A Bit of Red, A Bit of Green, and a Bit of Brown

 I mean, when you start working on your holiday cards it's possible that 'Oh! I had better stock up on brown cardstock!' isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but, folks, I'm here to tell you that you just may want to stock up on brown cardstock for your holiday cards! This color combination presented in the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge is really quite gorgeous!

The next thing that may or may not come to mind is to use these colors for... snow. Snowflakes, to be exact. Yup. From the Beautiful Blizzard stamp set. That's what I did. And you know what? I absolutely LOVE it! Turns out snow doesn't have to be blue and silver all the time. 

See what I mean? I used a combination of Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp inks and I absolutely love how the rich color tones work with those beautiful detailed snowflakes. I stamped and embossed the Pinkfresh Studio sentiment in gold and added a strip of gold glitter paper along the edge for plenty of sparkle and shine!

And... I'm not the only one who loves stamping these pretty snowflakes! Sterling wanted to make a card, too! He is a big fan of pink, so he had to have pink on his and he chose his other colors, too. It doesn't quite fit with the challenge, but that's okay, he's two, he can pick his colors. LOL! He particularly loved the gold ink! This was the first time we've used that one and he thought it was great! We did cheat a little and used the Misti so his snowflakes were a bit easier to stamp and then ended up right where he wanted them. It is so much fun crafting with him!

Because Beaches Make Me Happy

I am an East Coast girl. We live in a coastal town and let me tell you what the benefit of that is. The benefit of that, my friends, is that a nice walk on the beach or the simple happy making scent of ocean waters is never more than a few minutes away. And that, my dear friends, is what keeps me sane. Happy. Sane. I don't know... maybe both of those things. When I saw this amazing layered stamp set called Sea and Sky from Simon Says Stamp I was pretty sure it was designed for me. Or at the very least for the people like me. You see, my dear friends...it is FREAKING AWESOME!

So, I stamped the sky portion with cloudy sky ink because, well, I mean, it is a cloudy sky, so that just sort of made sense. I like to be practical sometimes. Sometimes. I stamped the water with a nice dark navy and then colored that with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. The sand is stamped with Stampin' Up Sahara Sand ink. Because it is sand. Again, with the practical. Who knows...maybe it will become a habit.

Finally, I added a whole bunch of sparkle with a Spectrum Noir clear glitter brush. You GUYS! If you don't have these get some. They add a TON of sparkle and shimmer. It's not subtle. I like my sparkle to...well, you know....SPARKLE!

I finished this card with a simply cut CZ Designs Wish I Could Hug You die cut sentiment because it was basically the perfect fit. I mean... the beach is like a hug. It makes you feel calm and cozy and happy. YAY beach! 

I hope you have a delightful day. Maybe with just a hint of salt water in the air.

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Release Week Day 2!

We are back with more awesome inspiration from the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps July Release! Today we are showing off the brand new Christmas Sparkle stamp set and the coordinating Ornament dies! These are AWESOME, you guys! You can create cards, gift tags, ornaments... You simply MUST check out what the design team has created to see some amazing inspiration!



I used the smaller circle stamp to create a fun background in silver ink and then popped one circle out by adding the sentiment and the die cut hanger and string. I love the dies that go with this set! I can't wait to use them to their full potential!

Don't forget that you can save 15% on your CAS-ual Fridays Stamps order using the code JINGLE2016!

Have a Happy!

Back It On Up

HELLO!!!! I am in a ridiculously good mood today. I love ridiculously good moods. It's a beautiful morning in Boston and I am just a happy girl! I am also happy to be sharing this week's brand new Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with all of you! This week, it's all about the guys! The Design Team is featuring Tim Holtz products and our challenge is For a GUY. This conveniently coincides with Father's Day, here in the US. That might not be a coincidence. Maybe not. Just... yeah. Maybe.

I pulled out a few of my Tim Holtz to create a card that might not be the style one normally expects when thinking of Tim Holtz. I combined Distress Ink, Distress Markers, and some awesome Distress Glitter with a super fun My Favorite Things Stamp Set to create a great card for the tech loving person in your life. Yup. I used glitter on a guy card. And it totally worked, yo. For reals, though.

And now it's YOUR turn! Create a fabulous card for a special guy in your life and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog! We can't wait to see what you create!

Don't forget... one lucky participant will win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon says Stamp Store! WHAT?! Yup. That's gonna happen! 

Have a Happy!!!

It's DIEcember Time!

Yup! It's that time of year, again! It's DieCember time at Simon Says Stamp! That means an entire release of awesome new dies! WOOT! Heidi was kind enough to send me the new Stitched Dress Up Tags to play with for the release! Ummm.... I absolutely LOVE THEM! These are officially new staples in my die stash. They are fantastic!



I created three tags using the new dies, bringing in the So Very Merry stamp set to use with them. I cut the tag toppers with glitter paper to add some sparkle to the design! I colored the images, minimally, with Spectrum Noir markers for a bit of color.


Be sure to stop by the Simon Says Stamp blog to find more inspiration using this awesome new release!

Ready to shop? You can check out the DieCember release along with lots of other awesome stuff over at Simon Says Stamp!

Have a Happy!

Peace and Happiness

I mentioned how much I LOVE the new Create Joy release from Simon Says Stamp, right? Well, I am mentioning it again. Because, you guys... FOR REALS, I love it. And this wreath die. I love this wreath die LOTS! I pulled out some glitter papers to create a super fun and super sparkly design! Because: GLITTER!



I die cut the wreath four times, once in each of the colors, and then reassembled the pieces to create my sparkly finished wreath. I then heat embossed the sentiment on vellum so that the wreath could shine through while still standing out enough to be seen.



I used the Ring Wreath die and the absolutely AMAZING So Very Merry Stamp set. I seriously love this sentiment set! They are gorgeous and some can be easily used outside of holiday stamping, as well! LOVE versatility.

Have a Happy!

Cardstock + Vellum + Patterned Paper

WHAT? All of them? One one card? Yup. I totally did it. Actually, I did it on THREE cards. Yes, my friends, it is true! You can check them out on the Bazzill Basics blog today! GO! SEE! It's fun stuff, folks!

You can see the paper/cardstock combo I used to create this fun set of cards along with more details over on the Bazzill Basics blog.

Have a Happy!

Ring-A-Ling Hear Them Ring

I am up over on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog today with this fun holiday shaker card! I LOVE how adorable this bell looks as a shaker! LOVE IT, I tell you! Love. For reals, though.



I filled it with silver glass glitter and silver sequins to keep a LOT of sparkle in there! I topped it off with some adorable holly stickers and kept the card simple. This one is super fun and I may or may not have randomly shaken it several times since I made it last week. Maybe. Just puttin' that out there.



Head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog for more inspiration! There is LOTS to be had, folks. I promise.

Have a Happy!

Let's Celebrate!

So, I love this sketch from the current Retro Sketches Challenge. But I sorta reversed it. Because that's what I do. This is why I can't use sketches. I have an inability to follow them. HA! BUT...I have been dying to play with this awesome new Glass Effects Die from Spellbinders®! Seriously, you guys. I really love this die! I combined it with the gorgeous Snowflake Bliss Die Set for my graphic Christmas card.



I used some pretty flocked papers as the background to add both warmth and texture. The gold adds a festive shimmer while keeping the entire design classic in nature. I kind of love how this one came together. These dies, you guys!!!! For REALS! I seriously love them. Amazeballs, I tell ya! Amaze.balls.



You GUYS! These colors, and that soft, flocked texture just make me happy. It's like a hug. A hug on a card. *sigh* So, that's my card for today! I hope it feels like a hug to you, too. A shiny happy hug. Well, now that just sounds kind of weird, but whatevs. K. Moving on....

I am also linking this up to the ShowCASe your style challenge!

Have a Happy!

Supplies:

Dies: Spellbinders® Glass Effects Die Set, Snowflake Bliss Die Set
Specialty Papers: DCWV Flocked Papers, DCWV Glitzy Papers
Cardstock: Crafter's Companion Ultra Smooth White
String: May Arts Irridescent White String
Label: Cosmo Cricket Punch Me Stickers

A Bit of Old and a Bit of New

As you know, all this week I have been featuring fun new products from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® release. I LOVE these goodies, but I also love how Simon creates a consistent line so you can totally mix the new with the old seamlessly! Today's card does just that!



For this card I used the brand new Leaf Background stamp along with Ranger's Sticky Embossing powder and some fun autumn-toned glitters to create a sparkly background. I then die cut the Big Love You and the feather from that background to use on my clean and simple card. I love how the background stamp offers a beautiful textured pattern on the die cut pieces!



I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Have a Happy!

This is the Life

Today I have another fun card showing off some of the AWESOME new goodies in the Simon Says Stamp This is The Life release! I am having SO much fun with these stamps and dies!



For this card, I used the Life's Journey stamp set along with the super cute Frozen Treats die set. I colored the popsicles with Spectrum Noir markers, coated them with glossy accents, and then glittered them for a super fun look! You can find a complete list of the supplies in the links at the bottom of this post. But mostly... just know this: GLITTER!!! It was fun. For reals, though. It was super tons of FUN!



I actually created the patterned paper by stamping the grid pattern in kraft ink on white cardstock. I kind of love that lots. For reals, though. Lots. But not quite as much as glitter. Because. GLITTER!!!

Sooooo.... if you haven't checked out the release yet, you probably should, because, dude, it rocks.

Have a Happy!

SSS Life's Journey Stamp Set	Life's Journey Die and Stamp Set	SSS Grid Background	SSS Frozen Treats Dies
Simon Says Stamp Lick It Die Set	*Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252	*My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 CHARMED Paper Pad Record It! REC101	My Favorite Things Black Licorice Hybrid Ink
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink Kraft	*Crafter's Companion DARKS 24 SET SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 751736	*Crafter's Companion BRIGHTS 24 SET SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 751729	*Crafter's Companion BLUES SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404614
*Crafter's Companion BROWNS SPECTRUM NOIR MARKERS 404607	*Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive	*Tim Holtz Distress Glitter CLEAR ROCK CANDY Ranger TDG39150	*Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900
*American Crafts FOAM TABS Adhesive Squares This to That	*Studio Calico ATLANTIC STARS Dimensional Chipboard Stickers 331395	*EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01

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Do you Watch Mystery?

Masterpiece Mystery is a staple as far as good television goes in our house. We both enjoy watching a variety of the series' that are available. One that we are particularly fond of is the Poirot series. First of all, he is hilarious. BUT...I also LOVE the costumes and set design! That feel is what inspired this card I created with CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.



I love how this sentiment from the Loving Thoughts set has that slightly over-the-top look while still carrying class and elegance beautifully! I combined it with a fun color combination reminiscent of the 1920's ...and glitter and sequins. 'Cause... glitter and sequins.



I sorta kinda love it. Give me black glitter and sequins any day of the week, baby!

Be sure to check out the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog for inspiration from the team! They are pretty much amazing, folks!

*CAS-ual Fridays LOVING THOUGHTS Clear Stamps *Simon Says Stamp Premium Dye Ink Pad BLACK Ink008 *DCWV Cardstock 12 x 12 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack Printed Matstack PS-005-00260 *American Crafts GLITTER TAPE VALUE PACK Spools *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# COTTON CANDY CC16 *Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252 *Studio Calico BLACK & GRAY Essentials Sequins 332148 *Darice 8MM BLACK Sequins 10044-90 *Sequins Cupped PEACH Pack of 1000 i5sc51 *Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive *Tonic Studios 12"" INCH PAPER TRIMMER Guillotine Cut Trim *Fiskars Compact STAMPING PRESS Stamp Entire Project at Once! 02958

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