick and easy. :)

So now it's your turn! Upload your project HERE by 8am EST US next Wednesday (the 7th), and you'll be included in the random voucher drawing!

Don't forget to stop by HERE to see what the rest of the DT did for this challenge... such amazingly talented ladies!

ALSO, the Simon Says Stamp Store blog has a new home and a new look, just like the Wednesday challenge blog - click HERE or the badge below to check it out:

And enter your email below here to be sure you'll receive the updates... with inspiration and prizes galore, you won't want to miss any of it! ;)

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Whew... that's it from me today. Thanks for reading... see you soon!

simon says... summer food and/or drink

Hello, friends! It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! ;)

Remember, the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog is now the...

...make sure you've changed your bookmarks and feed readers! :)

This week's challenge theme is Summer Food and/or Drink. And the product line we worked with was Hero Arts. If YOU have Hero Arts goodies, we'd love to see you use them, too! But as always, it's not a requirement of the challenge. :) Once again, the amazing Joy Taylor fixed us up with a FAB inspiration board for this challenge...

..and I was quite smitten with that yummy watermelon! That, and the fresh berries are my favorite foods of summer. :) So here's my card:

All Hero Arts here: papers, inks, stamps, and even the black pearls. I obviously went with a much more funky, graphic interpretation of the watermelon (like my trendy triangles? LOL), but I also loved how the photo was composed, so that was definitely part of my inspiration as well. I used the CLING DOTS and ZIG-ZAG background, and stamped them with RED ROYAL and GREEN HILLS,  all on to PUNCH and CELADON, respectively (the "rhind" was made using the 'Grass' Layering Paper from the MULTI-PACK). The sentiment is from THIS SET (which pretty much lives on my craft desk, it's so versatile), and was stamped with BLACK INK. And don't forget the PEARLS for "seeds"! :D

Alrighty, it's your turn! Upload your Summer Food and/or Drink creation to the Wednesday Challenge blog HERE, no later than 8am EST US (no more than five entries per person, and no back-linking to old projects, please. You'll then be in the random drawing for one of those amazing gift vouchers to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

And please be sure to check out what the rest of the team did HERE... mouth-watering! ;)

That's all for me today.. thank you for your lovely comments. See you soon with some cards from the SSS July card kit. :)

simon says... transport

Hi, friends! Time for another challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog! :)

As always, your participation could win you an amazing gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp!

This week, the theme is Transport... planes, trains, and automobiles. Or whatever takes you from point A to point B, heehee! And the product line we used is Basic Grey. If you have Basic Grey in your stash, we'd love to see you use it along with us! But if not, it's OK because it's not a requirement of the challenge. :) And now for my card... 

The Basic Grey POPS stickers are so much fun... already layered and dimensional! I know my card design is a bit of a repeat of last week's, but I actually came up with this design first, as it's meant to represent the asphalt of the street with the white lines for lane markers. :) I also used the PB & J 6x6 paper pad. And the sentiment is a perfect one from Hero Arts. :)

Your turn! Create a transport-themed project, upload it HERE before 8am EST US June 19th, and you'll be in the random drawing for that generous gift voucher! And of course you'll wanna zoom on over HERE to see what my fellow teammies have dreamed up for this challenge. ;)

Thanks for reading today.. see you soon!

cards for maddy

Hi, friends! I'm posting today to tell you about a card drive going on  for a wonderful young lady battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia named Maddy...

You may remember that Simon originally held a card drive for her last summer as a way to encourage her through her grueling treatment. Well, Maddy needs our support once again. You can read all about her current battle HERE.

And this is my card for her. I stamped the new Hero Arts PAINTED FLOWER on to my card stock, and then stamped it again on to a scrap and just cut out the bloom.. which is up on pop dots. I should've taken a photo so you could see the dimension. :) Anyway, I love THIS sentiment from Hero Arts as well, and thought it would be perfect. It's normally all on one line, but through the magic of masking, I broke it up into three lines to fit my design. I hope this encourages her..... :)

And I'm hoping you'll send cards, too! You can find all the info about the card drive and how your participation could randomly win you a HUUUGE gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store right RIGHT HERE...

..there's no limit to the number of times you can enter, because we REALLY want to flood this girl with all the love and and encouragement we can! I do hope you'll participate... this sweet girl needs all the support she can get. :)

Thanks for reading today... hug your loved ones. xo

simon says... anything goes!

Hello, again! Blogging for the third day in a row, can you believe it? ;) Anyway, time for another Simon Says Stamp challenge!

This week's challenge is Anything Goes! And the DT is showcasing Authentique and Bottlecap Inc. products. So if you have anything from either manufacturer, please show us! But it's not a requirement for the challenge. :) Anyway, here's my card:

I used Authentique's GATHERING 6x6 paper pad (which looks like is now out of stock - sorry about that) and fussy cut some of the flowers from one of the patterns to accent that lovely floral print background panel. The sentiment is from Hero Arts MANY BIRTHDAY MESSAGES... I thought the font was perfect. The sentiment was then diecut using THIS die from My Favorite Things, and I added a punched border using THIS trusty border punch from Fiskars. :)

So, time to get busy! :) Link up your project for the Anything Goes challenge HERE before 8am EST US next Wednesday (June 5th), and you could win a very generous gift voucher provided by the sweet Heidi and staff over at Simon!

And of course you'll wanna go HERE to see what the rest of the DT did for this challenge!

Thanks for stopping by again today, and for your sweet comments. xo see you soon!

simon says... take a picture!

Hi, friends! Back with another card for the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog...

..where your participation could randomly win you a very generous gift voucher to spend in the Simon Says Stamp super store! :D

This week's theme: Take a Picture. So fun and trendy! Here's my card:

I used several patterns from the MAMA-RAZZI2 6x6 paper pack by Bo Bunny. I even cut up some filmstrip edges off one of the papers to create a fun border on the main panel. The sentiment is from the MANY BIRTHDAY MESSAGES set by Hero Arts... I thought the classic font was a perfect match for the retro feel of the camera image. I also stamped the rays image from Tim Holtz's PSYCHEDELIC GRUNGE stamp set on to kraft with a tone-on-tone ink, then die cut it to mimic flash rays. This could be a "Birthday" card or some sort of "Congratulations" card, but I definitely think it has a masculine feel... what do you think? :)

And now it's your turn: create your photograph/camera/film related project, and upload it HERE by 8am EST US next Wednesday (the 29th) to be entered into the drawing for that amazing voucher!

And please head on over HERE to see how my insanely creative teammies have interpreted this challenge... sure to inspire! :)

Thanks for reading today. I'm still struggling with my sinus infection... started another round of stronger antibiotics this week. I'm hoping to finally be back to good health in no time. See you then with another card from the Simon Says Stamp card kit! :)