Whoa...

Just a quick note to let you know one of my cards is featured on the Right At Home Stamps Instagram page today... WHOA! (I cannot believe I just wrote that.)

Check out Nicole and her shop. I don't know her, and she didn't ask me to do this... but she has reeeeeeeeally cute products over there! I loved the Happy Mail set and was so happy to add it to my collection!

I'm gonna go once again check out the Right Home Instagram to make sure what I saw is actually reality... for the 100th time today. :)

Have a great week! Be back again soon with some more cards! Thanks again to Nicole and Right at Home today!!

Simon Says Stamp April Kit: A Colorful Life

Hi all! I'm back again today with a review on the Simon Says Stamp April card kit: A Colorful Life.

I'm gonna be honest - when I first saw this kit, I wasn't too thrilled. The colors were bright, and it did include lots of flowers (which I love), buuuuuuut...

• I really look forward to coordinating stamp and die sets in the kits, and this one doesn't have that.
• I don't use clips and stickers too much in my cards, and this kit has A LOT of those.
• Many of the small patterned sheets also have small squares or sections to cut apart for your card designs, and I prefer the papers that are all one pattern or design.
• Even when I searched for preview cards from the design team, I wasn't loving it. This has NOTHING to do with the impressive talent from the team. The cards were designed very well. It's just that nothing was jumping out at me.

So, my first impression was... meh.

For the first time in a long time, when the kit was delivered to my home, it just sat there. I decided to give it a try to prep for some cardmaking time with a friend. We each bring a card to share, and then we make the cards together. I found a sketch online that I wanted to try, so I start pulling out some elements of this kit.

As I played around, I really liked how the different elements came together. Here's the card I came up with...

The sentiment, floral patterned paper, black card stock, and red, yellow, and light blue paper that the flowers are cut from are all from the kit. I do love that script sentiment, and the coordinating papers make matching super simple. This isn't my normal style, but I wanted to try out a simple technique I saw about how to make your card look like a chalkboard. This works, right? :) I have grown to really like this card... I think it's becoming one of my personal faves.

So after some cardmaking time with my friend, I just wanted to keep creating! So I went home and make a couple more cards from the kit...

So, my new verdict is... I like it. This kit is not one of my favorites, and I'm still challenged by those stickers and clips. But as cards have come together using different parts of the kit, I have been surprised that I like the final results. Another good thing about this kit is that it's not specific to one season or holiday. You really could use this all year round (though those bright florals are just perfect as spring blooms arrive outside).

Are you a SSS card kit subscriber? What have you made with this kit? What kit has been your favorite?

Have a great rest of your weekend!

1 card for 3 challenges

Happy weekend! I'm spending some time catching up on cardmaking - it's been too long! Yesterday, I made one card that I'm entering into three (yes, three!) challenges. Love it when challenges come together. :)

Here are the challenges:

1) Freshly Made Sketches #230

2) Papertrey Ink Make it Monday #244

3) Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

And here's what I came up with:

This turned out very clean and simple. I did have a little bit of an urge to fill some of that white space, but I left it as is. I think the blue and pink colors work well for a friend expecting a new little one. Such an exciting time!

Thanks for stopping by this weekend! Don't forget to add your email to that subscribe email box to get updates as they're posted! :)

Materials

Stamp set - Hero Arts Sun Showers

Inks - Ranger Dye Inks (blue ribbon and wild orchid), Versafine Ink (onyx black)

Paper - White card and envelope (Hobby Lobby), blue and white cardstock (Simon Says Stamp)

Other - Pretty Pink Posh sequins

Make it Monday #241

Happy weekend! I received some new craft supplies in the mail yesterday - such a fun way to start the weekend - and I am trying some of them out for this week's Make it Monday #241 with Papertrey Ink.

Betsy Veldman is the lead this week. I absolutely LOVE her work. She has such an amazing design style, and the sets that she makes for PTI are so well-done. I was so happy to see her in the MIM video this week!

Here's her video and finished card card that incorporates ombre stenciled backgrounds:

And here's my take on it:

I did something different this time and actually played along with Betsy as the video was playing. It was almost like attending a class with her as the instructor. I used to attend some card classes in the area, and they were so fun! This brought back some good memories, and I think I might do it again in the future.

The stamp sets, dies, and stencils from PTI were a DREAM to work with. So smooth and easy to stamp/cut out, and the stencils are so fun for making your own backgrounds. Don't be surprised if you see these products again soon here - they are quickly becoming favorite items of mine! :)

Hope you enjoy rest of the weekend!

Freshly Made Sketches #226

Hi all! I'm making a quick return today to share a card for Freshly Made Sketches #226. I hope to go back to longer, more detailed posts soon - I'm going through one of those times when the busyness of life leaves little personal and craft time. We all go through times like this, right? Should be back to a more regular routine soon, so stay tuned.

I'm playing along this week over at Freshly Made Sketches with a layout from Rita. Here's her sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I changed up the orientation of the stripe and butterfly image a bit, but I think this still reflects the original design! I'm excited to send this off to a friend who recently got engaged. Happy mail for a joyful life moment!

Appreciate you taking some time to visit my blog today - have a great rest of the day!

Simon Says: One Layer

The more I've been making cards, the more layers I tend to add to my cards. So it was a good challenge this week with Simon Says: One Layer for the weekly Wednesday post!

I needed a quick thank note for a recent gift, so this challenge came at the right time.

Stamping directly on the card, here's my final product:

I really love when a sentiment plays off of the images or scene on a card. :) And who doesn't like getting a bunch of flowers?

Since I have gotten a score board, it's showing up A LOT on my cards. It's such a simple and subtle way to frame a scene or add some dimension. The scoring on this card is a little difficult to see, especially on the left-hand side, but I think adds a lot to this note.

 Look forward to next week's Wednesday Challenge - it's one of my favorite weekly posts!

Materials

Paper: White card and envelope (Hobby Lobby)

Stamps: Flower and sentiment set (personal gift)

Ink: Range dye inks (Lemon Twist), Stampin' Up (Mossy Meadow & Cajun Craze), Versafine (Black Onyx)

Other: Washi tape (Stampin' Up), black marker (Recollections), blending tool, gold gel pen, score board

Freshly Made Sketches #223

Jumping right in today for a quick post... I'm taking some inspiration from Jennifer McGuire for Freshly Made Sketches #223. I loved her recent post about distress ink lifting!

Here was the FMS sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

The world could use a little more kindness lately... let's remember, no matter our disagreements, to keep being kind to those we know and those unknown who will be affected by our actions.

Enjoy the rest of your Valentines weekend!

 

Materials

Paper - white envelope and cardstock (Hobby Lobby), purple patterned paper

Stamps - Acts of Kindness (Hero Arts), Rustic Wreath (Papertrey Ink), flower woodmount stamp (Hobby Lobby)

Inks - Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Inks (crushed olive, tumbled glass, dusty concord)

Other - Light blue ribbon (WalMart), white embossing power (gift)