Anything Goes

This week the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is "Anything Goes," using W Plus 9 stamps. As I've posted this set before, you must know it's one of my favorites to color in. I just love the set of flowers in Kind Soul. Actually, I liked it so much I went back to purchase the matching die, however decided to stamp a single layer card with the flowers hanging off all around the edges. I colored all the flowers with Copic markers and the blue background is also B00 and blended into B0000 toward the center. The greeting is also in this set of stamps.
"Single Layer" is a misnomer for this as I stamped the image with Momento Black on Bristol Smooth cardstock. The only problem with Copics, as you know is that they bleed to the other side, so after coloring the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece I adhered it to the front of an A2 card base.
 Thanks for looking!

Recessed Magnolia

I've been trying out the new Silk Microfine Glitter from Elizabeth Craft Designs and this card uses the crystal clear. I stamped the image in Momento Black ink with Avery Elle's Magnolia and colored it with Copic markers. I also stamped the image on a piece of Granny Apple green cardstock in the same position. Then I used the matching die to cut the stamped image out of the green cardstock and also a piece of craft foam, which I glued to the back of the green cardstock.
I used a piece of Elizabeth Craft Designs adhesive sheets and completely covered the stamped and colored image, set it in a box lid and sprinkled on the glitter. After shaking off the excess glitter into a coffee filter I rubbed my finger over the front of the image to "polish" the glitter into the adhesive. I don't think the photo shows how shiny and glittery it is, but it's really a beautiful finish. It gives a slight "hazy" but sparkly finish to a stamped image, where the Wink of Stella just adds sparkle but doesn't give that haze.

Life's Short

The Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge this week is for a food/drink theme card so I pulled out an older set (Perfect Blend by  Stampin' Up) and stamped the image on Crumb Cake cardstock with Soft Suede ink and then again on vanilla cardstock and fussy-cut out the pieces of vanilla. I don't remember where I got the "Life's Too Short..." stamp but it fits as my son-in-law and his friend own Recess Coffee in Syracuse, NY., and we all know GOOD coffee isn't cheap!! Thanks for looking and leave a comment or questions and visit Recess!

Bright & Cheerful Sweet Pea

Here's a card using Stampin' Up's new Granny Apple green that is bright and clean. This card is entered in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Bright & Cheerful challenge and features a stamp set from Hero Arts with matching dies. I also used Hero Arts Infinity Circle die set to cut out the circle and the frame from gold mirror paper. Thanks for looking, have a Bright & Cheerful Day!!

All Framed Up!

This shaker card was made by cutting a piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock 4 times with the curved stitched die from Memory Box's Stitched Curves. The background was done with alcohol inks on yuppo paper with teals, green, and gold mixative. Also, I cut the Big Hello (Memory Box) out of gold mirror paper and the background die from Bermuda Bay cardstock. I doodled "dots" around the letters with a white gel pen. I have entered this in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday "Frame It" Challenge.  Thanks for looking, if you like it, leave a comment!

Anything but a Card??

So, I've often said that if something holds still long enough I will stamp on it! Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge this week surprised me as I had to come up with something that wasn't a card. So it's a good thing I hadn't thrown out this box of "junk" from my stamp room as I found this wooden bird house sitting there, so here's what I created with a stamp set with matching dies (Simon's Even More Spring Flowers), some Copic coloring, and some paint and Mod Podge. Also, I wanted to make the roof look a little rustic, so I colored some DAP spackling paste with some grey ink. (I could have used some actual texture paste, but I didn't have enough of it and this is less expensive!)

Bright & Beautiful

Evidently I love coloring this stamp, so I use it often! This is another version of WPlus9's Kind Soul, this time colored with Altenew's alcohol markers (Set A) that were on sale this week, so I had to try them!! I cut the sentiment from Avery Elle "Hugs" die and the order in black and white cardstock and added to the front. This could be done as a single layer card, but the alcohol markers always show through to the other side, so I colored it on a piece of Bristol smooth and then put it on a top-folding white card base. I added clear Wink of Stella to the flowers, but know that it's difficult to get just the right angle so it shows. I am entering this in Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge for this week. Thanks for looking!

Wedding Best Wishes

If you have some watercolor backgrounds around or some Brusho or Ken Oliver color bursts that you've played with and now don't know what to do with your creations, here's an idea: Cut a fancy die from a piece of vanilla  or white cardstock (I used Stampin' Up's Window Box die set) and then used a stitched rectangle die to cut the entire piece out. I affixed it over my Color Burst background that I did on watercolor paper. Then I used another section of the watercolor paper and cut out the Best Wishes with Impression Obsession's Best Wishes die. Finally, I affixed the entire piece to a piece of craft foam and then onto the front of a vanilla 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" side-folding note card.
Again, I am entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anniversary-Wedding challenge.

Anniversary-Wedding Challenge 3

Here's another card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anniversary-Wedding challenge. This card uses Pool Party cardstock and the silver foil behind is from Gina K Fancy Foils (Silver Sequins) that was added after I put Deco Foil transfer gel over a piece of Pool Party cardstock with a Simon Says Stamp Circular Lace stencil. I cut the heart with a Memory Box die (Vernay Heart) out of shimmery white cardstock. I added tiny dots to the center of the flowers with Nuvo Crystal Drops in "silver lining." The top pieces of Pool Party cardstock I cut with Memory Box "Stitched Curves" dies. Finally, I stamped the greeting on a piece of vellum and embossed it in white. This was an older Stampin' Up stamp.

Another Anniversay/Wedding

This card is entered into the Simon Says Stamp Anniversary Wedding Wednesday Challenge.
I stamped the flowers from a W-Plus 9's Kind Soul and colored it with watercolors on Bristol  Smooth cardstock, and added shading with colored pencils.
The verse is cut with Impression Obsession's "All The Best" die and I layered 2 layers of white cardstock and then added one layer of Gorgeous Grape cardstock. I added some white gel pen to the stamens of the purple flowers, added some clear Wink of Stella to the purple flowers and affixed the piece to a piece of cantaloupe cardstock and then onto some Gorgeous Grape cardstock, and onto a white top-folding card base. Then I added some flat confetti pieces from Honey Bee's Carousel Lights. 

Floral Anniversary or Wedding

This card is entered in Simon Says Stamp's Anniversary/Wedding Wednesday Challenge.
It's that time of year when we receive wedding invitations, and of course since June weddings are popular, many anniversaries are throughout the summer. This card is simple to make with the background sky made with blending Distress Oxide inks and then stamping a simple silhouette in black ink over top. I used a Penny Black stamp (A Little Secret) and for the verse I gold embossed the large sentiment from Mama Elephant's Wishing You set and white embossed a companion verse from that set on black cardstock and raised it up with foam tape. Finally, I affixed the entire piece onto a piece of Gorgeous Grape cardstock and onto a side-folding note card. Thanks for looking!

Bright & Beautiful Under the Sea

This card is entered in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and is my experiment with Yuppo paper and alcohol inks. This is fun and you should try it! I cut out the white cardstock to put over top of the background I created with alcohol inks and gold mixative ink with Hero Arts Reef Border die. I affixed the entire piece onto a piece of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Tranquil Tide cardstock. The verse is from Impression Obsession and was stamped on a piece of white in black ink.
Thanks for looking!

World's Greatest Dad Shaker

For some reason, I keep making shaker cards because I enjoy the challenge! I keep making mistakes with them, and this card is no exception, so I am posting it so you can learn from my mistakes!! I entered this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday "Masculine" challenge and used a new stamp and die set I purchased from Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps at the Syracuse, NY show.
Here's the card and I'll link to the products below that I used:

The shirt is stamped on Sahara Sand cardstock with 2 different stamps: First I stamped the background which is a Hero Arts Forrest & Deer 6x6 stamp in Soft Suede ink, then I stamped the shirt outline in Momento Black.

The shirt stamp is unique and is available in two sizes (this is the smaller one). The shirt left and right-front are folded over the back of the shirt, so if you want, you could stamp a greeting inside the shirt and leave the front open. I chose to fold it closed and glue the front down. There are many options in these types of stamps on their website, so I would encourage you to check them out!
(Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps)

The tiny buttons were actually from a package of "baby" colored, which was too light for the shirt so I dabbed some brown alcohol ink over them.
I cut the circle out with Lawn Fawn's inside-out stitched circle dies and the "tool" confetti is made from a die from Taylored Expressions.

The mistake I made was that I tried to use craft foam with both sides covered in "Stick-It," which would have worked fine, but as you see, the screwdriver is "stuck" as the edge of the Stick-It is very close to the edge of the craft foam. So, lesson learned: cut the Stick-It a little bigger than the hole, or use some anti-static powder on the very edge before sticking it down!
Finally, I mounted the entire piece onto a piece of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" black cardstock and then on the card front.

Graduation Shaker

Here's a shaker card I made for the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp "Anything Goes" challenge. I used the set from Art Impressions, "Spectacular," for the bespectacled critter and the tiny graduation shakers were die cut from a piece of navy cardstock with Taylored Expressions, "Grad confetti" die. I added Ranger's Glossy Accents to the specs and the inside greeting that is in the stamp set is, "You're Spectacular." Thanks for looking and hope you like it!