bright side...

Hello!  I'm back with two more cards that I made with products from the Simon Says Stamp Every Happiness release.  One card will be heading off to the current Just Us Girls challenge (stencils), as well as the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.   Let's look at what I created.  (If you haven't yet, please check out my Simon Says Stamp day 2 blog hop post.)

This first card features the new Bellflower Blossoms stencil set, Chunky Ovals dies and a sentiment from the fun Positive Thoughts stamp set.   I stenciled the background using blue, purple and green inks from Altenew.   Once the stenciling was done I die cut the panel with a Chunky Oval die.  I adhered that to a white cardstock base.  Two of the smaller Chunky Oval were used to die cut some polka dot vellum and then the sentiment that was stamped in a dark purple ink.   This is the card that will be heading to the above mentioned challenges. 

For this card I used the new Sunflower Meadow stamp set, as well as the Chunky Ovals.   I also pulled in a die from the Sparkler Scallop frames set from last month's release.  I just love that die set!  I stamped the image on the white panel, die cut it and then used two Chunky Oval dies to create the kraft cardstock frame.  I adhered the frame, added the little twine bow and then finished with the sentiment from the Sunflower Meadow stamps set that was die cut with the smallest Chunky Oval die.

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

Simon Says Stamp Every Happiness Blog Hop Day 2

 Hello, hello!  I'm so excited to be participating in the day 2 blog hop for the Simon Says Stamp Every Happiness release!  This release is so amazing and I am so grateful to Simon Say Stamp for the products that they gifted to me to create with!  I have two cards to share with you today.  But before I share all the details I just want to remind you that there is an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate at each stop on the hop.  So make sure you leave a little comment for a chance to win.  If you started the hop at Simon Says Stamp you should have arrived here from Rachel Alvarado's blog.  Now, lets take a look at what I created.

This first card uses the new Chunky Ovals die set, Sunflower Blooms die set and a sentiment from the Sunflower Meadow stamp set.  I will admit that I have not been big on oval shaped dies, but these Chunky Ovals stole my heart!  The largest one is too big for an A2 sized card (generally what I make), but perfect to make a card with and that is what I did.  I used patterned paper from the 49 and Market Vintage Orchard collection for the background.   To create my card base I folded a full sheet of off white cardstock in half, placed the large oval so that one side went slightly past the fold and the bottom also went slightly past the bottom edge of the cardstock.  I did this to create the hinge on one side and a flat bottom so the card would stand up.    I die cut the patterned paper, adhered it to the card base and then trimmed off the excess.  The flowers (one large flower and stem, two small flowers and one small stem) were created with additional patterned paper from the Vintage Orchard paper pack, assembled and adhered to the card front.  I used the smallest oval in the Chunky Ovals set to die cut my sentiment that I then adhered to the card front.  Love how this turned out!

This card also uses the Sunflower Blooms die set and the new Whirlpool Spinner embossing folder.  I used more patterned paper from 49 and Market for this card.  This time from the Faded Memory Lane collection.  I die cut a rectangle of cardstock, embossed it with the embossing folder and adhered it to a card base.  I die cut the flower and stem from coordinating patterned paper, adhered it together and then added Nuvo glitter drops to the center of the flower.  When it was dry I added it to the card base and finished with another sentiment from the Sunflower Meadow stamp set that was die cut with the same small chunky oval die and a little twine bow.  Love the softness of this card. 

As you can see from the graphic you can also get a free stamp set with any purchase from the new Every Happiness release.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go shopping!!

Well, that is it for me.  Thanks for stopping by!  Your next stop on the hop is Susan Valle.

Birch Press Design Blog Post #2

Hello, hello!  Can you believe that July is almost over?  Time is flying by way too fast for my liking, lol!  Today I'm on the Birch Press Design blog and here is a little peek of what I made:

I hope you will head over to the blog to let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

faded memory lane...

Hey there!  Popping in with a project that I have been wanting to make for several months.  I finally got the chance a few days ago and now I'm sharing it with you!   Let's look at what I made.

At heart I am a clean and simple girl, but on occasion I love to create projects that are more shabby and vintage.  This is one of them.  I previously shared a card I made using products from the 49 and Market Faded Memory Lane collection.   Even though the products are shabby and vintage I was able to create something clean and simple with the products.  This project, however, lands more on the vintage and shabby side for sure and I love how it turned out.  

One of the products I purchase was a pack of laser cuts and one of the laser cuts was the large floral piece that fills the upper left corner of my project.  Since I'm not a fan of slimline cards or card sizes larger that an A2 I knew I would not be able to use that laser cut unless I made something different:  a decor piece.  I started with a Tim Holtz frame and base.  I covered the base with patterned paper from the Faded Memory Lane 6x8 paper pack and then painted the frame with a light beige paint.  When the paint was dry I brushed on a light sage green making sure to not add too much.  When that was dry I added some Gilded Foundry wax and heat set it.  I also added some Gilded Foundry wax to the patterned paper in the upper right corner.  Finally, the foundry wax was also added to all the laser cut images I used.  Did I go a little crazy with the foundry wax?  Maybe, but I love it!  

I layered on all of the images and then added the little sentiment strips that are also laser cuts.  The frame was added using collage medium, a heavy object placed on top and it was allowed to dry.  Once dry I added the large floral piece by gluing parts to the frame and using 3d foam pads in areas that are inside the frame.   

I'm going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of fabulous florals and the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge to use text.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Long Stem Florals...

 Hello!  Popping in with a card that I made for the Paper Players challenge which is a color challenge this week (coral, pink, yellow and green).  The challenge closes in the next day so I needed to get it done.  I will also be adding it to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge as well.  Let' see what I made.

The Simon Says Stamp August card kit is available for purchase and for about 30 seconds (actually a little longer than that, lol) I thought about purchasing it.  But then I realized that I already had several of the products included in the kit and a stamp set that was similar.  So, I didn't purchase the kit.  One of the items in the kit is a jar of Tim Holtz distress embossing powder and it got me thinking about what distress embossing powders did I have.  Off I went to look and low and behold I had all the colors needed for the Paper Players color challenge!  Yay!  The Long Stem Florals stamp set with matching stencil and dies was perfect for what I wanted to do.  I used Kitsch Flamingo, Fossilized Amber, Saltwater Taffy and Twisted Citron distress embossing powders.   I will admit that even though this card looks simple it was a bit labor intensive as I had to do some layering of the embossing powder due to the stencil.  I did discover in the process, as well, that the distress embossing ink dauber I bought years ago does still dispense embossing ink.  Another yay!  So, I stamped the stems in VersaFine Clair Nocturne, let them dry for a bit and then did all the inking and embossing using the stencil.  When finished I die cut the panel and adhered it to a white cardstock base.  Finished with a sentiment from the Long Stem Floral stamp set.   A simple, yet not so simple, card, lol!

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

Birch Press Design July Post #1

 Hello, hello!  Popping in to let you know that I have a post up on the Birch Press Design blog today.  Here is a little look at what I created.

I hope you will hop over to the BPD blog to check out what I created.  Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and have a wonderful day!

Flowers...

 Hello!  I'm popping in on this day before the 4th of July to share a couple of cards that I made for a few challenges.  One card is for the Just Us Girls challenge and Sunday Stamps.  The other card is for Freshly Made Sketches.  Let's have a look at the cards.

This card is for the JUGs and Sunday Stamps challenges.  The JUGs challenge is to use a die set that hasn't seen love in awhile.  Sadly, I have way too many of those in my stash!  But I was able to settle on this one from Simon Says Stamp called Sunrise Stem.  I die cut the flower and stem from scraps that I had on my desk from a few project that I had made recently.  I did add some blue inking to the flower center to give it a bit more depth.  I didn't add any additional color to the stem or the flower center.  I diecut the rectangles per the Sunday Stamp sketch using rounded corner rectangle dies and then used the largest in the set for the background.  I adhered everything to a white cardstock base and then finished with a sentiment from the 2023 Memory Box/Simon Says Stamp Stamptember stamp and die

set called So Kind.

I recently bought a set of products from the 49 and Market Faded Memory Lane collection and have been wanting to use them.  Finally, the FMS sketch gave me that opportunity.  I used laser cuts, cello tape and a tiny piece of patterned paper for all my elements.  The sentiment is also from the So Kind stamp and die set.  Super simple card.  Die cut off white cardstock, add the cello tape and then glue on the elements per the sketch.  Finish with the stamped and die cut sentiment.

Well, that's it for me.  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Simon Says Stamp Shine On Release Post #2

 Hello, hello!  Where did June go?  4th of July is just a few days away.  250 years as a country!  None of my cards today are patriotic, tho.  Just the two other cards that I made using products from the Simon Says Stamp Shine On release.   Let's take a look.

This card uses the sweet Dewdrop Daisy dies, as well as the Presto Pop embossing folder.  I used some fun papers from the 49 and Market Kaleidoscope collection to create the card.   Pretty simple.  Die cut the flower and stem from patterned paper and adhered together.  Die cut patterned paper for background and emboss with embossing folder.  Finish with the little sentiment tag and a bit of twine.  Will send this one off to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge and the Die Cut Divas challenge.

So, I don't generally buy "cutesy" style stamps, but when I pulled the Botanical Buds stamp set out of the package I was smitten!  I literally laughed out loud and how could you not?   These little guys (or gals) are just the cutest darn things, ever!  I had plans to create a masked scene, but ran out of steam as this was the last card I made.  I did do some masking of the images in order to do the ink blending.  The little buds were stamped in Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.  I used Mowed Lawn and Broken China distress oxide inks for the sky and grass.  I finished off my little buds with some glossy accents and Rock Candy glitter.  This card just makes me smile!

Well, that is it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Simon Says Stamp Shine On Release!

 Hello, hello!  There is a brand new release at Simon Says Stamp called Shine On and it is another stellar release.  You can see the entire release right here. (Using the shared links allows me to earn a small commission at no cost to you.)  Simon Says Stamp was so kind and generous and sent me several products from this release to create with.  Today I'm going to share two of the four cards that I made.  Let's take a look at what I made.

This first card was made with the super fun Tall Happy Cover die and the pretty Dewdrop Daisy set set. I fell in love with both of these products the moment I pulled them from the package and couldn't wait to get started making a card with them.  I went really simple with this card by just die cutting out the Tall Happy from white cardstock and then inking it from the bottom up using Squeezed Lemonade distess ink.  My inking is kind of uneven, but I actually really like the look.  I adhered it to a white cardstock base and then worked on the daisy.  I diecut everything from white cardstock, trimmed off the stem and the leaves and then added Squeezed Lemonade to the flower and Mowed Lawn to the leaves.  I put the flower and leaves together and adhered it to the card front.  I finished with the tiny birthday sentiment that is from the EZ Stripes Birthday stamp and die set.   Going to add this one to the Die Cut Diva's June challenge of anything goes.

This card was made with the Clever Fox stamp set and the matching stencils.   This is another set that I love, too!  So perfect for masculine cards.  I stamped the fox and then used the stencils to ink him up.  I don't have a ton of inks in shades of brown (working on changing that!), but I do have a set from Pinkfresh Studio.  I used those to give the different shades to the fox.  For the kraft background I used the new Presto Pop embossing folder.  The background the fox is sitting on was created using the Forest Background die that was release during Diecember 2025.  I finished with the happy birthday sentiment from the Clever Fox stamp set.   Adding this one to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.  Since it is stencil week at JUGs I'm going to pop my clever fox into the gallery there!

Well, that's it for now.  I will be back in a few days with the other two cards that I made.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

Birch Press Design Blog Post #2

Hello!  Wow... it is already the end of June.  I have a post up on the Birch Press Design blog today and here is a little peek of what I created.

I hope you will head over to the Birch Press blog to see what I created.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day

I'm So Grateful...

 Hello!   Well, it has been a while, again, since I last posted.  This seems to be my pattern:  Post several cards then disappear for a week or so.  Don't think the pattern will change anytime soon, either.   It isn't that I'm not making things because I am.  I just can't share what I have made yet.  But I'm here today with a "I just want to make something" card.  I will be sending this one off to Color Hues (yellow and black), Freshly Made Sketches and Just Us Girls (moodboard).   So, let's see what I made.

I had been going through some cards that I had made a long time ago and came across a card that I had made using this pretty Memory Box die set called Cottage Flower Stem.  I decided that I need to find that die set and make another card with it.  And here it is, lol!  I die cut just the flower from yellow cardstock and the flower with stem from white cardstock.  I did add a little bit of distress oxide ink in yellow to the flower center and to the bottom layer to provide a little contrast.  For the FMS portion of the card I die cut a piece of patterned paper from the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Indigo Garden using a small rectangle die.  I created the flower and then adhered that to the white flower stem.  The rectangles were layered on a white cardstock panel and then I added the flower.  I thought about having the leaves be black, but decided against that as I felt I had enough black already.  I did add some pale yellow sequins, tho.  Finished with the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Thanks, Mom stamp set. I thought about creating a card for JUGs using lots of flowers, but decided that this single yellow flower worked for the challenge.   Let me know what you think.

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

Birch Press Design June Blog Post #1

 Hello, hello!  Can't believe it is already June!  Time is flying by absolutely way too fast!  Today I have a post up on the Birch Press Design blog and here is a little peek at what I created.

I hope you will head over to the Birch Press Design blog to see my card.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

Masculine Cards

 Hello!  I'm popping in to share two cards that I made for my mom to give to her grandsons for their birthdays.  Both were made with products from the 49 and Market Wanderlust Explorer collection.  I will be posting the cards to the following challenges:  The Paper Players (masculine), Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge (masculine) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (masculine, as well).  The products I used while aren't from Tim Holtz have similar vintage vibe.  Let's have a look at the cards. 

Both cards have the exact same layout.  For this card I used a large airplane laser cut, as well as a backpack and a camera.  The patterned paper from the Wanderlust Explorer features a map in the background.  I layered everything on a kraft cardstock base and then added the gold foiled Memory Box sentiment.

For the train I used a patterned paper that features faded images of tickets and travel schedules.  The large train laser cut was paired with a steamer trunk, another vintage camera and the "happy birthday" sentiment from Memory Box.

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

Guest Designing for Not 2 Shabby!

Hello!  Popping in to share my first of four cards I will be sharing this month as a guest designer for Not 2 Shabby Shop.  They have lots of fun and playful branded products in their shop, as well as products from other companies.   You can check them out here.  I was contacted by them a few months ago about guesting for them and said yes!   This month I will be creating with products from their monthly paper pad club, as well as using some of their preprinted sentiment strips.  Let's look at the first card I created.

 Aren't those little turtles just the cutest things?  This card will be going to one of my great nieces for sure!  I did make a bit of a mistake in that I should have put the smallest turtle (the one with the ice cream cone) in the center, but sometimes you can still make a rookie mistake, lol.   The turtles are from the Sweet & Playful Turtles ephemera pack and the papers are from the Cute Sea Critters and Playful Prints 6x6 paper pads.  I used the layout from Freshly Made Sketches (did flip it upside down, tho) for the card.  Finished with the sentiment (from Simon Says Stamp) that I stamped on the same paper I used for the main background.  I will also be posting this over at Seize the Birthday as it does have the topping of sweet treats!  This card just makes me smile.  How about you?

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

just for you...

 Hello, hello!  I'm popping in to share a card that I made for a few challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches (two weeks in a row... yay me, lol!), Just Us Girls (stencil week) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (anything goes).  Let's look at what I made.

I hadn't bought a Simon Says Stamp card kit in several years and decided to purchase the one for May, 2026.  I was intrigued by the stamp set Long Stem Florals and the stencil that went with the stamp set so decided to save up my money and get the kit.   I was disappointed that by the time I got the kit it didn't include the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Junk Drawer papers, but some very unattractive Tim Holtz papers.  One of the patterns actually looks like a cross section of a lung dyed blue!  Yuck!  Anyway, I have lots of Simple Stories papers that will works so all is well.  Anyway, as you can see, I used the stamp set and stencils, but no patterned paper.  I also used the smallest tag from the die set included in the kit.  I had intended on participating in the most recent Color Hues challenge, but knew I wouldn't have it done by the time the challenge closed.   But I liked the color combo so much (violet and lime green) that I decided to use it anyway.  I thought the stamped and stenciled floral image, as well as the little tag were perfect for Cecile's super cool FMS sketch.  I went with vellum for the tag so you can still see some of the stem underneath.   The sentiment was heat embossed.  I finished with the white twine and some iridescent sequins.

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

Simon Says Stamp Always There Release!

 Hello!  It has been a while since the last Simon Says Stamp release, but they are back and better than ever with the Always There release!  I have two cards to share today that I made using products from this release that SSS generously sent to me to create with.  Let's have a look at what I made.

First up is this cutie patootie giraffe die set called Fable Giraffe.  I think this card will be going to my pink loving great niece when she turns five this fall.   I also used another new product from the release: Sparkler Scallop Frames die set.  I LOVE this die set and you will be seeing me use it alot in the future!  I die cut the giraffe from pink cardstock and then inked up pieces with Spun Sugar distress ink.  I adhered the pieces and then added Nuvo drops in black to the eyes.  I found some pretty pink gingham paper and die cut that with one of the Sparkler Scallop Frames.  White cardstock was die cut with a larger Sparkler Scallop Frames die and layered together.  I used the smallest die from the set, die cut it from white cardstock and then stamped it with the happy birthday sentiment that fit perfectly inside.  The balloon cluster is from the new Pawfect Together stamp set and was stamped on pink cardstock, some Spun Sugar was added to the balloons and then I covered that up with Nuvo drops in White Blizzard, lol!  I layered everything on a pink cardstock base.  Going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.

This card ended up being my favorite of the four cards that I made.  This card uses the Timeless Thanks die set and the CZ Design Mod Composition background stamp.  I hadn't done emboss/resist in a very long time and thought the Mod Composition stamp would be perfect for that technique.   I stamped the background on white cardstock with watermark ink, applied white embossing powder and then heat set it.  I used Altenew's Soft Lilac ink to bring out the white embossing.  I love the soft subtle color that was achieved.  For the Timeless Thanks I used a fairly new Simon Says Stamp cardstock called Moonflower.  I love this cardstock.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  I die cut the shadow layer from white and adhered them together.  The sentiment is from the CZ Design Thanks, Mom stamp and die set.  I stamped the sentiment on the Moonflower cardstock with VersaFine Clare Morning Mist ink, die cut it plus a couple other layers and adhered both to the background.  The background was die cut with the SSS A2 Frame dies set.  

That's it for now.  I will be back to share the other two cards that I made with products from the release.  Click here to see the full release or use the link on my sidebar.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Birch Press Design Blog Post #2

Hello, hello!  I'm popping in to let you know that I have a post up on the Birch Press Design blog today.  Here is a little peek of what I made:

Hope you will head over to the BPD blog to see what I made.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

best day ever...

 Hello!  Popping in with a quick share of a card that I made for a couple of challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches and Card Concept.  I haven't participated in either of these challenges in a while.  Just haven't had the motivation to make cards (except for obligations) lately.   Trying to change that state of mind, lol!  Let's look at what I made. 

The FMS sketch is a simple one so that made things a bit easier for me.  Using chipboard and patterned paper helped speed things along, as well.  The theme at Card Concept is seaside/nautical and since I had recently made a couple of nautical theme cards, the 49 and Market Summer Porch products were still fresh in my mind.  Card is pretty straight forward:  Clean and simple with a few layers.  Die cut patterned paper to feature the sailboats, added the chipboard lighthouse and sentiment, a couple of pieces of cello tape and the butterfly.  Added that piece to more patterned paper, a cardstock base and boom... I was done!

Well, that is it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Birch Press Design May Blog Post #1

Hello, hello!  Popping in to let you know that I have a blog post up on the Birch Press Design blog today.  Here is a little peek of what I created. 

I hope you will head over to the blog to check out what I created.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

literally the best...

 Hello!  Got another card made so I'm popping into share it.  Haven't had the motivation lately to make anything other than the two cards I made for my niece's boyfriend.  She absolutely loves the cards and can't wait to give them to him!  Today's card is for Color Hues and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  I just couldn't resist the fun color combo of yellow and blue.  Let's look at what I made.

I kept things very simple by creating flowers using the Birch Press Design Block Print Daisy Flowers die set.  There are two sizes of daisies in the die set. I cut each die from blue and yellow cardstock and then layered a small daisy over the larger one, alternating the colors.   I die cut the centers from white cardstock, adhered them and then added Nuvo drops in Morning Dew to the centers.  When the centers were dry I created the layout on a white cardstock base, adhered everything and then finished with the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Thanks, Mom stamp and die set.  Like I said, very simple. 

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

Go Navy!

 Hello!  Can't believe it is already May!  Time is just flying by and honestly, I don't like it!  But what can I do?  Not much.  I'm popping in today to share two cards that I made for someone who is graduating from the United States Naval Academy on May 16th of this year.   I have a niece who is currently finishing up her junior year at the Naval Academy, and it is her boyfriend, Frank, who is graduating.   My sister (my niece's mom) asked if I could make a card for him from the family and I said, yes!  Then she told her daughter and suddenly I was making two!   It was a little nerve wracking to come up with an idea for the second card, but I accomplished the task.  So, let's see what I created.

First up is the card that I made that is from the family.  A couple of summers ago I purchased some 49 and Market products called Summer Porch.  They have a nautical theme and I thought for sure I could find something to use on the card and I was in luck!  I knew that Frank rowed for one of the Naval Academy crew teams so I was excited to see the set of oars in a pack of chipboard images.  There was also the anchor!   I die cut some of the more nautical themed patterned paper using the postage edge dies from Pinkfresh Studio as a background.  I used dark blue patterned paper to die cut the USNA and 2026.   The little blue rope was from a pack of ephemera.  I adhered the USNA and 2026 to one of the postage background pieces and then stamped the "class of:" in between.  I then layered on all of the various pieces.  I finished with the Naval Academy motto Ex Scientia Tridens (which in Latin means From Knowledge, Sea Power) and Semper Fidelis.  I included Semper Fidelis because Frank will be commissioned as a Marine Corp officer instead of a Naval officer when he graduates.  I will be adding this one to the current Die Cut Diva's challenge of celebrations. 

This is the card that I made for my niece to give to Frank.  I hope that she likes it.  My sister did so that is a good sign!  I'm going to put this card into the current JUGs challenge because it does have a big die cut sentiment.  I used the Naval Academy colors of navy and gold for the letters and numbers.   I die cut both and then adhered them together offsetting so that the gold showed.  I was very careful when positioning everything using my T-square ruler to keep everything straight.   I used the computer to generate the word "ACADEMY" printing it in dark blue and then trimming it down and backing it with the same gold cardstock used for the lettering.   I added the Naval Academy motto (also computer generated) as well as the "class of:".  The finishing touch was the anchor charm and the little gold heart.  The charm was a bright shiny silver, but I was able to tone it down by adding some distress foundry wax in the color Gilded.  I heat set it and then wiped most off it off.  Love how it turned out.   I really hope that Frank likes the cards.  

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