Circle Doodle Thanks

There's something not so bad about being stuck inside on a cold, snowy day.  No better way to spend this kind of day than by being cozy AND crafty!

I've had this SSS Circle Doodle background stamp for a while and I have been dying to use it... so today was THE day!  I started by embossing the stamp on watercolor paper with white embossing powder and then water colored the circles using distress inks with a little bit of water.  After it was dry, I cut the bottom shape with a die from the MFT Blueprints 18 set.  On a sheet of Limelight cardstock, I dry embossed the circle doodles leaving a watermark look to coordinate with the bottom of the panel and then rounded two of the opposite corners to soften it a little.

For the sentiment, I used a die from Impression Obsession.  I cut the "thanks" two times.  Once in blue and once in white.  I offset them on each other to create a bit of a shadow.  Just a blue "thanks" looked too strong and a white "thanks" looked a bit lost, but together, they worked!

And for the finishing touch... sequins, of course!

Supplies Used:
Circle Doodle background stamp - Simon Says Stamp
Thanks - Impression Obsession
Distress Inks:  Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch, Twisted Citron
Blueprints 18 - My Favorite Things
Sequins - Pretty Pink Posh & Doodlebug
Limelight paper - My Favorite Things
Tim Holtz Watercolor paper
Neenah Solar White 110 lb.
Hero Arts white embossing powder

Color Throwdown #422

Hello everyone!  Welcome back!

Here is the inspiration piece for this week's Color Throwdown #422.  I love, love, love these bright colors!!!

...and here is my card:

I dusted off one of my all-time favorite stamp sets by Papertrey Ink called Dot Spot for this challenge.  This set just screams FUN to me!  I created the background using 3 different sizes of the dotted circles using the hot pink, orange and teal.  I then incorporated the navy into the centers of all of the circles using the two smaller dotted circle stamps and also by placing my card front onto a navy card base.

For the "hello" sentiment,  I cut the "hello" three times from navy cardstock and then stacked them for some dimension.  I stamped the "I miss you" also on navy cardstock and then cut the little fishtail ends.

I finished off the card by placing a sequin into the centers of the navy circles for a little fun sparkle.

To see what others have created for this challenge, click HERE.


Supplies Used:
Dot Spot - Papertrey Ink
Year Round Sentiments - Hero Arts
Hello - Lawn Fawn Scripty Hello
Inks - PTI Hibiscus Burst, PTI Orange Zest, MFT Blu Raspberry, VersaFine Majestic Blue
Hero Arts white embossing powder
PPP 6mm Sparkling Clear Sequins
Neenah Solar White 80 lb. and 110 lb.
Navy Cardstock

Thank you for stopping by.  Enjoy your great weekend!

Happy Birthday! - CAS406

Hello everyone!  Here is my card for the Splitcoast Stampers Clean and Simple Challenge #406.  The theme is Winter Birthdays.  And guess what?  I have one of those, too!  (December 17th, but my birthdays don't count anymore!)

I used various patterned papers from Doodlebug's Here Come's Santa Claus 6x6 paper pad and cut four 1.75" squares and centered them on the upper part of the top panel. I used a snowflake die and placed it in the center of the 4 squares.  I used 2 different stamp sets for the Happy Birthday sentiment and then popped up the panel on the red & white diagonally striped card base using foam tape.

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great week!


Supplies Used:
Here Comes Santa Claus paper pad - Doodlebug
Turquoise Glitter Paper - Doodlebug
Funky Snowflake - Simon Says Stamp
Happy -  Big Scripty Words - Lawn Fawn
Birthday - Delicious Birthday - My Favorite Things
VersaFine Black Onyx ink 

Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge

Here is another card  that I created today for the SSS Anything Goes Challenge.   I started the design by stamping the colored flowers and then stamped over each of them with a smaller black flower.  For a finishing touch, I added a tiny pearl in the centers of the flowers.

Supplies Used:
Flower Friend - Simon Says Stamp
A2 Curved Edge - Simon Says Stamp
Hello Die - Lawn Fawn
Inks: Hero Arts Bubble Gum mid-tone, Hero Arts Green Apple Hybrid, MFT Orange Zest

#simonsaysstamp
#ssswchallenge

Color Throwdown #421

 Here is the inspiration for today's Color Throwdown.

 ...and here is my card.  Clean and simple, but these colors were calling my name!

I added a lime colored gemstone for the tree topper and a bigger one for the "trunk".  After all, everything is a little better with some bling!

You can check out the many other great Throwdown #421 cards HERE.

Have a great day!

Supplies Used:
Banded Tree - Simon Says Stamp
Merry Christmas - Hero Arts Stamp & Cut
VersaFine Onyx Black ink
Neenah Solar White 80 & 110 lb.
Gemstones
Misc. Cardstock

Hello Sweet Baby - SC621

Hello there!  Long time, no see!  I am almost done moving in to my new craft room and finally made some time to "play"!  Its been way too long!  Today's card is a baby card, and I have to admit, this one came together pretty easily.  Funny how that works when you have an idea in your head!

Here is my card for the latest sketch challenge at SCS.   I used 2 different stamp sets from Technique Tuesday and 3 different colors of pink inks.   I like how this came together for a background and love that this can be one of those cards that can be mass-produced.  So easy to make it into a boy card or a generic baby card just by changing the colors.  I finished it off by adding the sentiment on some patterned paper, popped it up with some foam tape and then added some pearls for a feminine touch.

Supplies Used:
Baby Flair - Technique Tuesday
Sweet Baby - Technique Tuesday
Inks:  Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst, Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink
VersaFine Onyx Black
Paper, Neenah Solar White 80 & 110 lb, Doodlebug patterned paper

You're a Super Hero - CAS383

Happy Hump Day!  Today's card features my favorite technique... distress ink blending and water splots.  I started out by blending the blue distress ink pretty heavily on the bottom of the card  and got a lighter hand as I went up.  I then flipped the card and did the same with the red distress ink, then spritzed water with a distress sprayer and blotted the water with a paper towel.  I used a stencil for the stars on the red and blue sections using the same inks and used sponge daubers to apply the color.   The word HERO is done using individual letters from the Vanity License Plate set from My Favorite Things.  I aligned the letters on the Misti and then stamped with Intense Black ink onto my card base and embossed with clear embossing powder.  The star die cut has Wink of Stella on it for some shimmer and then I coated it with Glossy Accents for some added shine,  For the finishing touch... sequins from Pretty Pink Posh (and some tiny ones from a set from Michaels).

The inside of the card says "I thank my lucky stars for you" done with Reverse Confetti's Because of the Brave stamp set.

Supplies Used:
Watercolor paper - Tim Holtz
Distress Inks: Candied Apple & Blueprint Sketch
Distress Sprayer
Embossing Ink - Simon Says Stamp
Clear Embossing Powder - Hero Arts
Black Ink - Hero Arts Intense Black
Star Die - Sweet 'n Sassy
"You're a Super" - Papertrey Ink - Star Prints
"HERO" - MFT - Vanity License Plate
Frame - Mama Elephant - Dotted Details
Stars Stencil- Simon Says Stamp - Falling Stars
Sequins - Pretty Pink Posh - Patriotic Mix
Wink of Stella
Glossy Accents
Misti

Thank you for stopping by!

I'm Lucky To Have A Friend Like You

Hello everyone!  Today's card was done using embossing paste and embossing powder.  Such a fun technique and I just love the dimension the embossing paste gives.  I started out by adhering my stencil to some Neenah Solar White card stock, then applied the embossing paste.  I applied the paste to as much of the stencil that I could so I could make several cards out of this, instead of just one.  While the paste was still wet, I sprinkled on 5 different colors of embossing powder and then used my heat tool to set it.  Then I cut it into three strips, so I could make a total of 3 cards.  I love when a technique like this lends itself to making several cards at a time.

I stamped the text using the Misti.  Perfect placement and perfect stamping EVERY time.  The word friend is a die cut layered a couple times for a little extra dimension.

Thank you for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stencil - Dylusions Triangle Small
Embossing Powders - Zing
Stamps - Mama Elephant - Friend Indeed
Friend Die - Mama Elephant
Neenah Solar White card stock
Misc. colored card stock

My Favorite Things Color Challenge 44

This week's Color Challenge at MFT is full of fun colors, so my goal was to create a "fun" card!

I started this card by using MFT's Jumbo Dot Cover-Up to cut out 5 different colors of card stock.  The four challenge colors and also white for the frame.  Then, I  cut out the word bubbIe from the white frame.  At this point, I ran all the pieces through my Xyron.  This definitely made all these pieces and parts much easier to adhere to the card.  I still totally love my Xyron, I think I have every size ever made!

After  everything was cut out and Xyron'd (I made up a new word!), I placed the white frame onto a purple card base.  It almost looks black in the picture, but I assure you, it's purple.  I wasn't sure if I should do a striped pattern or just randomly place the dots, but as you can see, random won.  I cut the hello die 3 times and then stacked for a some dimension.  I added a few sequins for a finishing touch and Voila, all done!

Thank you for visiting!
Donna

Supplies Used:
Jumbo Dot Cover-Up - My Favorite Things
Hello - Hello, Hi There  - My Favorite Things
Figure of Speech Frame - Papertrey Ink
Sequins - Pretty Pink Posh
Misc Card stock

My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge - Sketch 278

Hello all!  I was feeling a little crafty today, so I decided to play along with MFT's latest sketch challenge.  It's an ugly, rainy day today and it surely beats housework!  Am I right?

Here is the sketch:

Here is my take on the sketch...

I started out by blending distress inks on watercolor paper.  Once everything was blended, I sprayed it with water using a Distress Sprayer. I let the water sit for a bit and then it dabbed it with a paper towel.  Once it was dry, I used MFT's Square Grid Cover Up to cut the squares.  I used the grid that it was popped out of for perfect placement of the squares.  I simply laid the grid on my card front. adhered the squares in their proper place, then lifted off the grid.  Easy peasy!  Now, I have the grid to use for a future project.  Win-Win!

To finish off my card, I used the happy die from MFT and cut it out using  lime cardstock.  Then I embossed Wishing You Everything with white embossing powder on black cardstock and cut it out using MFT's Fishtail Flags Layers Stax.  I thought the card still need a little something, so I added the black and white striped Washi tape.  To give it that finishing little touch, sequins, of course!

Thank you for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Square Grid Cover-Up - My Favorite Things
Fishtail Flags Layers Stax - My Favorite Things
Happy Die - My Favorite Things
Sea Breeze Sequin - Pretty Pink Posh
Amethyst Sequin - Pretty Pink Posh
Lime Sequin - Doodlebug
Watercolor Paper - Tim Holtz
Card Base - 110 lb. Neenah Solar White
Distress Inks: Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean & Wilted Violet
White Embossing Power - Hero Arts
Misc. Cardstock
Washi Tape

Muse Challenge #161

Here is this week's Muse inspiration card by Anita Bowden.

The first thing that struck me about her card were the colors.  I just love these colors, bright, vibrant and fun.  Such a pretty card, and yet, clean and simple.

Below is my take on her card.  The background was done by blending distress inks on watercolor paper and then spritzed with water using a Distress Sprayer, then trimmed with a stitched border die.   I used a church die cut and stacked four of them on top of each other for a raised look and then placed on kraft cardstock (also using a stitched border die here), stamped my sentiment and voila!  Easy peasy.

Supplies Used:
Card Base- - 110 lb. Neenah Solar White
Kraft Cardstock
Watercolor Paper - Tim Holtz
Distress Inks - Abandoned Coral,  Carved Pumpkin & Fossilized Amber
Church Die - Simon Says Stamp
Sentiment - Prayers stamp set by Simon Says Stamp

Muse Challenge #154 by Jenni Murray

Here is this week's Muse card by Jenni to inspire us for this challenge:

And, here is my card:

I was inspired by her use of the three squares on the left side and the stripes.  I love stripes, especially striped patterned papers.  I probably own a fire hazard's worth of striped paper!  I wanted to stay with the floral theme, but I really don't own any floral stamps similar to what she used, so I went with the next best thing, flower die cuts.   I adhered the flowers on the card base and then popped up the front of the card with foam tape for a little dimension.  I also rounded the corners on the bottom of the card to go with the rounded corners of the squares.

Supplies Used:
Hero Arts Hello Stamp Set
Papertrey Ink Oopsie Daisy Dies
Simon Says Stamp Tri Square Die
My Mind's Eye Summer Splash Paper Pad
VersaFine Black Onyx Ink
Misc. Cardstock
Foam Tape

Thank you for stopping by!

Paper Smooches Fun & Cute Challenge

Happy Monday everyone!  Today's card is for the February challenge over at Paper Smooches entitled Fun & Cute.  "Anything goes for this challenge as long as it it fun & cute!"  That's not hard at all when it comes to Paper Smooches, it would be more of a CHALLENGE finding a PS stamp that ISN'T cute, right?

Here is my take on "fun & cute".....

 

I started out with some distress inks and watercolor paper, then went to town with these fun colors to create the background.   Once it was dry, I stamped the cute, little snow dude in VersaMark a bunch of times and then heat embossed him with white embossing powder.

Materials Used:

Paper Smooches Warm Hearts Stamp Set

Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler Stamp Set

Picked Raspberry Distress Ink

Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink

Peacock Feathers Distress Ink

Hero Arts White Embossing Powder

Simon Says Stamp A2 Curved Edge Die

Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper

Misc. Cardstock

 Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Muse Challenge #153 with Tracey

My card today is for the Muse Challenge.  Below is Tracey McNeely's card for inspiration.

My inspiration came from her color choices.  I love bright, fun, happy colors.  I also liked the black text on the white background, very crisp, clean and easy to read.

Here is my card.  The white layer is popped up with foam tape and the layer beneath was done using half inch strips of the 3 different colors. 

Supplies Used:
Wish Big - Papertrey Ink Stylish Sentiments done in VersaFine Black Onyx Ink
Stars - Sweet n Sassy Star dies
White Cardstock - Neenah Solar White
Misc. Colored Cardstock
Foam Tape

Thank you for stopping by!

Get Well Prayers

After quite a hiatus, I'm back with a new card! That's the good news.  The bad news is that today's card is for a friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.  I wanted the card to be on the cheery side, but it also needed the seriousness of letting her know that I am praying for her. 

Let me just start by saying that the MISTI tool is the absolute bomb!   I finally caved and bought one last week from Simon Says Stamp.  This was the first card that I made with it.  And, guess what?  I didn't only make one of this card, I made 6!  Because it's THAT easy with the Misti.  Perfect placement, perfect stamping.  I think I'm in love....

Thank you to card-making guru Jennifer McGuire for the inspiration for this card.

Pretty simple card, so it doesn't really need much explaining, unless you are not familiar with the Misti.  If you're not, give it a whirl on YouTube.  It will change your life.  The "Get Well" stamp is from the Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler set and I used all Hero Arts inks, well almost.  The black text was done using Black Onyx VersaFine so it would stand out.  The "sending hugs and prayers" and the little heart are a Hero Arts exclusive for Simon Says Stamp.   I also used some Glossy Accents on the little heart for a finishing touch.  So, without further adieu, here's my card.

Hero Arts colors used:  Pale Tomato, Red Royal, Orange Soda, Butter Bar, Tide Pool, Cornflower,  Soft Lilac, Iris chalk ink, Grape Juice and Raspberry Jam. 

Thank you for stopping by!

#simonsaysstamp