Color Throwdown #437: It's Your Special Day

Hi there! Today I'm sharing a card that I created for Color Throwdown #437 featuring a lovely Sunflower image by Stampendous.  So, for the  inspiration this week, Lori chose a pretty vase of tulips.  So perfect for spring don't you think?! 

I don't own any tulip stamps, or I might have chosen to do tulips, but I'm glad I didn't because I'm very pleased with the way that this turned out! 

First of all, I love this stamp!  It's so bright and happy, and that little ladybug is so sweet!  It just puts a smile on my face!  Secondly, sunflowers are my favorite flower.  I've never seen a sunflower that I didn't love!  I started out by heat embossing the image with black embossing powder onto watercolor cardstock.  I colored the image using a water brush and Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  The background is just a wash of mixed blues and greens from a Koi palette.  I used Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle dies to cut out the panel and also the red gingham, which is from the My Favorite Things Tiny Check paper pad. 

The sentiment comes from the MFT Jungle Friends stamp set.  I think this one in particular works great for a birthday card!  I heat embossed it with Wow! Opaque Bright White embossing powder onto black cardstock, and then cut it out using one of the stitched label dies, also by My Favorite Things.  To finish it off, I adhered my panel onto a Nina Desert Storm card base, added some twine and popped my sentiment up with a bit of foam tape.  I didn't even need to add sequins!  Lol :D

Since the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is all about Birthdays this week, I'll be entering it there as well.  Now I'm off to work on some Easter cards and goodies for the kiddos!

Hugs!

SSS April Card Kit featuring Lawn Fawn Rainbow Plaid Papers

Hi and Happy Saturday! The moment I opened my April kit from Simon Says Stamp, I was in love! This kit was definitely my favorite so far! I mean, who doesn't love rainbow colors and cute cuddly wild animals?!?! Here is a quick peek at the kit contents:

Doesn't it just look like a bucket full of fun??? The kit sold out VERY quickly, but you can always order the items individually.  That's one thing that I really appreciate about SSS kits.   

It took me a few days to crank out these cards (its Spring Break so the kiddos are all home!), but I had such a great time! Plus, since the kiddos were home, they got to help! I will list all of the additional products used at the end of this post.  Let's get to it!

The little penguin in the stamp set was a sure fire place to start for me.  And what can be better than penguin lovebirds!? I fussy cut the eyes on a third image and pasted them on to my boy penguin so that they could be looking at one another...then of course my girl needed some eyelashes!

This was the trickiest card of the bunch.  I stamped the images on the inside of my card base and then die cut the circles on the outer cover after attaching the plaid panel.  To get the alignment just right, I used a transparency and traced the circles so that I could line it up before running through the big shot.  Here's a look at the inside of the card.

This little guy is the only one on a wobble! I meant to use more wobbles but really, I just forgot!

I found that these patterned papers go perfectly with distress inked backgrounds! This card is made using up some leftovers from all of the papers I'd cut into.  Waste not want not! Lol...  

This one was a total experiment.  I wanted to see how the critters would look if embossed with clear EP and then water colored.  I'm not crazy about the result, but couldn't bear to throw him away!

These penguins really crack me up!  I did the same thing with the eyes on this one...each ones eyes are slightly different, but the look on the one in front is hysterical! :D

I tried to think of different ways to use the tags in the kit, so this one got another Distress Ink application, but with the smooshing and water spritzing technique! Love how this tag turned out.  And, this little elephant is just the sweetest thing ever! He reminds me of Dumbo...one of my Disney favorites to this day! Here's a closer look...

Another great use for scraps! Make balloons! The sentiment comes from a previous SSS card kit - September 2016, I believe. 

Rather than Distress Inks, this tag was blended using the inks that came in the kit. They blend so nicely! The background is also stamped with the inks from the kit.

Last, but not least, I had to try some no line coloring with pencils on this kraft tag.  I found that the pencils don't blend as smoothly on this kraft as they do on Nina's kraft cardstock, but its still a nice effect, don't ya think? I love the feel of the soft colors, and who doesn't love a blue-eyed baby elephant!?

Thank you so very much for stopping by today! I hope you were able to find some inspiration! Now, go get your craft on... :D

Hugs,

Additional Supplies: SSS Scallop Stitches, MFT Pierced Heart Stax, SSS Stitched Rectangles, SSS Stitched Circles, MFT Concentric Circle Grid stencil, SSS Ring Frame, SSS Tiny Dots and Hearts background stamp, MFT Abstract Art stamp set, SSS It's No Secret stamp set, Lawn Fawn Put A Bow On It, Lawn Fawn Stitched Slopes, Hero Arts Birthday background stamp, Distress Inks, SSS Clear Ink, enamel dots, glossy accents, white embossing powder, Copic Markers, Prismacolor pencils, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, twine, ribbon, and some card bases in Fog Gray and Nina Desert Storm

**I will be entering some cards featured in this post to the Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenges**

Love from Lizi March Kit & SSS Monday Challenge

Happy April everyone!  A few weeks ago, I received my first Love from Lizi card kit.  I was so curious about her kits because of everything that I'd seen on YouTube and Instagram.  Let me tell you folks, she does not disappoint!  This kit was right up my alley...soft pastels, florals, and butterflies!  Everything my girly-girl heart desires...I was in kit love!

Today I thought I'd share some of the cards that I've created using the kit.  Plus, the theme on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog this week is "Things With Wings"!  How perfect for the pretty little butterflies in the kit!

I've created a total of 11 cards so far, and still have plenty of product to make more...just to give you an idea of how far you can stretch it. :)

For the card above, I stamped the floral crest image from the kit with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed it using Rose Gold embossing powder from Simon Says Stamp.  It doesn't show up as well in this photo, but the one at the top of this post really shows how pretty that Rose Gold EP is!!

The butterfly stamps that come in the kit are full of detail.  There are three of them and for this card I decided to stamp and heat emboss them in Ballerina Pink embossing powder by Nuvo.  I also think they'd be gorgeous in gold!  The main butterfly is die cut with the larger of the two butterfly dies, but to get the sparkle, I adhered white glitter washi tape on white card stock prior to running it through my Big Shot.  I find that this way is so much easier than trying to use glitter...I make a terrible mess with the sparkly stuff!  

I have a special place in my heart for anything a little shabby and a lot chic...or visa versa!

I think this one just might be my favorite...those glittery butterfly stickers that come in the kit are gorgeous! 

I ran out of the ivory cardstock by the time I got to this one, so I substituted some pink cardstock that matched the ribbon that came in the kit...love all the pink you can pull from this kit!

And sometimes, you just don't need a sentiment!  This way you can add whatever you like when its time to give it away. :)

Here you can see more of the detail in the butterfly stamps...I am going to try this one again but with GOLD!  Or, if you use a stamping tool, you could stamp first with the Cocoa and then double stamp with a shimmery ink like the Copper Delicata...that would be lovely. <3

And I love how you can use the frames on either side because one has a painted finish and the other is a natural finish which coordinates perfectly with these soft pastels.

So that's it! And the sentiment on this one couldn't be more fitting...I do hope you have a GREAT DAY!  Thanks so much for visiting and please go check out Lizi's kits because they're wonderful!

Hugs,