Deck the Halls With Inky Paws: Celebrating With Newton's Nook Designs!

 

I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the team over at Newton's Nook Designs for Deck the Halls with Inky Paws week! 

What is your favorite Christmas song? Mine is silver bells. Why? Because it beautifully describes the amazing feeling of the holidays in the city. There is nothing better than walking the streets of Boston during Christmas time, seeing all of the beautiful decorations, the lights, hearing the holiday music playing, and breathing in that cool, crisp air. I LOVE it. I am excited to share with you a card I created using the absolutely stunning Main Street Christmas stamps and coordinating dies. I chose this set because it has that same feeling of Christmas in the city that I adore so much.

To create the background for this card, I first created a simple circle stencil using a punch and a sheet of printer paper. I used ink blending brushes in yellow tones for the moon. I then masked that area off and used blending brushes to blend a variety of blues to create a gorgeous night sky. I then spritzed some shimmer spray onto the whole thing to make it really sparkle! I stamped Santa and his reindeer over the inked background.

I then stamped the row of buildings and colored them with Copic markers before die cutting and adhering to the panel with foam tape. The sentiment is heat embossed on black to make it stand out perfectly! 

It truly IS the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it?! I hope you will make your way over to the Newton's Nook Designs blog to check out what the other featured designers are creating this week! The line-up is pretty darned amazing, let me tell you. 

Wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season! 

Falalalala

 So, this stencil thing is pretty real. And pretty awesome. This entire image was colored using, you guessed it... STENCILS and INK! I know, right? I used the Under the Christmas tree stamps, dies, and stencils from Pinkfresh Studio to create the image and then simply stamped and embossed the sentiment on a strip of cardstock to finish the look.

These layering stencils are seriously just amazing. I had so much fun creating this tree! I used a bit of gold ink to add some shine and sparkle to the decorations, too! 

If you haven't jumped onto the current stencil trend, I highly recommend giving it a shot! It is so easy to do and the results can be absolutely amazing! 

Heads up: The links in this post are affiliate links. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but if you choose to purchase from that link, I do get a share of the sale. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Just a Touch of Sparkle

 I pulled out an older Altenew stamp set for this one. When I saw older....I mean like.... from their first year. LOL! But... you GUYS! It's the Boston skyline and I rarely get that in a stamp or anything else, so this ha always been one of my favorites. I used some color blocking based on a Jennifer McGuire technique video for the design and I really like how it came out.

I stamped an embossed the image in white and then used blending brushes to apply the ink, masking off a strip for the sentiment. I pulled the sentiment from the Concord & 9th Christmas Cottage stamp set, as I have always loved Christmas time in the city and it just suited this card so well. 

And then, what did I pull out? None other than good old fashioned Stickles! I added just a touch of sparkle to the card to finish it off. It sparkles. It makes me happy. The end.

I hope you have a super terrific day!

Season of Wonder

 So, I made this card and then I was so excited about it I just had to post it before the stack that I have waiting to be posted. It happens, what can I tell ya?

Here's the thing...since I took a super long break from crafting, a few trends have emerged on the technique side and I am trying to learn some new things and do different stuff. Stencils are EVERYWHERE now. Like... they are huge. And hot foiling seems to be pretty big, too. Sooooo...I decided to pull out some of my new Pinkfresh Studio goodies and practice a bit of both of those things! 

I used the absolutely gorgeous Wintry Forest stencil set with some distress inks to create this scene. Now, folks, understand that I often struggle with color choices. I am not super great at brining a bunch of colors together, but I was SO HAPPY with this color combination. Seriously. I love it so much. It makes me happy. For the final stencil, I used VersaMark ink and then heat embossed the snow onto the branches to complete the look. 

The sentiment is hot foiled using the Thrill of Hope hot foil plate set along with the coordinating dies. I cut the sentiment several times and stacked them to give it depth. 

No joke. This is one of those cards that I just kept looking at and thinking... whoa! I made that! LOL! Don't you love it when that happens? Drop a link to a project you are particularly proud of in the comments and I'll come check it out!

Have a great day!

We Need a Little Christmas, Right this Very Minute

 We need a little Christmas NOW!

Okay, so I know some of you would prefer to wait a bit, and that's cool, but I had to start on Christmas cards, at least. 

Also, now that song is in your head and that's fun, sooo......

I did lots of things on this card. I don't often do lots of things, but for this one, I did lots of things. I started by stamping and embossing this wicked cool Simon Says Stamp Star to Star background in gold. I kind of love it. I then used the Simon Says Stamp Peace Hope Love Stencil and did some blending with Hero Arts bubblegum ink. That gorgeous medallion is die cut twice, once in black for the 'underneath' part (that's the technical term, naturally), and once from gold cardstock. A bit of foam tape raises the gold over the black.

Finally, the sentiment is an older Simon Says Stamp Joyeux Noel die cut from a nice bright pink cardstock.

I love that this card mixes fun stuff from several collections. I always appreciate when I can use supplies I've had around for awhile along with some of the newer stuff to create new looks.

And thus, we begin with the holiday cards of 2021. Yes, my friends, it has begun. Don't worry too much, though...I will have some others mixed in there, too. I promise.

Have a wonderful day! 

Because RAINBOWS!

Yup. I yelled rainbows. I'm gonna do it again. RAINBOWS!!! You guys, for reals, though. This awesome Build a Rainbow stencil and the accompanying die from Simon Says Stamp is freaking awesome. 

I used the SSS Rainbow Ink Cubes and blending brushes along with the stencil to create the rainbow itself. Then I die cut the bottom panel and inked the cloud edge to create the cloud look. LOVE IT. The sentiment is the You Are Enough die from Simon, too. Finally, I went a little old school and pulled out an old wood starburst embellishment, used a paint pen to make it white and then covered it with... you guessed it... STICKLES! I think Sterling (my toddler) is bringing back my love of glitter glue. Mostly because he puts it on everything he possibly can. 

Stenciling is super popular right now and it has never been a big thing for me, so I am trying to give it a shot here and there. I think I may end up loving it. This was certainly a TON of fun to create and not a SINGLE stamp was used to create it. WHAT?! That's craziness. Absolute craziness. I do adore how vibrant the colors are, though! That's pretty awesome! And the cool variation you get from using the blending brushes with ink... yeah, I'm liking that, too.

What technique have you been trying out recently? I'd love hear about it! 

Cute Spooks

 So, seriously. When you give me absolutely adorable Halloween supplies I just cannot help myself! I am loving creating these cards! 

For this one, I started by die cutting the  Simon Says Stamp Window Webs from a white panel. I just knew I had to create a super cool background to put behind it, so I decided to ink up another cardstock panel to create a night sky using distress inks. I then put a little white ink from a bottle of reinker on a paint brush and splattered it to create the stars in the sky.

You guys! This was a lot for me. LOL! I don't do a ton of messy things anymore, but I absolutely LOVE how this turned out and I super love that it uses those techniques and still results in a clean and simple card.

I stamped the absolutely adorable ghost witch stamp and the spider from the Too Cute To Spook stamp set from Simon Says Stamp and colored them with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I cut the ghost out, but you can purchase dies with the stamps if you prefer to go that route. Either way... this stamp set is THE CUTEST!

The sentiment is stamped and embossed on a strip of black cardstock to finish off the card. I am linking this little guy up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

I hope you have enjoyed my Halloween fun this week! I may do more, I may do some other stuff... we shall see. Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment to let me know you are here! 

It's STAMPtember!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the stampy year!!! It's STAMPtember!!! Yes, it's that wonderful time when Simon Says Stamp releases all kinds of amazing exclusive products for us to gobble up! And boy has it begun with a bang this year! Some of the best products EVER!!!! To celebrate, our challenge this week is STAMP IT! Yup! We want to see you use some awesome stamps! Get inky! The Design Team is showing off brand new STAMPtember products! If you have some Simon exclusives, we'd love to see you use them!

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I used this absolutely AMAZING background stamp to create this fun card. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I used it on the card I posted yesterday, as well. Keep following...I have MORE COMING!!!! I just love this background so much! I stamped and clear embossed it and then used Distress inks to blend ink over the words. I made sure to only partially stamp so the words only go partially across the inked area. I layered embossing powder over the die cut sentiment to add both shine and dimension so it would really stand out.

And now it's YOUR turn! Create something awesome using stamps in some way and link it up for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store! WOOT! WOOT!

It's Stencil Time!

Hello, friends! We are playing with Stencils this week for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge! I have to be honest, I don't reach for my stencils very often, so this was definitely a challenge for me, but I had a lot of fun with it and love the results! The Design Team is using Stencil Girl products this week. You don't have to use them to play along, but if you have some we'd love to see what you do with them!

I used a few different distress inks, blending them together, to create the stenciled flower design. I then used the Simon Says Stamp Wishing die and coordinating stamp set for the sentiment. I love how it turned out! So fun! A bit of border layering over more blended ink was the perfect way to finish off a simple design.



Now it's your turn! Create something awesome using stencils in a fun and creative way and ink it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog! We can't WAIT to see what you create!

One lucky participant will win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp store! WOOT! WOOT! Happy creating!

SMILE! It's RELEASE DAY!

Yes, this is the final day of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Release week and that means when the clock strikes midnight (Eastern time) the new stamps will be available IN THE STORE!!! WOOT! That, my friends, is most certainly something to smile about!



This new Tin Roof (RUSTED!) (p.s. No, the rusted part isn't part of the name of the set, but ... every.single.time. #thatisall) background was just begging me to do some ink blending! I love how the ink allows the details of the embossed background to really stand out! I layered the smile die several times to create a dimensional sentiment. I then went over it with a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen for some added shimmer. Because: Glitter.



I hope this release week has left YOU with a smile! Don't forget to use code JINGLE2016 with your order for 15% off at the CAS-ual Friday Stamps store!!! Also... stop on by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog today to check out what the rest of the team created and to enter to win this awesome stamp set! WOOT!

Have a Happy!

It's Ombré Time!

Hello, all, and welcome to another installment of the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, brought to you by Simon Says Stamp, your one stop shop for all of your paper crafting needs! *And the crowd goes wild!*

Yup. It's a game show opener kind of day. Why? Because that's just the kind of mood I'm in. And I'm in charge around here. So, that's what you get.

Whatever. You know you love it.

The challenge this week is to use the ombré technique on your projects! The design team is featuring Hero Arts products this week. You don't have to use them to play along, but if you've got some on hand, we'd love to see what you do with them!



I used this AWESOME dot background stamp to create my card for today. I seriously love this stamp! I stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with white embossing powder on white cardstock. I then used distress inks to create the ombé background. I kind of love it. The sentiment is the Simon Says Stamp Painted Thanks die, cut several times, layered, and then I used Wink of Stella, Glossy Accents, and some super fine glitter to make it sparkle. It sparkles. Lots.


Now it's YOUR turn! Created something awesome based on the Ombré inspiration and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! 

That's all for today, folks! Thanks so much for joining us and be sure to come back next week for another fabulous installment of... the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge! *Closing Music Plays* 

Have a Happy. *wink*

It's a Newton's Nook Anniversary Celebration!

Hello, folks! I am so excited to be participating in the Newton's Nook 2nd Anniversary Celebration Blog Hop Today! Huge thanks to Newton's Nook for providing a stamp set for this post! Also... you are going to LOVE this stamp set, dude. For reals, though! Be sure to read this entire post to find out how you can win a gift certificate, too!



I did a little no line coloring using Spectrum Noir markers and some ink blending for the calm waters. and the sun. This sentiment CRACKS ME UP. For reals, though. LOVE!



There is a LOT of fun going on for this anniversary celebration! Check out the inspiration along the blog hop and enter to win AWESOME prizes, too! You can find all of the details on the Newton's Nook Designs Blog!

Celebrate with us and enter to win!
Would you like to win a $20 Store Credit to spend at Newton's Nook Designs online shop?

Here’s how to win:
Comment on the Design Team Member and Guest blogs (see list below)! One lucky winner will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the blog hop. Make sure to check out each of the blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Sunday, July 19th at 9 pm CST to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Monday, July 20th. They are running a giveaway on the Newton's Nook Facebook page too so make sure to enter there for another chance to win!!

Here is the complete hop list! Be sure to check out each blog!

Special Guests:

Jennifer Ingle

Tessa Wise

Shellye McDaniel

Simon Says Stamp


Design Team:

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Gerstner

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Nina-Marie Trapani

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Have a Happy!

Playing Favorites!

Before we get started I wanted to remind you to check out my CanvasPop Review, Discount, and GIVEAWAY! You don't want to miss this one! AWESOME product!

This week, for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge we have a fun one for you! We are PLAYING FAVORITES! Showcase YOUR favorite product and/or your favorite technique on your project! The design team is using Ranger products this week, which, obviously, we LOVE! Because they are AWESOME. For reals, though. You don't have to use Ranger products to play along, but if you have some we love seeing what you do with them!



When considering my favorite technique, the obvious came to mind first - CAS design. I like to keep it clean and simple. I, naturally, decided to use that, but I also pulled in another favorite technique that I don't use all that often - ink blending! As I worked on this card, I was reminded why I don't use it that often - I kind of suck at it. HA! I actually love how this turned out in the end, but I have to be honest... LAYERS! There are LOTS of layers of distress ink on that background. I had to work it and work it and then work it some more to get the blend correct. Worth it? Totally. A fun crafting time? For reals, you guys!



That awesome die? Yup, that's totally from the new Simon Says Stamp The Color of Fun release. And I love it. With all my heart.

Are you ready to be AWESOME? Create something fabulous showcasing YOUR favorite technique and or product and link it up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store. Yup. It's that easy. Just make sure it is something new, as backlinked projects won't count.

ALSO...don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a FREE photo canvas from CanvasPop!

Have a Happy!

Supplies:

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Cone Building Clear Stamp Set
Die: Simon Says Stamp Rockin' Roller Coaster Die
Ink: Ranger Distress Inks
Embossing Powder: Stampendous
Heat Gun: Milwaukee Hero Arts Heat Gun (It really is the best ever.) 

To The Moon And Back!

It's time for a new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog! This week is ANYTHING GOES week! The Design Team is showcasing Hero Arts products, so if you have them, we'd love to see you use them, however, that is not required for participation. We just want to see you make awesome stuff!



I created this fun, inky card using Hero Arts Shoot for the Moon Stamp set and some distress inks. I love how the inks allow you to create a glowing look.



I used both my clear and gold Wink of Stella pens to add a bit of sparkle to my design.

Now it's YOUR turn! One lucky participant is going to win a $50 Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! Simply create a project - ANYTHING GOES! - and link it up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog before next Wednesday for your chance to win!