Christmas Icons - Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Release

Hello! YAY - so excited that it is finally time to kick off STAMPtember with Simon Says Stamp! It is the month to celebrate all things stamping, and it all starts with an awesome HUGE exclusive release from Simon Says Stamp - and then lots of fun surprises and collaborations throughout the month!

I'm starting off by sharing this pair of cards featuring a couple of the new stamp sets from the release:

Both these cards feature the fun new Center Cut Holiday Icons Background Stamp. I used it two different ways on my cards - and the fun part is that you can still use it even more ways! As a solid background image, or use the small center piece to create your own pattern. First up, I have this card created by using the outer part with the center portions popped out:

I had fun coloring the image with my Pinkfresh Liquid Watercolors, and then added a sentiment from another new set, Ornate Ornaments.

The second card uses part of the center portion to create a sort of wreath image:

I also used some Pinkfresh Liquid Watercolors on this card, but this time I just added color around the images for a different look. Sentiment is also from Ornate Ornaments for this card.

Which one is your favorite? Do you prefer more color, or the simpler design?

I love how the stamp set allows you to stamp so many different ways - a fun way to get more variety from your stamp sets!

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

Technique Tuesday Countdown Day 2 - Whale Hello

Good morning! Welcome to Day 2 of sneak peeks for the September Release from Technique Tuesday! Woohoo!!! Lots of fun new stamps and dies in this release - make sure and check out the Technique Tuesday Blog to find links to all the Design Team's projects for today!

Today I have a sweet and simple little window card to share using the adorable new Wendall the Whale stamp set and coordinating dies!

I first die cut a window from my soft blue cardbase using the Wendell the Whale dies, then lined the inside of the card with white cardstock and stamped the image on the inside, coloring with Copics.

I added an extra sentiment on the inside - and of course, a wiggly eye for fun!

Added some bubbles and fun on the outside with the Bubbles on the Border die from a previous release!

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

Double Layer Emboss Resist - Lil' Inker Designs Sale

Good morning! Dropping by this morning with a couple cards using some fun Lil' Inker Designs stamps and dies - and also to let you know of a FABULOUS sale that is happening now at Lil' Inkers to celebrate their 8th birthday! :)

Here is the sale info - you guys, this is an AWESOME sale! Not only is it 25% off (except for the latest release) - but there are free gifts up for grabs as well! The info is in these graphics - click HERE to head over and begin shopping!

I used the beautiful Love and Honey Stamp set with the perfect simple thanks sentiment from Snarky Shadow Thanks Stamp set to do some dual layer emboss resist for a pair of thank you cards!

I started off by using my MISTI and stamping the floral heart from Love and Honey Stamp set in clear embossing ink. THEN, I used the MISTI again to stamp the thanks from Snarky Shadow Thanks Stamp set in Versamark Black Ink (which also is an embossing ink). I stamped each one multiple times to ensure a super good impression, THEN - and ONLY THEN, sprinkle clear embossing powder over it all. That way you end up with one single embossed image!

Then I did some ink blending over the top - for this first one I used a combo of Lucky Clover, Peacock Feathers, and Mermaid Lagoon distress inks.

This second card uses a color combo of Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Abandoned Coral, and Festive Berries.

Once I was done with the ink blending, I added some splatters with a mix of Perfect Pearls and water, and some black splatters using my Pinkfresh Liquid Watercolors in Licorice. The panels are also die cut using Stitched Mats: Rectangles Dies.

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

City Skyline 2 Ways - Simon Says Stamp

Good morning! I'm back today to share a couple more cards that I made by pre-stamping some images and taking them with me on a long drive this past Monday. For these cards, I used the fun skyline stamp from Simon Says Stamp's From the Rooftops stamp set.

For my first card, I stamped my city image in black Versafine ink on my watercolor paper.

I decided to go with a bright rainbow order city for this card - so fun to watercolor!

When I got home, I added a sentiment using a combination of Handlettered Encouragement and a small sentiment from Beautiful Day.

The second card, I stamped the city skyline in Smokey Gray Versafine Ink, and went for a bit more of a messy watercolor look:

I colored in various shades of yellow - although they all look the same really, then painted the sky and surroundings with blue. I added a splatter of purple in the sky, then came back in with the same purple and added some shading to the buildings. I was originally going to use my white gel pen to color in the windows, but I kind of forgot, and ended up liking the messy effect as it was anyway!

Built my sentiment for this card using the same two stamp sets, and trimmed both panels slightly smaller than a white top folding A2 cardbase, then adhered with sturdy adhesive to finish these off!

I love how the same stamped image can have a totally different feel, all depending on the way you color it, and the sentiment you add. Which one is your favorite?

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

Technique Tuesday Countdown Day 1 - Lovely Lavender

Good morning! It's already time to start sharing sneak peek projects for the September Release from Technique Tuesday! YAY!!! Make sure and check out the Technique Tuesday Blog to find links to all the Design Team's projects for today!

As often happens, I sat down to make one card, and ended up with 3 instead using the beautiful new Lovely Lavender set. Lavender is one of my favorite plants EVER - we have tons in our yard actually, so I was super excited to see this stamp set!

I colored them in some of the fun colors I've seen of different varieties of lavender. Such a fun image to color!

Here is a closer look at each one - first up the traditional purples. I added a sentiment to this one using Things Change stamp set over the triple scored lines on the white cardbase.

Next up, I couldn't resist some more blue tones - maybe a bit of a stretch, but still so lovely! These next two cards use sentiments from the new Mandala Sentiments stamp set.

And finally, some varieties have more of a pink tone - so I had to do that as well! I finished these all off with a few Pearl White jewels from Pretty Pink Posh.

So, are you a lavender fan? Which color is your favorite? Love how simple and easily these cards came together!

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

Watercolor Lace Backgrounds - Simon Says Stamp

Good morning! Been a week or so since I completed a card - but on Monday of this week I had a long road trip, and took some items along to watercolor on the road! My go-to when crafting on the go seems to be watercolors, so I stamped and heat embossed the gorgeous Rebecca Lace Background Stamp from Simon Says Stamp on some watercolor paper, and took them along to just play with my watercolors. Simple, relaxing, and so magical to watch them come along with the background appearing as you go!

I did two different versions of basically the same card - one with warmer colors, and one with cooler colors. This first one is the cooler color combo - lots of blue, purple, and magenta:

For this one I added a heat embossed sentiment in silver from Friendship Blooms, and matted the watercolor panel with some Smoke gray cardstock.

For the second card, I ended up using warmer colors - yellows, oranges, and greens:

Simon Says Stamp's Antique Gold embossing powder was a natural fit for the sentiment on this card - and a bit of kraft paper for the mat was the perfect finishing touch.

I noticed this past week that my sympathy card stash was getting low, so it seemed like the perfect chance to make a couple to build that supply up a bit again.

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful day!!!

Simple Colorblock Stamping - on the Unity Stamp Company Blog

Good morning! I have this trio of fun cards using a simple colorblocking technique up on Unity Stamp Company Blog this morning! There is a video sharing the entire process as well! You can see the post HERE!

Thanks for stopping by this morning! Have a wonderful day!

Spellbinders Inked Messages and Special Moments Hop Winner

Good morning! So sorry I never announced the winner of the $25 Gift Certificate Winner from the Spellbinders Inked Messages and Special Moments Blog Hop last week - this past weekend I lost a very dear friend in a tragic accident, and pretty much stepped away from my craft room and blog to grieve, be there for the family, and just process things. I had a few things pre-scheduled that continued as planned, but haven't done anything this week beyond that. 

So without further ado - the winner is:

Congrats D. Ann C! I'm sending you an email as well - but in case you see this first, contact Spellbinders at socialmedia@spellbinders.us by 8/25/18 (I will ask for an extension of the time if needed since I was so late making my winner announcement) - with the subject line Spellbinders August Blog Hop Winner from Heather's Blog. Winner is responsible for shipping cost, duties, and taxes.

Thanks for hopping along and the sweet comments! Glad you loved this fun Spellbinders release as much as I did. Have a wonderful day!