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! 

Fight Like a Girl! (Blog hop with Giveaway and Discount Code)

Hello, friends! It's the 17th and that means it's time to CHECK YOUR BOOBIES! Yup, that's right! We gather together on the 17th of each month for the Calling All Sistahs Blog Hop for some fun, some prizes, some inspiration, and an important reminder to check yo' self!

If you came from Jeane's blog, you are already on your way! If not, you can head back to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog to start at the beginning and find out more about how you can help us support breast cancer research and even participate in our next hop!

I created this fun card using the Calling All Sistahs sentiment stamp set and the super fabulous Heart Board Fri-Dies. 

Be sure to head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog to check out how you can win some fabulous stamps (Pssst! Leave a comment!) and also to learn more about our hop and even how you can participate if you would like! Also, just a reminder that you can save 15% off your CAS-ual Fridays Stamps order by using the code JINGLE2016. 

Your next hop stop is Lisa's blog!

Have a Happy!

It's New and It's Awesome!

Have you heard about the new Spellbinders® Sapphire machine? It is currently exclusively available through Joann Stores and when you see the price, you are going to be a *wee tad bit* excited. For reals, though. This is a fabulous smaller machine and there is also a great line of blue dies to go with it! YAY! This week some of the Spellbinders® designers and partners are participating in a blog hop AND you have a chance to win a Sapphire! Seriously. It's the cutest thing ever and you need one. I promise. Click on THIS LINK to find out how to enter to win!

In the meantime, I am sharing a card today that I created using some of the fabulous new Sapphire dies!



For this card I pulled out the Basic Squares, Basic Rectangles, and the Mini Hearts die sets. Why, yes, I do happen to be in love with these dies. Like, SUPER DUPER in love, dude. Save the date. For reals, though.



I cut the shapes in several colors before adhering them randomly onto my card. I made sure to emboss each piece (because Spellbinders® dies are MADE to cut and emboss and they rock like that) to add extra visual texture to the design. I absolutely LOVE how this one turned out. For reals.

Be sure to head on over to the Spellbinders® Blog to enter to win and to check out the blog hop!

Have a Happy!

Smile!

I have another card for you today using the Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit. I told you I love this kit, right? 'Cause, you guys...I love this kit. For reals.

Is this card flawless? Nope. Is that okay? Yup. PLUS...the techniques I used actually worked, so I had to share it! HAD TO, my friends.



I used the awesome Smile circle die in the June Card Kit with the super fun striped patterned paper. LOVE the bright colors on this so much! I allowed it to cut through the edges and reassembled the pieces on my card front. I wanted the sentiment on that same strip, but due to the busy background, I felt a bit limited. That's when I had a brilliant idea!



I stamped one of the solid banners from the stamp set in the kit with VersaMark and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. This gave me a solid, neutral surface, without adding any layers or bulk to my card. I then stamped the sentiment over that, again with VersaMark, and heat embossed it with Liquid Platinum embossing powder. The sentiment melted into the original powder, creating an awesome sentiment banner! I was so excited to try this technique that I forgot to treat my surface first, hence the imperfection. But you know what? I love it, nonetheless. Plus, that was my last strip of that paper, so it is what it is. Just keepin' it real here, folks!

Seriously, though... two things I'd like you to take away from this card today. 1. Try new things! You never know...they just may actually WORK! 2. Imperfection is totally okay. For reals. They are handmade cards. And it's just paper and glue. Don't stress.

Have a Happy!

Using Up Die Cut Scraps

A short time ago, I created this card using a TON of Paper Smooches Rainbow Die cuts. I loved the card and it turned out better than I could have imagined, however, the process of creating it involved cutting the entire rainbow MANY times in several colors. That left me with a large pile 'o rainbow bits. HA!



In an attempt to use up some of those curvy bits of color, I decided to create a TOTALLY different card design using them! I pulled out a simple sentiment set from Paper Smooches and my trusty bottle of Tombow Mopo liquid and went to town!



I did a lot of weaving with the top left portion of the design and then kept the right side a bit simpler. I felt the gold wide strip MME paper complimented the bright colors well. This was really a lot of fun to put together. Pure play! LOVE those times in the studio!



SEE! FUN STUFF! And I only put a tiny dent in that pile o' scraps, but I am sure I can come up with something else! HAHAHA!

I am entering this one in the Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes Challenge this week!

Check out the links below to see the products I used for this card!

Have a Happy!!!

*Paper Smooches HEADLINERS Clear Stamps Kim Hughes *RESERVE Paper Smooches RAINBOW Wise Die Kim Hughes *My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 CHARMED Paper Pad Record It! REC101 *My Mind's Eye CHARMED Enamel Dots Record It! REC104 Simon Says Stamp Soft Navy Ink *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock BULK 100# RAINBOW PACK BULKRAIN *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# SPRING RAINBOW PACK CSSPRB683 *Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252 *Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900 *Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two Applicators 62191

InLinkz.com

Stacks of Color

I am so excited to share this card today! I have actually had the design in my head for quite some time and just got around to actually creating it. My vision for this one wasn't absolute, I knew it would involve playing around a bit, but I LOVE how it turned out in the end! I created this one for the Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes Challenge and the Virginia's View Dies Challenge. I hope you love it as much as I do!



I began by working my Big Shot to death. LOL! I die cut the rainbow five times in each color, and then once in white. Yes, that means I ran that sucker through the machine a total of 26 times. A crafty girl has gotta fit a workout in somewhere, wouldn't you say? HA! I then stacked the colors and covered them with white. I debated the peek on the edges or just keeping the front all white, but decided, in the end, that I like the bit of color showing on the front, although, the color glow created beneath the all white is REALLY freaking cool, you guys. For reals. I kind of love that.



From the top and the sides... dude...I seriously love this card from the top and the sides. It just looks SO COOL! Thus, you are about to enter photo overload. Just an fyi! HA! Just LOOK at that glorious color!




Mmmmm.... I do so love a wonderful rainbow! I also chose to do the colors in reverse order on this one. I think it makes it a bit unique and interesting and I like interesting. This card is done entirely in Paper Smooches dies - Look ma! No stamps! HAHAHAAA!... See what I did there? *sigh* I know. That was terrible. Anyway... Paper Smooches dies. They rock. You can find the links to them below.

You can find links to all of the products I used below.

Have a Happy!!! (Maybe an extra RAINBOWey Happy today!)

*RESERVE Paper Smooches RAINBOW Wise Die Kim Hughes *Paper Smooches DOCUMENTED Wise Dies Kim Hughes *Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252 *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock BULK 100# RAINBOW PACK BULKRAIN *Bazzill COOL DOWN Card Shoppe Variety Pack Heavy Weight 8.5 x 11 Cardstock *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# SCHOOLHOUSE RED SR1 *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# ORANGE PEEL OP5 Simon Says Stamp Lemon Chiffon *Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# GREEN LEAF GL11 *Bazzill WHIRLYPOP Card Shoppe Heavy Weight 8.5 x 11 Cardstock *Bazzill JELLY BEAN Card Shoppe Heavy Weight 8.5 x 11 Cardstock *Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900 *Tombow Adhesive Craft Stamp DISPENSER & REFILL Dot Pattern Runner 62143 Permanent *Tombow Adhesive Craft Stamp DUAL PACK Refill 62144 Dot Pattern Permanent Runner *Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two Applicators 62191

InLinkz.com

If Mike Teavee Would Be Happier than a Kid in a Chocolate Factory

If he saw THIS stamp set, that is!  Okay, maybe not.  But maybe.  You never really can tell with kids these days.  HA!  Now I  sound like I'm 85 years old.  Cool.  Anyway, moving on....   (Mike Teavee is a character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who loves tv's... if you didn't already know that, I am very sad for you.  For reals.  Go read it.  It's amazing.  Then watch both movies.  They are BOTH worth it.  Just sayin'.  The Gene Wilder version came first and it's magical and you will fall in love with Charlie SO MUCH in that one and the Johnny Depp one is actually more closely aligned with the book and has it's own version of magic, as well.)



Yup.  TVs.  Really cute ones!!!!  They are from one of the newest stamp sets from The Stamps of Life and I love them and I want to marry them.  No I don't.  Want to marry them, that is.  But I do love them.  Lots.  The set is called tv2stamp AND it is the Stamp of the month this month AND it has coordinating dies that you already have if you are a Die Hard Club member, but if not, that's cool, we love you and will make them available to purchase later this month!  Woot!  Woot!



Here is another fun card I created with this awesome set!  It's full of glitter paper and a shaker.  Seriously, you guys... that's nuts.  But TOTALLY FUN, dudes.  For reals.  Totally.

And, of course, who can think of tv's without reminiscing about those black and white days?  (Yes, I realize LOTS of people can do that, but whatevs, it's my segue to the next card, so just go wit it, K?  K.  Thanks.  HA!)



Seriously.  Totally fun stuff!  I just love it!!!  You can check out this set and lots more inspiration using it over on the The Stamps of Life page!  There is even a cute video for you to watch!  Woot!  Woot!

Have a Happy!  (And try to avoid falling down long, barely wide enough chutes of chocolate, K?  K.)

Ten Tacky Tapes

Sooo... Cath, over at Moxie Fab World is issuing a whole bunch of super fun challenges straight from the pages of the new 75 Creative Card Challenges idea book from Paper Crafts Magazine. Well, my friends... these are not the easiest challenges in the world. HA! But, alas, I have begun with this one and I do intend to continue with the others because, while they may not be easy, they are SO SUPER FUN!!! I'm a sucker for a good challenge!

So... this one is for the Use 10 Different Embellishments Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I had to think about what I wanted to use, but then I just glanced over at my shelf, saw my mega-basket of washi tapes and went, "AHA!"

Yup. That's totally what happened. Just sayin'. So, my dear bloggy reader friends... my Ten Tacky Tapes card...

...*Feel free to insert a drum roll for dramatic purposes here.***


You. Are. Wonderful.

And no, I wasn't speaking directly TO the tapes. Although..... hmmmmm.... I do love me some super fabby washi tapes. HA!


I pulled ten fun tapes from my stash. While doing this, I also decided I need more blue tapes, and a few more in the a few other color ranges, as well. Just sayin'. We won't discuss how many rolls I already own. HA! I added the tapes to the card, tearing the ends to create a neat torn edge-thingy at the bottom. The sentiment is from the Neat & Tangled Kindness Matters set, which, by the way, you need. Because it's awesome. (No, I don't design for them... I just love that set! HA!) I added a cute brad from the Eyelet Outlet to finish if off.

So, really, I totally just used this challenge as an excuse to play with my tapes. And I'm totally cool with that. Just sayin'. I might do another card on this one, as it is kind of fun for a CAS girl to try to embellish with lots-o-goodness! :)

Have a Happy! :)

Jingle Out!