Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, September 24

 Hello friends! It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? First I had foot surgery, then lost creative mojo, then was making but not posting... yeah, like the way life goes sometimes. However, I'm pushing myself to get back into a creative habit, because, y'all, with the state of the world these days, I really need the escape and mental calming crafting can bring.

To that end, today I noted that the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge was "anything goes" and featured Gina K Designs! I love Gina K--whimsy, layers, bold stylized blooms, silhouettes--you name it, there's a stamp set that meets what you're looking for. And Gina herself is a kind and friendly soul, sharing her knowledge and ideas with a free hand.

Today I used the Autumn Delight stencil (which comes bundled with a coordinating die, not used on this card). My colors are Sweet Corn, Sweet Mango, Jelly Bean Green, and Fresh Asparagus. I used Master Layouts 2 and 14 for the layers, matting the finished panel on black cardstock. That was all popped up with some fun foam on a Jelly Bean Green card base. The sentiment is from the Thoughtful Flowers set, and I sprinkled on a few black pearls to add a touch more black.

Thanks for looking! I hope you have a fantastic day.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Spooky and/or add some purple

I don't have much of a collection of "spooky" Halloween themed items--so when I saw the "and/or add some purple," I jumped at the chance! I confess to being #teampurple (much preferable to orange, unless we're talking about a maple tree) and I have lots of fun purple in my stash!

Recently, YouTube suggested a video from Patti Dolan to me, where she created a fun split front card design. (Here's the video YouTube suggested.) I decided to try a split front technique with some of the fun patterned papers in my stash, plus some gloriously shiny holographic paper.

I used Craft Consortium's Ink Drops Vivid paper pad for the top layers, and embossed the holographic paper (which I had in my stash and have no idea where it came from) with Simon Says Stamp's Rhythmic embossing folder (now discontinued). I added the patterned paper cuts on top of the embossed panel then added the whole panel to a black panel to help it stand out against the purple card base (made from Concord and 9th's Grape Soda cardstock). I cut some very thin strips of black cardstock and added those on the interior edges of the patterned paper to set it off from the holographic paper.

I used an older Simon Says Stamp die set called You Shine to create my sentiment--the base is cut from plain white cardstock, then I cut the "you" from the holographic paper and cut the "shine" letters in the base from it as well. I think that simple white cardstock really makes the You Shine stand out against all that purple and shimmer! To make it even more sparkly, I added three groups of Gina K Disco Ball sequins which really vanish in the photos. 

I know exactly who I'm sending this card to--and I hope she loves it! Thanks so much for visiting! Have a fantastic day.

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Halloween/Spooky, Part 2

I came up with two different styles of cards for this week's challenge. The first was a little spooky cat and spiders--lots of black! This one is much more cheerful and not a bit spooky--but still uses the same "Haunts and Harvest" stamp set from Gina K Designs.

Goodness, just look at those pumpkins! They're so pretty! These were stamped and heat embossed with Brutus Monroe Gilded powder which handles the little details so beautifully. I filled in with various colors of COPIC markers and then colored over the larger openings with an orange Gelly Roll pen.

I used Gina K's Master Layouts 2 die set to cut a panel of pumpkin patterned paper from my stash and add a black mat layer. I then popped up the pumpkins on an orange panel, matted with black, where I'd stamped the "Hey Pumpkin!" sentiment. I layered these together on a white, top-folding A2 card base.

Super simple, but so cute and orange! Thanks again for stopping by, see you soon!

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Halloween/Spooky

 I've tried a number of Halloween challenges this year, leading to the discovery of the lack of Halloween or spooky themed sets in my collection! I no longer have young children, and have never been big into decorating for Halloween anyway. But I'm discovering that there are some really cute and fun sets out there, so I may need to change my ways in the future!

I picked out an older stamp set from Gina K Designs, "Haunts and Harvest." I had a couple of ideas with this one, but let's first look at the "spooky" card I made!

My son has a black cat, one of two out of a litter of five we fostered, and I couldn't help but think of his cat when I created this card. This is a good representation of his cat--big eyes, friendly face, but ready to be spooky! I built the fence out of strips of black cardstock and drew lines with a white gel pen, then popped it up with thin foam strips. I nestled the cat (let's call him Jiji) onto the fence, along with the spiders, giving you a spooky hello!

The moon came from an older Hero Arts My Monthly Hero kit that isn't available now. I stamped it in Rocky Slope from Pinkfresh Studio, then covered it with Nuvo Aqua Shimmer. I have a lot more on there than intended after my Aqua Shimmer pen burst and--well, let's just say I had a silver puddle on my work surface. 

The night sky is a fun patterned paper from my stash and I had to try adding the little bats directly to the paper. I was so pleased they do show up; it's somewhat like trying to catch a glimpse of a bat in the evening.

I hope you enjoyed this card! My next card with this stamp set is coming in my next post.