SSS Love You Too release!

 Hello!  I'm popping in with a couple of cards that I made using a fun background stamp called XOXO Background!  You can check out the entire new release here.  (This link is not an affiliate link.)  The first card was inspired by a card that Debby Hughes shared on the Simon Says Stamp blog a few days ago.  I always forget about the tone on tone stamping that watermark ink provides and how you can intensify the color by heat embossing the image in clear ink and then using the resist technique.   Debby's amazing card reminded me of that and so I decided to do my version.  I stamped the background on red cardstock with VersaMark watermark ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder from Tsukinko.  I then used my favorite red ink, Cherry Cobbler from Stampin Up!, to do some ink blending over the red cardstock.  Cherry Cobbler is a very rich, deep ink color and I love the way it deepened the lighter red cardstock.  Once that was done I die cut the panel with the largest Spellbinders Essentials Rectangle die.  I then used the SSS/CZ Designs Chunky Love You die to cut white cardstock several times.  I kept all the pieces together except those few interior pieces and adhered the layers together on the shadow image that I cut from a medium gray cardstock.  The die cut was then adhered to the center of the card on an angle.  To finish I added little hearts that I die cut with a SSS die set that is no longer available to the centers of the O in each word.   The hearts were then covered in Nuvo Crystal Drops in Morning Dew.  Love how this card turned out!  Going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of layer it up.

I think the second card is rather fun and playful.  I decided to cut strips of cardstock in blue and green and adhered them to some thin white cardstock at an angle.  I then trimmed off the overhang and stamped the panel with VersaMark watermark ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder from Tsukineko.  This panel was also die cut with the Spellbinders Essentials Rectangle die.   I then die cut a heart using the solid heart from the SSS Deco Heart die set from pink cardstock.   The heart was then adhered to the panel.  I die cut the SSS I Adore You die set from white cardstock three times, adhered all the layers and then adhered the sentiment to the heart.  I used the colors from Color Throwdown so I will be posting this there, as well as at CAS(E) this Sketch.  So sad that CTS is shutting down, but I totally understand why Chrissy felt it was the right thing for her to do!  

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

cards to share...

Hello!  Popping in today with multiple cards to share.  The first two cards were made with a background stamp called Etched Snowflake from the brand new Simon Says Stamp release called Hey Bestie (you can find the new release here).  I'm always so thankful to Simon Says Stamp for their kindness in sending me product to share with you!  For both cards I used a technique that I have seen the super talented Yana Smakula use on many occasions.  When I received the background stamp in the mail from SSS I knew that I wanted to try out Yana's technique.  It is a very simple one, but it really packs a punch.  You simply embossed your image on colored cardstock and then ink up the panel leaving the center of the panel uninked so that it puts the emphasis on the center of your card.  With the first card I cut a piece of light aqua cardstock and then embossed the background in silver.  I inked up the panel using Distress Oxide ink in Broken China.  The snowflake in the center is also from Simon Says Stamp and I die cut it from silver cardstock.   I die cut my panel so that one of the snowflakes in in the center of the panel and then adhered the snowflake to the center.  I heat embossed the sentiment (also from Simon Says Stamp) in silver (from Tsukineko)on vellum and used a SSS banner die to cut it before adhering it to the center of the snowflake.  The panel was then adhered to a white cardstock base.

For the second card I went with a more tone on tone look by using dark red cardstock that I embossed the background in clear embossing powder.  I then used a red ink (the cardstock and ink are from Stampin Up!) that matches the cardstock to ink up the panel.   For this card I used the Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Tag die set for my center snowflake.  I adhered my panel to a card base made from the same dark red cardstock.  I heat embossed the sentiment (from a Simon Says Stamp set) in gold embossing powder from WOW! Embossing on vellum and then die cut the tag.  The snowflake was die cut from gold mirror cardstock and then adhered to the center of the card.  I carefully applied glue behind the letters of the sentiment and then adhered the tag to the snowflake.  I finished off the card with a bow tied from baker's twine that is in the same color as the cardstock and ink.

My next set of cards I made just for fun with lots of goodies from Spellbinders.  I'm patiently waiting for my January Spellbinders small die kit and while I'm waiting I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to make a couple of cards using the Spellbinders December small die kit.   The December kit is a great set of word dies that allow you to make all kinds of combinations of sentiments.  I kept things simple by just using the Happy Birthday and Thinking of You dies.  Several months ago I purchased a Spellbinders card kit (May 2019).  These kits are jammed packed.  You get a die set, a pad of patterned paper, die cut embellishments, cardstock, pre-scored cards and envelopes, adhesive and a stamp set.   The value is amazing!  I had previously made a few cards with the die set that came in the kit and some of the die cut embellishments, as well.  With so much left over I had to get a couple more made.  I layered up lots of different elements including layered butterfly stickers that also came in the kit.  After layering up all the elements I die cut the sentiments from some of the cardstock from the kit and adhered them.  I just love how each card turned out!  I'm going to be posting one of the cards to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge to use flowers.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Precious Remembrance Shop and Imagine Crafts Blog Hop!

(For my regular Wednesday post on the AJVD blog, please click here.)
Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today and tomorrow the Precious Remembrance Shop design team is teaming up with the Imagine Crafts design team for some fun blog hops showcasing products from both companies!  I have always love Imagine Crafts (Tsukineko) inks and so I was super excited to have this opportunity to work with more of their amazing products for this hop!   The PRS design team was given the opportunity to pick an assortment of products from Imagine Crafts to use for our projects.  I had been hearing about the new VersaFine CLAIR inks and so I made sure to include those in the products I picked.  Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE  the CLAIR inks?   They are fabulous to work with providing crisp images every time!!  For todays cards I used the Totally stamp set and went very masculine for both cards.   There will be an opportunity to win some wonderful prizes and that information will be at the end of my post. You should have arrived at my blog by way of my fellow teamie, Helen's blog.  If you did not, please head to the Precious Remembrance Shop blog for the start of the hop and a complete list of everyone hopping today.

For the first card I used the paint stroke like image from the Totally set to create a pattern somewhat like argyle using CLAIR inks in Morning Mist and Twilight.  I then stamped the word totally in CLAIR Nocturne.   The piece was die cut with a large rectangle die. The little sentiment me/you/us was stamped on vellum using VersaMark watermark ink and embossed in black using Imagine Crafts black embossing powder and then trimmed out.  I adhered the sentiment strip using rolled up glue dots placed behind the embossing so they don't show as much.   I adhered the panel to some gray woodgrain cardstock and then added small, medium and large dots using the irRESISTible Pico Embellisher in Blue Danube randomly to the panel.

For the second card I had to do some surgery on my stamps in order to use them in my mini MISTI.  To start I cut up the sentiment that says that's all! and used each word separately to stamp the sentiment all that! in CLAIR Morning Mist.   The little word you're was part of a stamp that included a line so I simply cut off that portion so I could use just the word.  That was stamped in CLAIR Twilight.  I did not cut apart the stamp that contains the word really, but simply masked off the part of the stamp that I did not need, inked up the word, removed the mask and stamped the word.   The panel was die cut with a medium sized rectangle die and then partially embossed with a star embossing folder.  I sprayed the top portion of the card with some Fireworks in Paris Dusk for a bit more interest.  I stamped one of the stars from the Totally set on white cardstock using Morning Mist, trimmed them out and adhered to the panel.  Some gray baker's twine was tied around the card base and then the panel was adhered.

Now for the information on how to win some fun prizes!!  It is pretty simple... just do the following:

Hop Along and leave us some comments on each blog. 
Like & Follow both companies on Facebook & Instagram 
      Precious Remembrance Shop Facebook & Instagram
      Imagine Crafts Facebook & Instagram
Giveaway is open until May 19,2018. Winners will be chosen randomly. 

Have fun & Good luck!

And for simply doing those three easy things you will have the opportunity to win the either the School Days and Totally stamp sets from Precious Remembrance Shop or a $30 gift certificate from Imagine Crafts!!  Awesome, right?  Now off you go to the blog of Imagine Crafts design team member Steph Ackerman for some more inspiration!

Have a wonderful day and happy hopping!!

Supplies:  All supplies except cardstock, twine, embossing folder and dies are from Imagine Crafts and Precious Remembrance Shop

penny black brushstroke stamps...

Hello from some what snowy western Washington!!  We have been having snow showers over the last few days, but thankfully most of it hasn't stuck in my area!  My son is a little bummed, but he will get over it, lol!  On Monday morning an email from Penny Black Stamps landed in my inbox.  I opened it to discover that it contained a video on how to stamp with Penny Black's fabulous brushstroke stamps by the amazingly talented Jill Foster.  She constantly leaves me in awe with the magic she works with Penny Black stamps.  I watched the video not once, but twice and then in the afternoon when I had some time created this card using her technique.  My sweet friend, Greta, had gifted me with this beautiful Penny Black brushstroke stamp called effulgent almost a year ago and while I have played around with it a bit I just couldn't see to make it come to life... that is until I watched Jill's video!!  This was my first attempt with the technique and since I didn't get the stamp in the original packaging I didn't realize that some areas should be green, but I really like how it turned out so I made it into a card to share!  I think I will add this to the current Stamp Ink Paper challenge of cardmaker's choice.   To do the layered stamping I used Memento markers Angel Pink and Rose Bud, Ranger distress marker Gathered Twigs and Stampin Up! marker Early Espresso.  You can't tell in the photo, but after I die cut the piece I did some ink blending around the edges using Old Paper distress ink.

I was excited to try the technique again so after I got my kiddo off to school this morning I pulled out another PB brushstroke stamp called Berry Bramble and got to work.  This is another stamp I have had for awhile, but had been unable to come up with something that I like when I tried stamping with it.  With Jill's technique I was finally able to make something I was happy with!!   This time I used Memento markers Rhubarb Stalk and Potter's Clay and Ranger's Gather Twig.  After finishing up the stamping I inked around the edges with Vintage Photo distress ink which doesn't really show up in the photo.  I added the embossed strip of red cardstock to make the berries pop a bit more.   I have a few more Penny Black brushstroke stamps that are going to get inked up using the same technique!!  Penny Black posted another video this morning that was just as fabulous.

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI kraft, SU! red, Arches Hot Press watercolor paper; Stamps:  Penny Black; Inks:  Memento, Ranger, VersaFine, Stampin Up!; Embossing folder

happy birthday to you...

Hello friends!!  Hope you weekend is going well.  Here with a card that I made for this week's LIM challenge.  It is Jen's birthday and so we have been tasked with the challenge of making a birthday card for Jen.   She noted on the LIM blog that if she were to make a birthday card for herself she would use either cats, fish or butterflies... so I decided to make a card using a cat.   I

I pulled out my Penny Black clear set "hello, friend" and used the image of the chubby little cat holding tight to a balloon bouquet.  I stamped him using VersaMark watermark ink, applied black embossing powder and heat set.  The balloon portion of the image was stamped on three different patterned paper from the Penny Black Madison paper pad and then paper pieced on to the main image.  I pulled out some VersaMagic inks and my Tsukineko brush sticks and added a bit of color to the little guy.  Finished off the card with one of the first Penny Black stamps I ever bought... a wood mounted birthday sentiment.  Hope Jen likes this!

Now I have some fun news to share regarding the Penny Black blog.  All next week brand new Penny Black products that are just to "die" for {wink} will be featured!  If you are on Facebook or get the Penny Black newsletter then you know what I'm talking about!  Signing up for the PB newsletter is as easy as pie and gives you lots of benefits.  There is also a sneak peak posted right now on the blog... so make sure you check out the PB blog today and on Monday, June 24th.  You won't be disappointed!!

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI kraft; Stamps:  Penny Black; Ink:  VersaMark watermark; VersaMagic Gingerbread & Jumbo Java; PP:  Penny Black Madison pad; Embossing powder:  Filigree black