Simon Says Stamp May Card Kit

I was lucky enough to win one of Simon Says Stamp's May 2018 Card Kits this month. I've gotten a couple of kits before, but that was a couple of years ago.  The kits are definitely fuller and more jam packed than they used to be.  If you sign up for a subscription, the kit costs $29.99, you also have the option to purchase individual kits for $34.99.

The fact that the kit includes a 6x8 set, a 3x4 set, and a sentiment die which total $31 when purchased separately gives you an idea of what a good deal this is.

The May kit features papers and embellishments from Pinkfresh's Let Your Heart Decide collection and they are so pretty.  

I created five cards to share and tried to use only items from the kit with the exception of ink and cardstock.  I still have lots of papers and embellishments left to create more with too!  Take a look at the cards:

This first card features the heart patterned paper.  The only thing I did to it was add some of the epoxy heart stickers stickers, they add great shine and dimension.  The sentiment is from the small 3x4 set.  A really simple, easy card, but I love the impact.

Next up another card that uses the design of the patterned paper as the jumping off point.

There's this great pattern with criss-crossing strips that end in an ampersand in one corner.  I didn't want to use the ampersand, so I trimmed that out, but I made that criss cross the focal point, trimming out the corner of the panel at the top left.  

I debated whether or not to add a pattern behind the criss cross, or leave it solid, but decided to use one of the other papers which I added some splatter to because I think it adds emphasis to the diagonal design.  The sentiment is from the large 6x8 set and I added one of the pufffy heart stickers as an accent.

Fun fact, that soft gray striped paper mat is actually the Pinkfresh backing sheet from the puffy stickers. I was looking for a really neutral paper to use and that ended up being perfect!

The next card focuses on the diagonal washi like striped background.  Since it's a really strong pattern, I wanted to leave it as the focal point. I stamped the sentiment on a small panel and popped it up over a couple patterned paper mats.  I used some of the puffy flower stickers as accents and also stamped some black dots which are part of the 6x8 set.

Next a more collage style card.  I cut a few squares of patterned paper and stitched them to a patterned paper mat. 

The sentiment is from the 3x4 set and I added a bunch of puffy heart stickers as accents.

Finally, a stamped card.  The kit comes with two small hybrid ink cubes.  I've tried hybrid ink before (from a different company), but they weren't my favorite, I wasn't happy with the coverage.  Based on that experience, I was a little skeptical of these, but I was really happy with the coverage.

In addition to the two colors included in the kit, I also stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, and basically created a kind of medallion pattern on my panel.  I was brave and did this without the MISTI, eyeballing the whole thing.

Once I was done stamping, I wanted to pump up the graphic feel, so I added black accents with a journaling pen.

The small sentiment is from the 3x4 set and then I cut the sentiment die three times to create a more dimensional piece and adhered it to the card.

It was a great kit to work with and I think it's definitely worth the money if you have the room in your budget for a monthly kit.  I could probably get at least another five cards from what I have left.  Would love to know which of these cards is your favorite.  Thanks for stopping by!