STAMPtember Blog Party!!

Hey friends!!  Simon Says Stamp's huge month long party called STAMPtember has arrived and today I'm part of a huge blog party being hosted by Simon Says Stamp.   Now this blog party isn't a hop, but each person participating in the party has a special code that you can use to get free items or discounts.  Make sure you hit as many blogs on the list (available on the Simon Says Stamp blog) as you just never know what you might find.  Think of it as a sort of treasure hunt!  As you can see I have a code that you can use to have a free set of Doodlebug Breakfast Buddies shape sprinkles stickers added to your order.   This code is valid through 11:59 pm EDT on September 4th.  You can find the new release here.

Simon Says Stamp generously supplied me with a gorgeous new mandala stamp called Nature Mandala designed by the crazy talented Stephanie Low!!   I love her designs and just purchased a stamp set she created for the last SSS release.  I can't wait to get it, but in the meantime I have some cards to share that I made using Nature Mandala!   For the first set of cards you see I did some heat embossing.  The card on the bottom I stamped on kraft cardstock and then heat embossed the image using some sparkly gold embossing powder.  It is really pretty in person, but hard to see in the photo.  I did take a close up so you can see the sparkly embossing better.  On the top card I embossed the image in white and then did the emboss/resist technique using Distress Oxide inks in Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey.     Because I wanted the image to be the focus I kept things simple with my sentiments.  For the bottom card I stamped a sentiment from the SSS set Mom Flowers on some kraft cardstock in black and then trimmed the strip down.  A strip of gold glitter cardstock was added to one side of the card base and then the main image panel was adhered along with the sentiment.  For the second card I used a sentiment from the SSS Take Heart set along with the layered heart die set that works with the Take Heart set.

For the second card I pulled out some patterned paper from Pink Fresh Studio that came in the Simon Says Stamp June card kit.   I found a yellow ink that worked well with the pattern on the paper and then stamped the full image on the paper.  I then trimmed the paper into two pieces.  I used sentiments from the SSS set Handwritten Floral Greetings and stamped them in VersaFine Vintage Sepia.   I added a strip of dark brown woodgrain cardstock to the bottom of each panel and then adhered them to the card bases.   I finished things off with some yellow sequins from Simon Says Stamp.   I really like the subtle look that stamping on the patterned paper gives the image when stamped with a complimentary color.   Going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the blog party!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  kraft, white, black, gold glitter, dark brown woodgrain; Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp; Inks:  VersaFine Vintage Sepia, VersaMark watermark, VersaFine CLAIR Nocture,  Distress Oxide inks; Embossing powder:  glitter gold, Hero Arts white; Sequins:  Simon Says Stamp