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... sketch time

Hi, friends! Another Wednesday! :)

The product lines we all used on our creations this week was either Jane's Doodles or Authentique... both FAB companies! If you have either of these product lines in your stash, we'd love to see them used on your entry/ies was well, but it's not a requirement of the challenge. 

The theme this week is a sketch, provided by my amazing teammie, Heather! Isn't it awesome?!

So now, here's my card:

I used the gorgeous PRETTY PEONIES set from Jane's Doodles. The image was stamped on NEENAH SOLAR WHITE, tightly cropped, and the stem colored with Copics YG03 and YG63. Next, I stamped/cut the petals from the patterned paper, and adhered it over the stem with pop dots. Finally, the flower center was stamped on another piece of the white card stock, colored with Copic Y08, and cut/adhered on top of the patterned petals. This sketch calls for a few layers, which can be difficult for me, but I'm quite fond of how this came out! It's all a testament to Heather's amazing design! :)

By the way, Copics are on sale right now over at Simon Says... run! GO! :D

So now it's your turn: upload your project HERE by 8am EDT on the 27th, and you'll be entered into the weekly random drawing for another generous gift voucher to spend at Simon!

And check out what the rest of the team did for this challenge right HERE!

Thank you for stopping by today... see you real soon! xo

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... 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... 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! :)

use those scraps.. and a simon exclusive

Howdy, peeps! I have another card today, a simple one that features a scrap from an older project, and a new Simon Exclusive STAMPtember® die! :)

Remember THIS card? I saved the butterfly masks and used one as an embellishment here! :) The sentiment panel was made using the smaller of the new Simon BRACKET DIES (here, the scalloped one)... just cut on both top and bottom of my paper strip. The sentiment is from THIS new Simon Exclusive set, and the card base is the awesome WOODGRAIN card stock. Easy peasy! :)

Thanks for reading... TGIF! 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

super-sized sunday with the simon says september '13 card kit

Howdy, peeps! Do you like my tongue twister blog post title? :) Finally gotten around to photographing some of the cards I've made with the Simon Says Stamp September '13 card kit, and thought I'd put a bunch into one big blog post for ya.. especially since these all have the same color palette. So, get ready!

The first card is a remake of one I made when I first got the kit, but forgot to photograph before sending it off to someone:

I used the stencil in the kit to carefully cut out a mask from some Eclipse masking paper with my craft knife (as long as your blade is brand-new-sharp and you don't put too much pressure on the stencil as you drag your knife along, you won't cut into the stencil at all). I then used the Colorbox Frost White ink in the kit and sponged it over the mask. Remove the mask, and stamp the sentiment in the resisted area. :)

My next card uses some of the patterned paper, as well as the Studio Calico wood veneers in the kit:

I again used the stencil to cut out a banner, but this time from some of the kraft card stock. I then heat embossed the sentiment before adhering it with pop dots. I also punched out some squares from some of the chalkboard-looking patterned paper as mats for my veneer shapes. :)

And finally:

A real quick and easy one! Just some simple stamping with some Hero Arts inks: Black, Wet Cement, and Soft Sand. They go perfectly with the kraft card stock. :)

Alrighty, that's it from me today.. whew! See you again soon with something from the NEW October '13 card kit! Thanks for reading! :)

simon says... monochromatic

That's right, peeps! Are you ready? :)

This week, the theme is Monochromatic. And the product line we on the DT used was Paper Smooches.. so fun. If you have Paper Smooches in your stash, we'd love to see you use it too! But it's not a requirement of the challenge. So here's my card:

Using red and white patterned papers and the wavy BORDERS Wise Die, I diecut the papers, layered them together randomly, and matted them onto black card stock (as a neutral, this helps to 'ground' the different red patterns to the card base). The "thanks" is from the SENTIMENT SAMPLER, and was stamped with black ink. Don't you love that border die? I'm imagining snow banks in the winter, or beachy dunes in the summer... and the other dies are just as fab. At almost 6 inches in length, they cover a card base end-to-end perfectly.

Your turn! Create your Monochromatic project and upload HERE, no later than 8am EST on Wednesday the 21st, and you'll automatically be entered into the generous random gift voucher drawing!

And please go HERE to see what the rest of the team did for this great challenge. Can't wait to see what you all make!

Thanks so much for reading... later, 'gators! :)

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... pin it

Hello, friends! It's been a while. :) I've had a lot of major 'life' things going on lately and just needed a bit of a break. But more on that later. It's time for another Simon Says Stamp challenge! :D

This week's challenge: Pin It! Use pins, clips, anything of that nature. Here's my card...

I used a Basic Grey 'Wander' clip along with some of the 'Serenade' 6x6 paper. The sentiment is from the Kelly Purkey 'Dude' stamp set seen HERE... isn't it perfect?!

Hope you can play along! Remember, your participation could randomly win you a very generous gift voucher to spend at Simon...

..who doesn't love to shop? ;) And please stop by HERE to see what my lovely teammates did for this challenge. Amazing as always! ♥

One last thing... if you're so inclined, my family and I would appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts at this time. A few weeks ago, my mom was suddenly diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She's had resection surgery, but developed a major infection at the incision site which is preventing them from starting chemotherapy just yet. It's been tough...

Anyway, thank you for reading today, and for your lovely comments and support. Many hugs! :) See you soon...

eternally grateful - more SSS card kit

Hello again! I'm back with another card from the Simon Says Stamp May '13 card kit...

..again with the kraft (it just pairs so well with the colors/papers in the kit), but this time I used papers from the chartreuse side of the collection. And I used the gorgeous stamps in the kit, too... did a little paper piecing with the rose and leaf images. :)

Thanks again for reading today. Be back tomorrow with my card for the new Simon Says Stamp challenge! :)

simon says... april showers and/or spring flowers

Howdy, friends! How are you today? :) I'm doing well... it's the middle of the week and pretty soon, the weekend will be here. Yay!

Meanwhile, there's a new challenge going over at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog, so let's get to it, shall we?

As always, your participation could win you a FABulous gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp! Who doesn't love shopping?! ;)

The theme for this week's challenge is April Showers and/or Spring Flowers. Reminds me of the all-too familiar, silly grade school joke that I'm highly tempted to tell now, but I'll spare you. LOL ;) Anywho, showers/flowers is the theme, and Hero Arts is the highlighted product line! This challenge was right up my alley... flowers and Hero - two favorites! Here's my card...

I know it's not a very spring-y color scheme, but the flowers still count, right? Even if they're black? I can't help it... I made three cards with this stamp, but this was by far my fave of the bunch. :)

With the exception of the Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, Everything is Hero Arts. I used BLACK LAYERING PAPER for my card base, which I lovelovelove! I stamped the THANK YOU DEFINITION with the new CHARCOAL ink, and then heat embossed the EVERYTHING FLOWER over that with black embossing powder. I used a sponge to swirl on the Worn Lipstick, which is such a great, vibrant, rosey-red. A bold sentiment from the MADE WITH LOVE set, a black button, some pearls, and it's good to go!

So now you're up! Make a project that features spring showers or flowers, and link it up HERE, by 8am EST US next Wednesday (the 17th). Please be sure to include in a link back to the Simon Says Stamp challenge itself, found HERE, in your blog/gallery post as well. And who knows? You could win that amazing voucher to spend at Simon! :D

And please stop by HERE to see what my fellow teammates did for this challenge, too! If you're a Hero Arts fan, you will LOVE them all for sure!

Thanks for reading today! See you soon. :)

**Since clearing my desk after working on this project, I've realised that the background stamp I used is actually the HAPPY DEFINITION, and not the Thank You Definition like originally stated. I originally intended to use the Thank You since that's the theme of the card, but apparently I wasn't paying close enough attention to the actual text when grabbing my stamp. Heehee! Sorry for any confusion. :) **