Simon Says Stamp And Everything Nice Release!

 Hello, hello!  It has been a while since I last posted.  Been in a bit of a creative slump when it comes to card making.  But I did get three small cross-stitches that I completed turned into little pillows!  I did, however, manage to make two cards using the sweet Nutcracker Christmas stamp set from the new And Everything Nice release from Simon Says Stamp.  You can find the release right here.   Let's look at what I made.

One of the images in the set is Clara dancing with her nutcracker.  I decided to color her up in a pretty shade of purple using Copic markers.  The nutcracker was colored simply in a red and black combo.  After I finished coloring the image I trimmed her out with my scissors.  I also added some highlights to her.  I die cut a Simon Says Stamp tag and adhered her to the tag.  For more interest I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Branching Corner Holly die from white cardstock.  I added glossy accents to the berries and then covered the berries with Rock Candy glitter.  After the pieces were dry, I arranged them behind the tag, adhering everything with glue to the purple cardstock I die cut using a Simon Says Stamp A2 frames die.  For a little more interest, I stamped one of the candies from the set and colored it using the same grouping of markers that I used for Clara's dress.  Glossy accents was added to the candy along with Rock Candy glitter.  When it was dry I carefully trimmed it out and adhered it to the top of the tag.  Because I glued everything flat on the card I was able to add my sentiment at the end.  Sometimes I get so into creating the overall design I forget about where to put the sentiment.  Thankfully there was room in that corner!  The Just Us Girls challenge is celebrating their 800th challenge!  I'm going to add this little cutie to the challenge gallery.  Congrats to JUGs!  Here's to 800 more challenges!

Now on to my next card!  

It was at the point when I started to make this card that my creative slump really kicked in.  I stamped the colored the little candy prince (at least that is what I'm calling him) in shades of blue using Copic markers, but then I just couldn't figure out what to do with him.    Let things go for awhile and then decided to stamp the drum on a die cut panel of white cardstock and place my little candy prince that I had fussy cut out on top.  I colored the drum using the same blues as I used for the prince to keep things cohesive.   I also decided to stamp the little candies from the set around him, color them with the same blues and then add glossy accents to the candies along with Rock Candy glitter.  The feather on his hat and his scepter also received glossy accents and Rock Candy glitter.   Now what to do about the sentiment, lol!  Almost let it off, but then decided to go a little "old school" and stamp it on white cardstock, trim it down and add a layer behind it of the same blue cardstock used for the base.   

Well, that is it for me.  You can find the entire And Everything Nice release here on the Simon Says Stamp website.   If you wish to shop the release you can use the link over on the sidebar.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

Birch Press Design Blog Post #2

 Hello, hello!  Popping in to let you know that I have a post up on the BPD blog today.  Here is a little peek.

Hope you will head over to the BPD blog to check out what I created.  The new BPD release is now available on the website and it is a good one!  Lots and lots of Christmas/holiday themed dies.  Can't wait to share what I make.  Til next time!

autumn blessings

 Hello!  I'm back with one more fall inspired card.  This one is for the current Paper Players challenge (clean and simple with foliage) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (also clean and simple).   Let's take a look at what I made.

During Stamptember SSS released a limited edition holiday/Christmas card kit.  As is the case with all of their kits you can buy products contained in the kit separately.  When I saw the Sparkle Season stamp and die set I had to add it to my collection.  I love leaf stamps!  They are so versatile, and my card proves this point.  The leafy stem was design for Christmas/holiday cards, but as you can see, I gave it an autumnal spin by using lots of beautiful distress inks in fall colors.  Specifically, I used Scattered Straw, Aged Mahagony, Carved Pumpkin, Gathered Twigs and Festive Berries.   To get the colors I wanted on the leaves I did multiple layers of stamping.  Some of the leaves were stamped initially with Scattered Straw and then I added more colors.  A few leaves were stamped with Festive Berries and then more colors added.  I used Ranger tiny foam blenders to add the colors to the leaves to get a nice blend.  It did take a while to stamp, but I think it was so worth it as I absolutely love how it turned out.  Die cut with the matching die and then built the rest of the card.   I embossed white cardstock with a leafy embossing folder and then die cut it down further with a SSS tag die.  The sentiment is from the SSS stamp and die set called Cozy Autumn Hugs.  I stamped it with Gathered Twigs and then die cut with the matching die.  I adhered everything to a white cardstock panel.  I created the bow with three colors of twine and did attach it to the top of the tag but didn't like it so added it to my leafy stem.  I liked that much better. 

Well, that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Fall and Christmas...

 Hello!  Fall finally seems to be in full swing here in the south Puget Sound!  I do like it when we have what is called an "indian summer", but this year it was way too hot for way too long and I was over it!  Our usual rain has arrived, but it was kind of a crazy transition.  Hot one day, cold the next, lol!   Anyway, as my blog title suggests I have fall and Christmas represented in this post.  Let's look at what I made.

First up is fall.  This card is for the current Just Us Girls challenge which features a pretty mood board.  I went with the colors and some of the fall icons.  I used the Simon Says Stamp Full of Thanks stamps, stencils and dies and lots of fall colored distress inks.  I used Scattered Straw for most of the foliage and then added different colors on top.  The pumpkin was done in Carved Pumpkin and then a bit of Ripe Persimmon.  Using stencils to color everything makes for quick crafting!  Die cut all the images then arranged them on a kraft panel to get placement for the sentiment.  Once placement was set I removed all the die cut pieces and stamped the sentiment using Versafine CLAIR Acorn ink.  Also used Acorn for all the images.  Thought about using a embossing folder to add some texture, but was too lazy to go looking for the one I had in mind, lol!  Adhered everything with glue (nothing popped up as I want to mail it without extra postage), added to a card base and I was done.

These next two cards are for Christmas and feature more products from the PaperTrey Ink September release.  I have finally worked my way through the majority of the products.   Let's have a look at what I made.

This card features the Nutcracker Magic suite of products and I love them!  I took ballet starting at the age of 5 and ending shortly after I turned 19.  During that time, I was able to participate in the Christmas favorite Nutcracker Ballet during the last three years I took ballet.  At that time, I was an apprentice in a local ballet company.  So, the Nutcracker is near and dear to my heart!  These products brought back so many memories.  And no, I wasn't ever good enough to be the Sugar Plum Fairy featured on my card!  But I was happy with the parts that I did perform.  Kept things fairly simple.  I had previously hot foiled the background panel using the Merry Motifs hot foil plate using pink foil but didn't use it for the intend project.  Thought it was perfect for this card.  I did use the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches so will post it there.  Stamped the Sugar Plum Fairy and the little swag with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored with Copics.  Die cut the pieces along with the sentiment.  A bit of sparkle was added to the edge of her tutu and the berries on the swag using Rock Candy glitter.  Die cut the medium sized oval frame from white cardstock to provide her with a subtle frame and then adhered everything to the foiled panel.  

My final card features the fun 12 Days of Christmas stamps and dies.  Let's have a look.

For this card I stamped all the images with black ink and then pulled out my polychromos color pencils and colored them.  I will admit that I started strong and finished pretty weak with the coloring, lol.  I really like how all the birds turned out especially the turtle dove.  As I was working on the coloring, I sang the song that inspired these products.  I was doing pretty well remembering all the words until I got to eleven.  I had to stop and look up the lyrics to see what number 11 was.  It is "eleven pipers piping" and that is when I realized the problem.  The PTI image for number 11 is a horn!  Totally threw me off, lol.  The suite of products comes with that grid background die.  I can see using it for many other things besides these stamps and dies!   I did die cut additional layers for each little icon and then adhered them together.  I die cut the sentiment from vellum twice and then adhered them together.   I like how you can see the sentiment, but it also allows the images to peek through, as well.  Going to add this one to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of Christmas.

Well, that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Autumn Blessings

 Hey there!  Popping in to share a card that I made for the Color Hues challenge of rust and yellow.  I'm also going to add it to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge gallery since I think the card is pretty colorful (although maybe not super bright, lol!).  Let's have a look at what I created.

Toward the end of November last year I purchased the Greetery Oakwood set of products, but because Christmas card making was in full swing I never used the products.   Recently, the Oakwood products were featured at a 15% discount and it got me thinking about using them.   Thought the Color Hues combo was a perfect vehicle.   I started by using the stencil set to inkblend the leaves using distress oxide inks in Rusty Hinge and Fossilized Amber.   For the stems and acorns I used Gathered Twigs and Frayed Burlap.   After stenciling the leaves, acorns and stems I added the details on the leaves with the stamp set.  I used Gathered Twigs to add the detailing on the leaves and acorns and Black Soot for the stem.  Then I die cut everything with the matching die.  I love the soft matte look the distress oxide ink gives to the leaves. I then stamped the word Autumn using Fossilized Amber and Rusty Hinge and the word blessings was stamped in Gathered Twigs.  Used PTI dies for both of the background layers.  Additional layers of the oak leaves and words were die cut and stacked behind.  I them adhered everthing to the card front.  I finished with a little bit of Rock Candy glitter to the leaves and acorns.

That's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. 

Simon Says Stamp Sugar n Spice Release!

 Hello, hello!  I know that Simon Says Stamp just had a fantastic month of exclusive released for Stamptember, but they have a new release that dropped today called Sugar and Spice!  Simon was so kind and provided me with the absolutely adorable Cool Birthday stamp set.   This set features sweet little polar bears, penguins and seals and a cute little iceberg with an igloo and banner complete with a disco ball!  How fun is that?!  Let's have a look at what I created.

First up is a card featuring the two polar bears and a seal carrying a present.   I'm a stickler for things being correct and for my card to be correct I had to put the polar bears and seal together because despite what you see during Christmas and winter polar bears and penguins do not live in the same hemisphere!  Penguins only live at the south pole and polar bears only live at the north pole.  Seals, however, live at both the northern and southern poles so they can be used with the polar bears or the penguins.  Got it, lol?   Now that we have that out of the way let me tell you about the cards.  I stamped the images using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored them very simply with Copic markers.  I then stamped the iceberg/igloo image on a white cardstock panel and colored it simply as well.  It is hard to tell put I did use a very light blue Copic to create the water the iceberg is floating on.  I did use some Memory Box snowflake rub ons in the background, as well.  For a little sparkle I added some glue to the disco ball and the little pompoms on the party hats and then added some Rock Candy glitter.  Finished with the sentiment that I stamped and die cut with a sentiment strip.

For the second card I did some selective inking up of the iceberg image to remove to make the scene a little different.   I stamped the iceberg image a little too off center so I had to die cut it down alot more than the first card so I die cut a light blue cardstock panel and then added Memory Box snowflake rub ons.  I stamped the little party goers in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored simply (again) with Copic markers.  As with the first card I added Rock Candy glitter to the disco ball, and pompoms on the party hats and the sentiment that was stamped and then die cut with a sentiment strip.

That's it for me.  You can see the full release by clicking here.   I also have a post up on the Birch Press Design blog today that you can see by clicking here.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!