Color Throwdown #444: Guest Star Stamper

Hey y'all!  I hope you're having a fabulous week so far!  Here in Georgia, most of the schools are either in or close to their last week of school and things are crazy busy!  My kiddos' last day of school is actually tomorrow, so we're getting ready for the summer and everyone is going nuts...especially me!  I just cannot believe how fast this year has gone by...it blows my mind!  

Anyhow...I am soooo excited to share this card with you today!  Last week, I was randomly selected as the featured stamper on the Color Throwdown challenge blog with this entry, and its always a treat when you get a nice surprise like that right?!  So, this week I am honored to get to share in the excitement with the design team and hosts of The Color Throwdown with challenge #444.  Let's have a look at this week's challenge, shall we?

So pretty, right?!  I couldn't resist having a little bit of fun with this challenge... 

Several months ago, I purchased an Echo Park paper pack called Jungle Safari and have been dying to use it!  The papers are so fun and lively...and I knew that there would be some great greens!  Is it just me, or does the jungle make you think of summer too??

I started by cutting several rectangle panels using the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle dies from the patterned paper.  To break up the patterns a bit, I decided to add some sparkle with silver washi tape and die cut that into a rectangle panel also.  It also helps to satisfy the "grey" in my color palette.  I then die cut the word "Hugs" into my center panel and backed it with black cardstock before attaching my panels to the card base. 

I stamped my little tigers with VersaMark ink onto white cardstock and heat embossed with Silver embossing powder by ZING! before die cutting them and securing them onto the panels with permanent adhesive and foam squares.  I chose to leave my tigers white, rather than coloring them.  White tigers are my most favorite!! 

I heat embossed the sentiment in white onto a green paper scrap that was leftover from cutting my panels.  To die cut the banner, I used the new MFT Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips.  To finish it off, I added a few Nuvo Crystal Drops in Gloss White.  A complete list of supplies can be found below. 

I can't wait to see what the design team and everyone else comes up with for this week's challenge... As usual, I'm sure they'll all be amazing!  This card also happens to fit in perfectly with the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Little Critters, and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Bit of Sparkle, so I'll be entering them there as well!  Yay for double whammies...lol!  Until next time, go get your craft on!

Hugs,  

Supplies Used: Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles; Echo Park Jungle Safari 6x6 paper pad; My Favorite Things Lions & Tigers clear stamps and dies; My Favorite Things Big Hugs Die; My Favorite Things Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips; Nuvo Crystal Drops in Gloss White; ZING! embossing powder in Metallic Silver; WOW! embossing powder in Opaque White; Black & White cardstock; Silver Glitter Scotch Expressions washi tape

SSS May Card Kit: Illustrated Faith with Animation

Hey y'all!  I'm so late getting this post up.  Its been one of those days...you know, the kind where you try so incredibly hard to get everything on your list done, but instead only accomplish a fraction??  So, I have to be honest here...when I first got this kit, I didn't have a clue where to start!  The papers were so bright and cheerful...the stamp set was extremely cool...the acetate images were super fun!  Why was I having so much trouble getting started??  Did any of you experience something similar?  To this day, I still don't know what was wrong with me.  I eventually woke up one day and just decided to sit with it until "it" came to me.  Then the flood gates opened... and I was groovin'!  I am still thinking of things to do with this kit!  Let's have a look so you can see what I mean.

Hands down, my favorite items in the kit were/are the Suzy's Doodles water color pieces!  I even made a copy or two in case I wanted to do something with them later!  Overall, I used pretty basic techniques for all 10 cards: cut & paste, color & piece, die cut and embellish...same ole' same ole'!  The fun part was the animation.  Once you figure out just how you want the images to appear on your cards, you build your little animation slider element and you're off to the races. :D 

So, here are all 10 cards that I created using the Simon Says Stamp May 2017 Card Kit:

This next card, in particular, was inspired by Nina Marie Trapani's double slider card that was featured on both her YouTube channel and on her blog...such a great technique!

And a few detail shots... because if you're like me, you lean into your computer screen thinking it will make it easier to see! Ha! :D

And that's it for May!  All additional products will be listed below.  I hope you had fun with your kit this month, and if you haven't tried the SSS kits then I highly recommend it!  They really are pretty great! :D

Hugs,

Additional Products used: Tim Holtz Alterations Frameworks - Honeycomb; Big Chat stickers by Tim Holtz Ideology; Stitch Oval Scallop Edge Frame die by My Favorite Things (MFT from here on); Double Stitched Oval STAX by MFT; Chevron Fringe die by MFT; Succulents2Stamp by Stamps of Life; Pierced Heart STAX by MFT; Tons of Hearts clear stamps by Simon Says Stamp; Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX by MFT; Stitched Rectangles by SSS; Love & Quotes clear stamps by SSS; Heart Parade die by SSS; Stitch Round Rectangle Frames by MFT; Heart Smile die by SSS; Birthday Wishes Frame by SSS; Advent Numbers clear stamps by SSS; Terrace Butterfly die by Memory Box; Blueprints 9 by MFT; Corner Round punch; twine; Pretty Pink Posh sequins; Simon Says Stamp sequins; light pink cardstock; yellow cardstock; various inks; shaker elements; white gel pen

**Some of these cards will be entered into the Simon Says Stamp Monday & Wednesday Challenges**

SSS Wednesday Challenge: Best Mom Ever

Hey y'all!  I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Its Monday, and time to get some projects that I've had in the works finished up...what have you got planned for the week??  I thought I'd start out with a few Mother's Day cards that I've been working on, and it just so happens that the challenge this week over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is A Hint of Pink!  How perfect for some Mother's Day cards!

I'm a sucker for a good technique, so when I started these cards, I had every intention of doing the same technique for each one, just with a slightly different color palette.  Well....things went as they normally do in my life and I got distracted!  I ended up with two techniques, but equally lovely results!

In these first two cards, I chose to use a combination of distress inks blended through stencils.  These two Tim Holtz stencils are some of my favorite because they can be so versatile!

The inspiration for the pink, aqua, lavender color scheme came from this past week's Color Throwdown challenge and I'm always up for a good monochromatic card, so I decided to use blues on the other.  I wanted these to be ultra feminine, so I applied Delicata ink in White Shimmer (still through the stencil) once the distress ink had dried. 

As with many shimmery and glittered effects, its hard to see in the photos, but the sheen is so pretty in person!  For the glittered pieces, I adhered some of my favorite glitter washi tapes over white cardstock before running the pieces through my die cutting machine.  Its a simple trick that I use all the time and I'm never disappointed with the results.  

For the next two cards, I stamped a background stamp from Simon Says Stamp onto watercolor cardstock and heat embossed the image so that I wouldn't have to worry about my water coloring running together.

Using this technique is a real time saver!  To color the images, I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and a water brush.  I LOVE the results that you can get using this technique! 

For the pink and gold card, I used the same washi tape die cut technique as in the first two cards.  For the black, white and bright card, I die cut the "mom" from black cardstock and used a Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen in Onyx Black to add some sparkle.  I will be entering this particular one in the Lawn Fawnatics challenge #4.   

Add some sequins to all 4 of them (because you can never have too much sparkle for mom!) and call it a day!

I hope you've found a bit of inspiration from today's post, and I hope that you'll experiment with these techniques on your own.  They are so much fun and the results are almost fail safe!  A complete list of supplies can be found below.  Until next time, go get your craft on!

Hugs,



Products used:  Scripty Mom die by Lawn Fawn; Mom + Me clear stamp set by Lawn Fawn; Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Gothic and Doily; Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Spun Sugar, Shaded Lilac; Delicata White Shimmer Ink pad; Bristol Smooth Cardstock; 110 lb. black cardstock; 120 lb. white cardstock; Vellum; VersaMark Ink; Opaque Bright White embossing powder by WOW!; Ultra Fine Gold embossing powder by Simon Says Stamp; Liquid Platinum embossing powder by Ranger; Circle Doodle background stamp by Simon Says Stamp; Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers; MISTI stamping tool; Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen in Onyx Black; Glitter Washi Tapes by Scotch Expressions - Gold, Silver, White; Sparkling Clear Sequin Mix by Pretty Pink Posh; Sweet 16 sequin mix by Simon Says Stamp; Zig 2 Way Glue pen.

April Card Chain Challenge featuring SSS Spring Seeds

Hi there!  I hope everyone is enjoying this marvelous weather as much as I am!  I've gotten some much needed gardening time in lately, and it absolutely inspired this card that I created for my recipient, Arlene, in the April edition of the Card Chain Challenge!  If you're new to the Card Chain Challenge, let me tell you, its wonderful!  Ladies from all over the globe get to exchange their beautiful creations and its quite inspiring!  What a fun way to make new friends! 

So, as with any challenge, there are a few rules.  You must stick with any one (or more if you are so inclined) of four different options.  For April, the options were:

1. Color Palette option:

2. Sketch option:

3. Theme option:  Fruits & Vegetables / Rabbits / Friendship

4. Product option: Perfect Pearls / Die Cuts / Stencils & Embossing Paste

So, with those options in mind, I really wanted a card that sang of Spring.  Here's what I came up with...

I went with the Spring Seeds stamp set and coordinating dies from Simon Says Stamp.  I love these stamps and dies!  They are such fun to work with and they are the sweetest images!  The bunny is my favorite. :D  I'll include a list of all other products used below.  Here's a closer look at some details. 

You can really get great depth and dimension with these dies.  Before mailing, I decided to add just a few clear sequins to give a little sparkle!

Also, one last thing that I want to share with you is the card that I received from Denise in CA! 

She used a darling floral image and water colored it.  Isn't this the sweetest card?!  My photo really doesn't do it justice, considering the orange in the flowers is such a bright and pretty orange.  Isn't her technique wonderful?  Thank you so much Denise!!

 

I hope you'll consider joining the Card Chain Challenge...its great fun and a great way to challenge your creativity!  Until next time!

Hugs,

Complete List of Products used:  Large Eyelet Cover Panel die by Reverse Confetti, Spring Seeds stamp and die set by Simon Says Stamp,  Copic markers, Fishtail Banners dies by Sunny Studios, Hemp Cord twine by Hemptique, Sparkling Clear Sequins by Pretty Pink Posh, Tiny Check 6x6 paper pad by My Favorite Things, Fashionably Chic 12x12 paper pad by Recollections, Nina Desert Storm cardstock, Nina Solar White cardstock, and After Midnight cardstock by My Favorite Things

**I will also be entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenges**

Love From Lizi April Kit

Hi there!  It's the week following Easter, so ironically, many of the cards featured in today's post are Easter cards!  I suppose that's the draw-back of having an international kit subscription, but Lizi's April kit was so cute that I just had to make Easter cards, even knowing that this would not go up on the blog until after Easter!  Story of my life!  Luckily, many of them are Spring cards as well. 

This month, I stuck to the traditional 10 cards, but you could easily make so many more from this kit!  I had an abundance of supplies left over.  Let's have a look, shall we??

For this first card, I suppose I was still in the googly-eye mood because I thought that the little eye glasses from the stamp set would look awfully cute with googly-eyes!  What do you think?

For this next card, I really wanted to be able to color some of those eggs!  I used a very fine line pen by Maped to do my coloring, so my eggs turned out pretty bright and bold.  Not exactly the look I was going for to match this pretty pastel paper.  So, when you need to tone down some color, vellum is your friend!

This next card is most definitely one of the brightest and most colorful of the lot!  And, can I just say that the raffia Lizi put in the kit this month is fabulous?!  I just love the way it looks when tied into a bow with long loose tails!

I knew I wanted to do some water coloring with "Easter" image in the stamp set.  I decided to use Distress Inks for two reasons: 1. the colors are bright and oh so pretty, and 2. they are soooo easy to water color with!  These colors seem to coordinate best with the kit: Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed, Broken China, Dusty Concord, and Spun Sugar.

I also stamped the image using the same ink color so that I could use the no-line coloring technique. Some glossy accents over the stickers in the kit gives a nice shine too!  

Since the Distress Inks were already on my table, I thought it would be pretty to do some ink blending to color the eggs.  On a piece of Bristol smooth cardstock, I blended Peacock Feathers, Broken China, Dusty Concord, Mustard Seed and Spun Sugar.  I then distressed it using a Distress Sprayer and blotted with a paper towel.  Next, I heat embossed my egg images in white and fussy cut them out.  I pulled out a few of the wood veneer shapes from the kit, and used my last scrap of the colored Bristol paper to die cut the "Spring" sentiment, also from the kit.  A nice little geometric pattern gives a very clean look to this card. 

A little sentiment sticker from the kit and an action wobble make the perfect pair for this next one!

Cheater alert!  I so badly wanted to use the "Hoppy Easter" sentiment from this Simon Says Stamp clear stamps set along with the bunny die from the LFL kit...aren't they just darling together?!?!  I think this one just might be my favorite!

Here's another one of the little wood veneer shapes and some more of that fabulous raffia!  No sentiment needed for this one since the paper says it all!  Since Lizi is from the UK, I'd really like to ask her if "Blooming Lovely" has a dual meaning...wink, wink! ;)  Brits have a fantastic sense of humor...

With all of the pretty little flowers in the sticker pack, I just had to make a wreath!

Last, but not least, I thought that the stickers and the bunny would make an adorable little window scene.  Pink plaid cottage anyone??  Yes please! :D

It's so very hard to see on camera, but Wink of Stella clear glitter makes these white die cuts really sparkle!

So that's it for the April LFL kit!  I just saw the May LFL kit release last night, so go check it out!  It looks like a wonderful kit for Father's Day!!

If you're curious as to the April kit contents, click here to view them on the Love From Lizi site.  All additional supplies used are listed below.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next time!

Hugs,

Additional Supplies: Darice Wiggly Eyes, Vellum, Maped Graph pens, Copic markers, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Memory Box Ric Rac Stitches, Distress Inks, Glossy Accents, WOW! White embossing powder, VersaMark ink, Simon Says Stamp Stitched Squares, Rectangles and Circles, Hero Arts Postage Stamp Infinity Dies, Simon Says Stamp floral embossing folder, Reverse Confetti Circles N' Scallops die, Simon Says Stamp Easter Greetings, Sunny Studio Fishtail Banners, MFT Pierced Heart Stax, MFT Classic Window die, MFT Mini Doily Circles, and random pink cardstock

**I will be entering some of the cards featured in this post to the Simon Says Stamp Monday & Wednesday challenges**