tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29954700914801638332024-03-18T20:42:55.254-04:00Sooner rather than LaterMiriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.comBlogger2003125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-7369320215013561192024-03-05T06:00:00.021-05:002024-03-05T06:00:00.139-05:00February 2024 in Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-86axMjHTkB9c2KKoRbAKSRfhrQ5z4vh76hvMQDzE-aBozQ4pbbpDX5m7pcNDODCrhU_LspQkC0xtAuiGXX52_Nir1viF18kLDEHq5-ZQh9248a0nIu9GaxwimYP4JawspVdj7xMBC05xPD8X9EzSyUCO-yPML2DFVNMgufYiCZRuXoxRUn7mk3MEoY0/s1350/Untitled-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1184" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-86axMjHTkB9c2KKoRbAKSRfhrQ5z4vh76hvMQDzE-aBozQ4pbbpDX5m7pcNDODCrhU_LspQkC0xtAuiGXX52_Nir1viF18kLDEHq5-ZQh9248a0nIu9GaxwimYP4JawspVdj7xMBC05xPD8X9EzSyUCO-yPML2DFVNMgufYiCZRuXoxRUn7mk3MEoY0/w562-h640/Untitled-1.png" width="562" /></a></div><p>Pretty good month of reading. I was somewhat ruled by the number of holds that cam in from the library this month, so didn't get to fit in a classic or non-fiction book. Lots and lots of historical fiction this month. Here are ehe recaps:</p><p><u>Hello Beautiful</u> - Ann Napolitano - fiction - five stars - I really loved this book. It's about William Waters, a boy whose upbringing is tragic and although he survives it, in part because he finds basketball, it scars him deeply. In college he meets Julia Padavano who chooses him to marry her and join her large tight-knit family. He also makes some pretty amazing friends, teammates, and coaches. Julia has always had a plan for her lie an she plugs Walter into the role of husband/father/protector, but when difficulties arise in the Padavano family, her carefully crafted world begins to crumble, Walter with it. the result is a schism in the family with Julia taking their daughter to live alone in New York City, and Walter and the rest of t he Padavano family remaining in Chicago. There were several twists, some expected and other unexpected. Julia was the one character I had manjor issues with, but she was a necessary foil to the overal plot. I loved the themes of family, sisterhood, and friendship. A must read.<u>T</u></p><p><u>he Book of Fire</u> - Chisty Leftieri - fiction - five stars - Irini lives in Greece with her artist husband Tasso and daughter Chara. Their lives are torn apart when a wildfire destroys their forest home, killing many in their small community, including her beloved father-in-law. In the aftermath of the fire, Tasso is unable to create after his hands are badly burned, that and the loss of his father leaves him a shell of himself. Walking through the burned landscape one day, Irini come upon the man who started the fire. Her response to him causes her to relive the tragedy again. A really compelling story about family, love, forgiveness, and healing.</p><p><u>Demon Copperhead</u> - Barbara Kingsolver - fiction - five stars - Several have recommended this one to me, and it was well worth the wait at the library. This is a modern retelling of David Copperfield and really well done. It's about Damon/Demon born to a young, single, mother in Appalachia. His family story is troubled, he ends up in foster care, addicted to opiods, in a co-dependent relationship. The good news is that he has a good heart and people who care for him along with artistic talent. A story of hope against all odds, Fantastic retelling of this classic.</p><p><u>The Liberators</u> - E.J. Koh - historical fiction - three stars - This one was a bit of a dud for me, closer to two and a half stars rounded up. It follows the life of a South Korean family as the emigrate to the United States. It started off with promise, but devolved from there. I was not crazy about the personalities of the characters, for the most part I thought they lacked strength. Disappointing.</p><p><u>Artifice</u> - Sharon Cameron - historical fiction - four stars - The story of Isa, who pre WWII worked with her father in his art gallery. Now they are struggling. She needs to find funds for unpaid taxes and ends up selling the Nazis a forgery to come up with the money. But then she gets involved in the underground movement. They need funds to smuggle Jewish children out of Amsterdam. Isa comes up with a plan to cheat the Nazis again. I enjoyed the way Cameron wove this story together. A few of the plot twists were a little too implausible for me, but overall a very good read.</p><p><u>The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise</u> - Colleen Oakley - fiction - four stars - This was a fun, quick read, bit of a palette cleanser. Louise has suffered a fall and her daughter insists that she hire a helper. Tanner was a college soccer star who suffered a career ending injury and without her scholarship can't go back to school. She's been languishing at home until her mother volunteers her to fill the position of Louise's helper. Tanner and Louise live together, but separately until Louise's past catches up with her. Apparently Louise pulled off a pretty huge jewelry heist years ago. Now she needs Tanner's help to get to California as quickly as possible. Not particularly believable, but a fun adventure with an interesting twist that I did not see coming.</p><p><u>Twilight Territory</u> - Andrew X. Pham - historical fiction - four stars - This story takes place during and after WWII in Vietnam. Most of what I've read about Vietnam has been more focused on the Vietnam War era. I did not know much about the French colonial period, and the WWII era was an interesting one. For the Vietnamese it was difficult to ascertain who was better, the Japanese or the French. Tuyet was living humbly with her aunt and daughter when the Japanese arrived. She ends up falling in love with one of them, Takeshi, marrying him and starting a life. If was of course short lived. Once the Japanese fell, rather than return to Japan, Takeshi chooses to join the Vietnamense resistance to the French. Tuyet and Takeshi must live under the radar, often on the run. Lots of sadness in this story, but it was really interesting to learn about these years in Vietnam.</p><p><u>The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel</u> - ReShonda Tate - historical fiction - four stars - A fictionalized account of the life of Hattie McDaniel, the woman who played Mammy in Gone with the Wind and the first African American woman to win an Oscar. The story begins on the evening of the Oscar awards and ends with her death. This one is a great story, but it was a little difficult for me to read. Tate's writing style just wasn't my favorite. Still, I enjoyed reading about McDaniel. She had a pretty tough career, typecast, along with most African American actors at the time into menial/servile roles. She fought to gain more benefits/rights for African American actors and for more meaningful roles, and was often at odds with the NAACP which criticized Hattie for being willing to take roles that did not cast African Americans in a good light. A pretty amazing woman who did not receive the credit and respect due her during her lifetime. </p><p><u>The Storm We Made</u> - Jessica Chan - historical fiction - five stars - This story takes place in Malaysia just before and during WWII. Cecily Alcantara is the frustrated wife to a low-level bureaucrat in the British colonial government. She is not a fan of the British colonizers and becomes a spy for the Japanese. Fast forward ten years during the Japanese occupation and all is not what she thought it would be. The Japanese are no better than the British. Cecily's family has been split apart. This was another really interesting read as I did not know any of the history of the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, it was a pretty brutal read as well, there was not a lot of good that happened during that time. Great book.</p><p><u>The Women</u> - Kristin Hannah - historical fiction - five stars - Another fantastic book by Hannah. This one focuses on Frankie McGrath, who follows her beloved brother to Vietnam as a nurse. Her brother dies before she even arrives in Vietnam, but she's committed. It's not at all what she expected/was prepared for though. The injuries and loss of life she encountered were scarring. When she returns to the states, she struggles to reintegrate into civilian life. Fellow nurses Barb and Ethel who she served with help her along, but Frankie continues to struggle, and has issues with addiction and PTSD. While I knew about the challenges facing service members returning from Vietnam, this books shines a light on the total lack of recognition and understanding for women who served there. A must read. </p><p>Favorites this month were <u>Hello Beautifu</u>l and <u>The Women</u>. Least favorite was <u>The Liberator</u>s. I just finished <u>Medea</u> which I really enjoyed. What are you guys reading?</p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-31775903622154559702024-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:002024-02-23T06:00:00.140-05:00SSS Splendor Fine Floral Stem and Neatly Knitted<p> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTyTMhofEaTpLPfNrB2kFwqo_XRp13Fuw3Rf0kwPCAlHP_gCHmIoURy4hNtD_4wo2cGUqTddb2JgyUmQuOSptQmN1q-fIIPIYv4NALyQtyspNpMoe_gAt3oqxIO6TxR5x1WQ_arKGhyphenhyphenhyphenhyphenJo1cqtpsm8XLylVm8ZdluF-uvlfpDvRLACul0U2x_-J9DdQ/s2245/IMG_8812.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2245" data-original-width="2244" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTyTMhofEaTpLPfNrB2kFwqo_XRp13Fuw3Rf0kwPCAlHP_gCHmIoURy4hNtD_4wo2cGUqTddb2JgyUmQuOSptQmN1q-fIIPIYv4NALyQtyspNpMoe_gAt3oqxIO6TxR5x1WQ_arKGhyphenhyphenhyphenhyphenJo1cqtpsm8XLylVm8ZdluF-uvlfpDvRLACul0U2x_-J9DdQ/w640-h640/IMG_8812.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Today I'm sharing a Spring card featuring a couple of the new products from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1of">Splendor</a> release.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I started by using the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4fe68">Neatly Knitted</a> embossing folder on a piece of green cardstock. I really love the knit design and to make it stand out just a bit more, I very lightly inked the raised portions with white pigment ink using a blending brush.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next up, the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4fe6b">Fine Floral Stem</a> die. This was die cut from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4fe6e">Glossy White</a> cardstock. One pass through creates the base piece as well as three flower accent pieces (which could be adhered directly over the die cut flowers or offset to create a fuller flower - which is what I did) and flower centers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZ3XMxG7dmXgx6mXyT4O2y3b1J-b4IJ01GvoEFvamLjYUFm6IzsmeqmYWeKlmgikOgn_YRhnsHaJyC42nU6jgGqaWLSn0YGhYRrdWv4shgBVXHczMpVRMHN0IIXEaVvFXAuq11gGwGDtviJLsW8sL2JBPIzh1v-456-ODwq6_HeSHB9mKV_WWYr7NMyY/s3525/IMG_8813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2644" data-original-width="3525" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZ3XMxG7dmXgx6mXyT4O2y3b1J-b4IJ01GvoEFvamLjYUFm6IzsmeqmYWeKlmgikOgn_YRhnsHaJyC42nU6jgGqaWLSn0YGhYRrdWv4shgBVXHczMpVRMHN0IIXEaVvFXAuq11gGwGDtviJLsW8sL2JBPIzh1v-456-ODwq6_HeSHB9mKV_WWYr7NMyY/w640-h480/IMG_8813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The die was colored using Copics. This is the first time I've colored with Copics on glossy cardstock. The ink dries very quickly, so you really have to work hard at the blending.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I used YG25, G24, and G28 for the stem/leaves, Y00 and Y11 for the petals, and Y08 and Y19 for the flower centers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought about adding some embellishments, but decided to go with a more clean and simple look, so I just added a simple sentiment from my <a href="https://shrsl.com/4fe6g">Plant Sentiments</a> set to finish things off.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iPDvMPcR3XMudY-G1I2yBecbJWxXqLTHhVt5MH0b33s8DfOHtBx_JSijaK3CHJyr9if0eZKSHd6FuUN4k_ogpP0HiuM2h0HHpjGk1wGIrGQMn5YMfybtzCju0_NTulaxrre2hCgttZXu-iV4FAOFBmkIUgHtw91EBiHb6rjY4Gv-ropvXwWGKbvdcwQ/s1830/IMG_8816.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="1830" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iPDvMPcR3XMudY-G1I2yBecbJWxXqLTHhVt5MH0b33s8DfOHtBx_JSijaK3CHJyr9if0eZKSHd6FuUN4k_ogpP0HiuM2h0HHpjGk1wGIrGQMn5YMfybtzCju0_NTulaxrre2hCgttZXu-iV4FAOFBmkIUgHtw91EBiHb6rjY4Gv-ropvXwWGKbvdcwQ/w640-h480/IMG_8816.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks for visiting! It's starting to get pretty warm here. I'm thinking that Groundhog might have gotten it right this year!</div></div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-13050348803724722652024-02-20T06:00:00.049-05:002024-02-20T06:00:00.149-05:00SSS Splendor, Mixing and Matching Products<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUHcLustbil-E0CzohJkSVy3Z_k7zyXgeqs2QnXerCD_r0G0voKDcR0zS7vWb-gwPV49HYBBwbnsBgfOFfyk7HTPmL_pKlOZw-vId-t1X1OZe1SHyNkgjk2Fq7d055L6-5HvwTrkQjW62ofrjorNikbUL5ooYyjIrtuefkxxw_QYpRTjAEWdAYzKvYkc/s2481/IMG_8744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2481" data-original-width="2481" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUHcLustbil-E0CzohJkSVy3Z_k7zyXgeqs2QnXerCD_r0G0voKDcR0zS7vWb-gwPV49HYBBwbnsBgfOFfyk7HTPmL_pKlOZw-vId-t1X1OZe1SHyNkgjk2Fq7d055L6-5HvwTrkQjW62ofrjorNikbUL5ooYyjIrtuefkxxw_QYpRTjAEWdAYzKvYkc/w640-h640/IMG_8744.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi friends! I've got a fun Easter card to share with you today featuring several products from the Simon Says Stamp <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1my">Splendor</a> release.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by spreading paste through my new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1mu">Hippity Hoppity</a> stencil over kraft cardstock. The panel was then set aside to dry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up, I stamped the large bunny from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9nn">Bunny Kisses</a> set. This is a four step bunny. One stamp for the body, the second ear, ear and eye/nose details, and then the tail. I stamped the body of the bunny with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9nq">Flannel</a>, but very lightly. I actually used a blending brush to add color around the edges of the stamp, lightly tapering in as I wanted a very light coloring to the bunny. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9nq">Flannel</a> for his second ear as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the ear/face details and the tail, I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9ns">Cozy</a> which is a more brown gray.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To add a little more depth and shading, I used colored pencils to accentuate the shaded areas a bit. Once done, I fussy cut my bunny.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The grass was created using stamps from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9nu">Lots of Luck</a> set. These were stamped twice in <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pf">Cabbage</a> and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pj">Artichoke</a> and then die cut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment, also from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f9nn">Bunny Kisses</a>, was white embossed on a strip of green cardstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ7NF1T5plFyqzWcpIa07Q87FXu80DEZIi18o72KM5FE_4umpNw_3tQfHKzukIZA1iDn2ZejaigwlOAuoQf_PfF7VPpndltsD3ub2llHoOCQIR244Ll8k48M7aJ5xVfN9QLIU_JeC7mi4c2pMOGB8im7WDaPU5cFV4xEnXQHj7GQvcSI8E0ztkoLkPFU/s3109/IMG_8758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2331" data-original-width="3109" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ7NF1T5plFyqzWcpIa07Q87FXu80DEZIi18o72KM5FE_4umpNw_3tQfHKzukIZA1iDn2ZejaigwlOAuoQf_PfF7VPpndltsD3ub2llHoOCQIR244Ll8k48M7aJ5xVfN9QLIU_JeC7mi4c2pMOGB8im7WDaPU5cFV4xEnXQHj7GQvcSI8E0ztkoLkPFU/w640-h480/IMG_8758.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I had all my pieces created, I simply adhered them to my card. The stenciled panel was adhered directly to my card base, the grass pieces directly to my panel (using Sookwang tape), and the bunny and sentiment strip were popped up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really enjoy mixing and matching my supplies, so this was a fun one to put together, thanks for stopping by!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-91700380117821726072024-02-16T08:00:00.002-05:002024-02-16T14:04:04.388-05:00SSS Splendor Release Blog Hop, Day 1<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWQB-GPlTUiQCS8RrgLOUsx_71iBvuELhpzJw5Xat2K4PqbApP12YhrDjf9FyLAPQV9SmdO0nF-JEZM_N2HxDGsxJUoIxjc6_sRwYMtKDcXosC56CcMSiPQg5UnUylwkbC3t7karfclH8b-DJrjFmoVU4P3ZhZonfj-J8ZMY24tFY3pOH6lx_OXD598g/s4500/Splendor_BlogHop_1080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4500" data-original-width="4500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWQB-GPlTUiQCS8RrgLOUsx_71iBvuELhpzJw5Xat2K4PqbApP12YhrDjf9FyLAPQV9SmdO0nF-JEZM_N2HxDGsxJUoIxjc6_sRwYMtKDcXosC56CcMSiPQg5UnUylwkbC3t7karfclH8b-DJrjFmoVU4P3ZhZonfj-J8ZMY24tFY3pOH6lx_OXD598g/w640-h640/Splendor_BlogHop_1080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Friday! Today I'm participating in a blog hop celebrating the Simon Says Stamp <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1of">Splendor</a> release! You should have arrived here from my good friend <a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2024/02/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-.html">Cheiron Brandon</a>'s blog. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As with all good hops there are prizes to be won. Simon is giving away a $25 credit to the store at every stop along the hop. All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment on this post. In addition, they have a fun promotion going on this weekend, you can receive the Margot Tile embossing folder pictured above free with any purchase of $25 or more this weekend using code MRGT.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, on to my cards. Today I'm showing off my new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1of">Lucky You</a> designs. There is a <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1oi">stamp set</a> with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1ol">coordinating dies</a> as well as a<a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1om"> standalone</a> set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This first set of cards was a two-fer and also features the previously released <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1or">Linking Lucky Clover</a>s die set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u4_-a-Kw_aR8qywgmv8BaiOo3NMuGd7KYknFTA2XpaBCtmTTdUkvc9EGsRanwtQREKj6GNbemattGbX-ZmQtB_tRzv43KpKIVkaHxL7LrqeZivFIAFiApDfviHwOd4A7vau9z-mmwVgWtxbIoQnz37rB9_ZPHvd1U_YBuoTVQwiTm5WA5gGTxbI9HWg/s2764/IMG_8683.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="2763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u4_-a-Kw_aR8qywgmv8BaiOo3NMuGd7KYknFTA2XpaBCtmTTdUkvc9EGsRanwtQREKj6GNbemattGbX-ZmQtB_tRzv43KpKIVkaHxL7LrqeZivFIAFiApDfviHwOd4A7vau9z-mmwVgWtxbIoQnz37rB9_ZPHvd1U_YBuoTVQwiTm5WA5gGTxbI9HWg/w640-h640/IMG_8683.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started out creating the card on the left. I stamped and gold embossed the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1oi">Lucky You</a> sentiment on a panel of chartreuse cardstock. Then, I die cut the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1or">Linking Lucky Clover</a>s die several times from both a darker green and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> cardstock. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I arranged the outline pieces in the darker green around my sentiment, adhering them, and then inlaying the clovers from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> cardstock. I love all the shine from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a>, but it was making the gold embossed sentiment look kind of dull, so I ended up adding the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1om">Lucky You</a> die in <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> as well. This was adhered slightly offset from the embossed sentiment. I really love the look and will be definitely doing this again with some of my other sentiments.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP87an7AZj7ICWgyLLWLpFn4hrW0slLiHaI9YkZ3_jkS7Wcdo61WPyRPT1wgp7DvxI5gWJKiS3Ha49wjrWWjqVUttyR-crO3UcRjn8a0Ioc6j7HxQgP0mz_7ankxkWibYoR-xw_dTZyrKKsssrvkPk5_1bKMixothzEcNcSR4PyE9v2hQnBlfhdjgkJyQ/s1752/IMG_8684.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="1752" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP87an7AZj7ICWgyLLWLpFn4hrW0slLiHaI9YkZ3_jkS7Wcdo61WPyRPT1wgp7DvxI5gWJKiS3Ha49wjrWWjqVUttyR-crO3UcRjn8a0Ioc6j7HxQgP0mz_7ankxkWibYoR-xw_dTZyrKKsssrvkPk5_1bKMixothzEcNcSR4PyE9v2hQnBlfhdjgkJyQ/w640-h480/IMG_8684.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After I finished this card, I figured I would make a second since I had a full set of the opposite pieces used for the first card - the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> outlines and the dark green clovers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To switch things up a bit, this time I oriented the card vertically and went with just the die cut sentiment to save some time. The sentiment was adhered first, and then the other pieces were arranged around it. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhA9l0JVEAMkzNNJOMXF2vAaC3zYAe4jAzBNFRmqKt5f9KRR0prHjzywIp-O3X2vGDKlrOZRJlO7crRb7pn-KfK7PfoZ-3fTLp5pMXmG7iqbkryPMkKMgQ80n8RmMMctFmConiik38z2MIQ_WQng7QwqTzDgwuYJ9ku99tnhznOwCOFHtT9oyejkfDl4/s2235/IMG_8690.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1676" data-original-width="2235" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhA9l0JVEAMkzNNJOMXF2vAaC3zYAe4jAzBNFRmqKt5f9KRR0prHjzywIp-O3X2vGDKlrOZRJlO7crRb7pn-KfK7PfoZ-3fTLp5pMXmG7iqbkryPMkKMgQ80n8RmMMctFmConiik38z2MIQ_WQng7QwqTzDgwuYJ9ku99tnhznOwCOFHtT9oyejkfDl4/w640-h480/IMG_8690.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For this next card I wanted to feature one of the clover stamps from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1oi">Lucky You stamp set</a>. This was stamped many many times on a very light chartreuse cardstock in a darker green and then die cut. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW1PJesUoO7Y6rQhWaICJRhOS2rj8peOsQzEbDmJtAKePVS5khpCcDxstsvzaTb1F1zvEaNtr0jIgAtvzszEqAxOkmM90eRB-ySK4e9UNr5ZfQwllcW1g8rU4wa9bfuyZtViM63ZUZOwWYf-LuLVOLNFQRcuheqlD0hxeNlEdcgQo133m4dbNZhopjXk/s2323/IMG_8702.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2323" data-original-width="2322" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW1PJesUoO7Y6rQhWaICJRhOS2rj8peOsQzEbDmJtAKePVS5khpCcDxstsvzaTb1F1zvEaNtr0jIgAtvzszEqAxOkmM90eRB-ySK4e9UNr5ZfQwllcW1g8rU4wa9bfuyZtViM63ZUZOwWYf-LuLVOLNFQRcuheqlD0hxeNlEdcgQo133m4dbNZhopjXk/w640-h640/IMG_8702.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then adhered these to a white panel with foam tape in a nice tight pattern. You could definitely just stamp these to create the pattern, but I'm not great at stamping in straight lines, and I also really like the dimension that was created.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TWHFMNYqZpVtc928mD_mcL_2u-sHU2Awcd90nYmb1mdZFR_0DcK4nAq_jSrj62VnB9FQtqRkHnfJXhlyk_RAhP4KdqCNOcx_wVzdSuCIEpXm7Pe12OV5RaPU04876Oj3lD7wdZrobK1FyHDisEc-0kT6RLirE5NdqeLZgc6JCJTFF1kHx-a8DvNRxIw/s3730/IMG_8705.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2797" data-original-width="3730" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TWHFMNYqZpVtc928mD_mcL_2u-sHU2Awcd90nYmb1mdZFR_0DcK4nAq_jSrj62VnB9FQtqRkHnfJXhlyk_RAhP4KdqCNOcx_wVzdSuCIEpXm7Pe12OV5RaPU04876Oj3lD7wdZrobK1FyHDisEc-0kT6RLirE5NdqeLZgc6JCJTFF1kHx-a8DvNRxIw/w640-h480/IMG_8705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I used the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1om">Lucky You</a> sentiment dies as well as a sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1oi">Lucky You stamp set</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Next up, I pulled out the previously released <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pd">Shamrock</a> background (one of my all time favorites). </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMntff8LJEOczG_UCfcgf0uuCb_r8CgDjpKoLM736koKeNxmXCav7V6EN9EON6dhibrq5JMM7yq3B4BoB5EGSJ_-ENy51m3LCxnaI4S4zwc14F3R0DpPJnYEOojDLiEs9K7CnCJpWhXT-cKbt83G31DUJRwaPesQylJOcUwTp27AFX2sNhRCJve7qDQo/s2347/IMG_8768.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2347" data-original-width="2346" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMntff8LJEOczG_UCfcgf0uuCb_r8CgDjpKoLM736koKeNxmXCav7V6EN9EON6dhibrq5JMM7yq3B4BoB5EGSJ_-ENy51m3LCxnaI4S4zwc14F3R0DpPJnYEOojDLiEs9K7CnCJpWhXT-cKbt83G31DUJRwaPesQylJOcUwTp27AFX2sNhRCJve7qDQo/w640-h640/IMG_8768.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I started by inking up a panel using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pf">Cabbage</a> at the Top, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pj">Artichoke</a> at the bottom. Then I stamped the background using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pj">Artichoke</a> at the top, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pl">Kale</a> at the bottom.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1om">sentiment</a> was die cut from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> cardstock, and the shadow piece from white cardstock. This was inked with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pl">Kale</a>. The sentiment pieces were adhered together and the popped up with foam tape.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88ZjYXNAjwydy6BZNIcElVo7bvYk8sZfcjlGrPdj9i9tVZfDIZr8_6k12V9fI7pKKV0Ucc6chA-8f8Y6ClFzt7Uff08Fr_CRZexCeMyCqrbBjsDTg9ZhlAoYdVNuYwXdECrSzSamvV5nHKOAP-XFGU887zXXv-fMTxWfHjA2yi4C_JLt7hmryTiKpG0E/s3386/IMG_8774.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2539" data-original-width="3386" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88ZjYXNAjwydy6BZNIcElVo7bvYk8sZfcjlGrPdj9i9tVZfDIZr8_6k12V9fI7pKKV0Ucc6chA-8f8Y6ClFzt7Uff08Fr_CRZexCeMyCqrbBjsDTg9ZhlAoYdVNuYwXdECrSzSamvV5nHKOAP-XFGU887zXXv-fMTxWfHjA2yi4C_JLt7hmryTiKpG0E/w640-h480/IMG_8774.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A secondary sentiment, from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1oi">Lucky You stamp set</a> was embossed in gold and the popped up as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, a super quick and easy one layer card. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqRLCMh8CBjVnzRFXSaRlCI0lxPt7UfBhTk1leZFuh5iCk6qef9yNkkjBddQfjJdRPDRlbo25OS1KWmrohJhS80AMpxiiL5Vv2YybAvirs4h8MB_lhtFy6q-rG71TuKgHirBOofoY0LpXST1bz0_ZmZcp2T-L2Vp4vbdpL76Oy2twsRQihtHWaJL-pKU/s2398/IMG_8712.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2398" data-original-width="2398" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqRLCMh8CBjVnzRFXSaRlCI0lxPt7UfBhTk1leZFuh5iCk6qef9yNkkjBddQfjJdRPDRlbo25OS1KWmrohJhS80AMpxiiL5Vv2YybAvirs4h8MB_lhtFy6q-rG71TuKgHirBOofoY0LpXST1bz0_ZmZcp2T-L2Vp4vbdpL76Oy2twsRQihtHWaJL-pKU/w640-h640/IMG_8712.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here I simply embossed the sentiment in gold on a piece of soft gray cardstock, and then embossed a second sentiment using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1pp">Peeled Paint Distress Embossing Glaze</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So easy, but perfect for mailing and just a fun card that works for both girls and guys.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhp0XZirEh7T1gt8IvVSzFyFltEHQn33eYKSmy4eIBGjeCkIQLIHsdExGJ4x7qOmyGi1wD2jN9S_df-3HXbSOfNKtmHR-lA4iMeHozMmLzqZI8snxoOkwZmpNFPI-O5dPqx204hyphenhyphenAmneSrKvMcepAXIY0H7_UnaEcyitHUeOb1lMnLlCmszzqCPqEgp0/s3238/IMG_8715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2428" data-original-width="3238" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhp0XZirEh7T1gt8IvVSzFyFltEHQn33eYKSmy4eIBGjeCkIQLIHsdExGJ4x7qOmyGi1wD2jN9S_df-3HXbSOfNKtmHR-lA4iMeHozMmLzqZI8snxoOkwZmpNFPI-O5dPqx204hyphenhyphenAmneSrKvMcepAXIY0H7_UnaEcyitHUeOb1lMnLlCmszzqCPqEgp0/w640-h480/IMG_8715.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all I have to share today. Your next stop on the hop is <a href="http://www.justcallmedee.com/2024/02/splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-simon.html">Dilay Nacar</a>, and the full hop list is below in case you need it. Don't forget to leave a comment here to be entered to win that $25 credit to the Simon store. Good luck and happy hopping! </div><br /><a href="https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/splendor-blog-hop-1/">Simon Says Stamp Blog</a><br /><a href="https://ninamariedesign.com/2024/02/16/coloring-die-cuts-edge-to-edge-shaker-card-simon-blog-hop/">Nina-Marie Trapani</a><br /><a href="https://calyperson.com/2024/02/16/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-bunny-kisses/">Caly Person</a><br /><a href="https://www.jennifermcguireink.com/2024/02/wow-easy-must-try-texture-hop-giveaways-free-gift.html">Jennifer McGuire</a><br /><a href="https://suzyplantamura.typepad.com/living_my_dream/2024/02/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1.html">Suzy Plantamura</a><br /><a href="https://amyrysavy.com/2024/02/16/fine-floral-stem-birthday-card-simon-says-stamp/">Amy Rysavy</a><br /><a href="https://bibicameron.co.uk/2024/02/sss-splendor-blog-hop-easter-treat-boxes.html">Bibi Cameron</a><br /><a href="https://limedoodledesign.com/2024/02/a-tried-and-true-ink-combination-plus-seeking-perfection-blog-hop/">Debby Hughes</a><br /><a href="https://iminhaven.blogspot.com/2024/02/splendor-blog-hop-day-1.html">Lisa Addesa</a><br /><a href="https://emilymidgett.com/2024/02/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-giveaway/">Emily Midgett</a><br /><a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2024/02/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-.html">Cheiron Brandon</a><br /><a href="https://mprantner.blogspot.com/2024/02/sss-splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1.html">Miriam Prantner</a><br /><a href="http://www.justcallmedee.com/2024/02/splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-simon.html">Dilay Nacar</a><br /><a href="https://www.thecreativesprout.com/2024/02/16/simon-says-stamp-splendor-release-blog-hop/">Allison Frazier</a><br /><a href="https://www.natashascolorfulcreations.com/splendor-release-blog-hop-day-1-simon-says-stamp/">Natasha Vacca</a></div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-31385016581851055692024-02-15T00:00:00.084-05:002024-02-15T00:01:50.502-05:00SSS Splendor Release, Hippity Hoppity<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjli347Nhpt5OqdAK-Z4jK36XLN71y6x6ZE0sjLsDRV2lf8j-QPNTWrHqzZj_cSYZIjQuCW31Ps57LwApLUAiSoIAauiKqTa4DcG3-8FsgHkQbn2PyPgweGBVLNzjd8gV3oc7GripSl2v6Hvv9GQhopD9Y9nSf_wuia71CDix8yTam8k7Iq4L72rwLlvfk/s2416/IMG_8721.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2416" data-original-width="2416" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjli347Nhpt5OqdAK-Z4jK36XLN71y6x6ZE0sjLsDRV2lf8j-QPNTWrHqzZj_cSYZIjQuCW31Ps57LwApLUAiSoIAauiKqTa4DcG3-8FsgHkQbn2PyPgweGBVLNzjd8gV3oc7GripSl2v6Hvv9GQhopD9Y9nSf_wuia71CDix8yTam8k7Iq4L72rwLlvfk/w640-h640/IMG_8721.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi Friends! The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1my">Splendor</a> release from Simon Says Stamp is now live in the store!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got a couple designs in this release, including the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1mu">Hippity Hoppity</a> stencil that I am featuring today. I thought the stencil paired perfectly with the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1n1">Hello There Animals</a> set from last month's release (if you're interested in that set, check this <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1n6">link</a> as at the time of this posting the stamps/dies were on sale for less than the price of the stamp itself).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This first card almost didn't happen because it was a bit of a mistake. I meant to spread white embossing paste over kraft cardstock, but I wasn't paying attention and accidentally used translucent embossing paste.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided to give it a go, and thought I would attempt the opposite effect and apply white pigment ink to the kraft cardstock. Unfortunately this didn't have enough contrast for me as kraft cardstock seems to really absorb white pigment ink. I set the panel aside for a while, but kept coming back to it and decided to try applying dye ink over top of the pigment. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1n8">Princess</a> at the top and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1nb">Heather</a> at the bottom, and was finally happy with the result. I did use very very damp cloth to buff away residual ink on the translucent embossing paste.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZoB__lRnTu18ERVIezjh4_EpX68HM6OqWTfAb8JGTj5a2hrpxhEbOeyODmffXL4LiVhcm1ymy-Q_ia1qyRN6_Hb539iUYGFyTUtabELQ_jifnnzgvMeV8jgkThzC0r9zM2hrjl5i4uKWOkkiXRkH0e0k-q5ozWz6UEmzx_WQSC-rZjVRgg3MN4zn_hk/s3390/IMG_8728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2543" data-original-width="3390" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZoB__lRnTu18ERVIezjh4_EpX68HM6OqWTfAb8JGTj5a2hrpxhEbOeyODmffXL4LiVhcm1ymy-Q_ia1qyRN6_Hb539iUYGFyTUtabELQ_jifnnzgvMeV8jgkThzC0r9zM2hrjl5i4uKWOkkiXRkH0e0k-q5ozWz6UEmzx_WQSC-rZjVRgg3MN4zn_hk/w640-h480/IMG_8728.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up I stamped and colored a couple bunnies from the <a href="Hello There Animals">Hello There Animals</a> set and fussy cut them. They were very lightly colored with my cool gray Copics. Thee one on the left was adhered directly to my stenciled panel (I used Sookwang tape to adhere it), and then popped the other one up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1ng">Happy Easter</a> sentiment was die cut from white adhesive foam and adhered directly to the stenciled piece as well.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26EV589vv18P1FjCQK3ydh9Ng62D1ma3FBPGnIIbUrmMkJuKFtOqSnPL85OgL7F3jlML_-RR69Elpa_dPk55Qd2qG5cN7193xAcNPymSp8rZWFp3D_cF5HS16MGiXrDF2ltsMJFNKtMbDu_Hf8hdh32qyb9GE7AwtWS8eBjDaL0fKJHmuIv66GCc7_84/s2168/IMG_8734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2168" data-original-width="2168" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26EV589vv18P1FjCQK3ydh9Ng62D1ma3FBPGnIIbUrmMkJuKFtOqSnPL85OgL7F3jlML_-RR69Elpa_dPk55Qd2qG5cN7193xAcNPymSp8rZWFp3D_cF5HS16MGiXrDF2ltsMJFNKtMbDu_Hf8hdh32qyb9GE7AwtWS8eBjDaL0fKJHmuIv66GCc7_84/w640-h640/IMG_8734.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>For this next card, I placed the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1mu">Hippity Hoppity</a> stencil at an angle to my panel and inked it up with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1no">Lime</a> at the Top, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1nt">Sea</a> at the bottom. After removing the stencil, I used those same colors to very softly add a bit of color to the white space as well.<div><br /></div><div>This time my bunny was colored with brown Copics (E11, E13, E15). Similar to my card from a couple of weeks ago, I extended his face down a bit on the right using a journaling pen so that I could place him on an angle.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER1MAZ8w0-XvF7KWLy1zwmv5jMGu2nOTf2paJE7evCDOhTyVUh6Jkw8UJslJiyLx5h5gbVN8DkZHids2ClHGAC8gqPyK3HZQrOxAmpAkoDMiSKbzK6a7jTKHqKwi3Km7zsa6mmSqOcgDUk3M27lETydQGo8asYbhUUronGwTwb4YQnHHPxyfT2u8gLdg/s3296/IMG_8742.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER1MAZ8w0-XvF7KWLy1zwmv5jMGu2nOTf2paJE7evCDOhTyVUh6Jkw8UJslJiyLx5h5gbVN8DkZHids2ClHGAC8gqPyK3HZQrOxAmpAkoDMiSKbzK6a7jTKHqKwi3Km7zsa6mmSqOcgDUk3M27lETydQGo8asYbhUUronGwTwb4YQnHHPxyfT2u8gLdg/w640-h480/IMG_8742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The sentiment, from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1nv">Spring in My Step</a>, set was stamped with Versa Claire black ink and the bunny was popped up with foam tape.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for me today. Be sure to head over to the Simon store to check out the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4f1my">full release</a>. I'll see you back here tomorrow for a blog hop!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-48751007554165948092024-02-01T06:00:00.001-05:002024-02-01T06:00:00.143-05:00January 2024 in Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWlJl719vTK9R-6z0xLGWjgy0KOCaUwmxLAxD2X4PHD72c45aWxx_GHMKSnXNSH4czqpc6ypFP_yu4bx0UZDXT2qcbzJUsDhiKrMc02RR-zhIhLCvATum27uOAKbPUs43jlWEOLNl3nG4R72N8qrH8QkO95tE-YRBaTImZb3r7iFv8Q3fsEwQSZxQtBE/s1011/Jan25inbooks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="894" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWlJl719vTK9R-6z0xLGWjgy0KOCaUwmxLAxD2X4PHD72c45aWxx_GHMKSnXNSH4czqpc6ypFP_yu4bx0UZDXT2qcbzJUsDhiKrMc02RR-zhIhLCvATum27uOAKbPUs43jlWEOLNl3nG4R72N8qrH8QkO95tE-YRBaTImZb3r7iFv8Q3fsEwQSZxQtBE/w566-h640/Jan25inbooks.png" width="566" /></a></div><p>This year's reading is off to a bit of a dubious start. Overall January was kind of a disappointing reading month. There were a couple of gems, but also several books that were very hard to get through and others that were pretty marginal. Read on for the recaps;</p><p><u>Tom Lake</u> - Ann Patchett - fiction - five stars - I loved <i>The Dutch House</i>, so I was excited to read this new book from Patchett. The book takes place during COVID. Lara and her husband have a cherry orchard in Michigan. Her three girls return home due to the state of world affairs to help on the farm, and as part of their time together, Lara is recounting a relationship she had long ago with a famous actor....she was briefly an actress as well, and that's part of the story too. I loved how the story tied into Lara's current story, there were several twists that I did not expect at all, and it was just a really good read. </p><p><u>Falling into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer</u> - Thomas Swick - memoir - two stars - Ugh. This was such a disappointment. I picked this up on a whim based on the description...a journalist falls in love with a Polish woman, moves to Poland, develops a love for that country, sees things, etc. Sounded like it would be a really interesting read right? It was more like one of those comedy movies, where all the funny parts are in the trailer and that's really all you need to see, the movie itself isn't worth the time. This was a total slog, and I really struggled to finish. I kept thinking it would get better, but it didn't. First off, I don't even like this guy's writing, ironic that he is a journalist, he kept talking about how editors would critique his word choices and I kind of agreed with the editors. He was not particularly likable, the love story was not a great love story. Just not worth the time at all.</p><p><u>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</u> - Betty Smith - fiction - five stars - This was my classic pick for the month, and I really enjoyed it. It's the story of Francie Nolan growing up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Francie's family is poor, they scrimp and save and don't get ahead much, but they survive. This wasn't a fast read with a real story arc. It's just about life in the way Little House on the Praire is about the Ingalls' lives. If you like that type of book, I think you'll like this one too. There is good and bad and struggle and fairness and unfairness, but I really loved the character of Francie and how she persevered through it all. Really enjoyed this one.</p><p><u>Amazing Grace Adams</u> - Fran Littlewood - fiction - three stars - This was another big disappointment. Grace Adams is basically having a mid-life crisis in the span of the day. Her life is falling apart and she is walking across town to get to her daughter's 16th birthday part...the party she isn't supposed to go to because her daughter doesn't want her there. They had a falling out and she is now living with her father. As Grace walks, she thinks back over her life and what brought them to this place. To me the mid-life crisis part and the trail of destruction that Grace leaves was unnecessary and kind of a distraction. It was also annoying how the book seemed to focus on menopause as a cause for what was going on in Grace's life when there were definitely deeper issues. This one I could have passed on.</p><p><u>The Fraud</u> - Zadie Smith - historical fiction - three stars - This was another one where I just kept waiting for the book to get better and it never really did. It's based on the life of William Ainsworth a British author from the late 1800s who was a contemporary of Dickens and many others. The book is narrated from the point of view of Mrs. Touchet, Ainsworth's cousin and housekeeper. Also woven into the narrative is the story of Roger Tichborne and the Ticheborne Trial. Roger supposedly drowned in a sea wreck. Years later he reappears in Australia and comes home, claiming an inheritance. The British public are sharply divided as to whether Tichborne is actually who he says he is or a fraud. The subject is widely debated. To me, this was really two stories, I'm not sure why the author put them together, it seemed very disjointed. The only really interesting part was the story of Andrew Bogle, who used to work for Tichborne's uncle and believes he is Roger. At one point in the book, he relates to Mrs. Touchet his life story which was quite interesting. Other than that, I could definitely leave this book.</p><p><u>The End of Drum-Time</u> - Hanna Pylväinen - historical fiction - four stars - This one is really three and a half stars rounded up. I have very mixed feelings about this book. We have actually been to Sweden twice, and I have a great love for the country, so I very much enjoyed the book from that angle, learning about the Sami, their customs, how they moved reindeer back and forth going to the sea during the summer and coming south for the winter. The story itself was for me a little too loose there are several threads that kind of show up and disappear at different points. I found it kind of disorganized with a generally unsatisfactory ending. Just OK.</p><p>Favorite this month as <i>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</i> with <i>Tom Lake</i> a close second. Least favorite was definitely Falling Into Place. I'm hoping February is a better month. I just started The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise which so far seems like it will be a fun palatte cleanser. I'm super backed up with my library holds right now, so I need to get a move on with my reading! What havec you guys been reading?</p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-13284213310981208252024-01-25T06:00:00.026-05:002024-01-25T06:00:00.273-05:00C9 Big Hugs<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBq-hgkrY2LemYpHj3v20rMoZl3TFjiCQs41hTGVvGLZkITLcHoGkS9JT4Lk_jeZ6x2ICBB1vGSBl3eO97QQj1i0FOv30Ot98prgFBlPMzZks6RY8aUagpXWso9MAZdo4ZwpV29tiQdBsepskLqE89MVxCogYLBQ3lXQYfK-tlb7-Ux_7ELvx5F94liQ/s2117/IMG_8631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2117" data-original-width="2117" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBq-hgkrY2LemYpHj3v20rMoZl3TFjiCQs41hTGVvGLZkITLcHoGkS9JT4Lk_jeZ6x2ICBB1vGSBl3eO97QQj1i0FOv30Ot98prgFBlPMzZks6RY8aUagpXWso9MAZdo4ZwpV29tiQdBsepskLqE89MVxCogYLBQ3lXQYfK-tlb7-Ux_7ELvx5F94liQ/w640-h640/IMG_8631.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A super quick card share today. This one was made a while back, but I just haven't had a chance to share it. It features the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwm">Big Hugs</a> stencil set from Concord and 9th. This is a set of four stencils that creates the coolest three dimensional looking sentiment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used a variety of pinks for my sentiment (apologies I managed to not write down which colors were used). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the size of the sentiment and how all the layers make it kind of pop off the card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBntm-b_daqBBxj_aabTGYu0uCpMiIoTH_BSTfq3B-wEn6qEZUk9RaFfXRqhdKBR6Z3OpUzuFaYYR8epJalrjKTBwdvCU1X1I7N2Wf8chCyGrZT2N3TNoFGU9W5QMcwHNPG3Z_9A2bhyphenhyphenErrcYA4WLZvdH5UGzhTUcQr7dQC_M-3Vv-uVBhEMWSrWB_s44/s2870/IMG_8641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2152" data-original-width="2870" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBntm-b_daqBBxj_aabTGYu0uCpMiIoTH_BSTfq3B-wEn6qEZUk9RaFfXRqhdKBR6Z3OpUzuFaYYR8epJalrjKTBwdvCU1X1I7N2Wf8chCyGrZT2N3TNoFGU9W5QMcwHNPG3Z_9A2bhyphenhyphenErrcYA4WLZvdH5UGzhTUcQr7dQC_M-3Vv-uVBhEMWSrWB_s44/w640-h480/IMG_8641.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To add a bit of texture and interest to the background, I used one of the stencils from Waffle Flower's <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwj">Bokeh Stencil trio</a> set. It was selectively inked with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwn">Gold Delicata</a> ink.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To play up that gold element, I added a <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzwo">Gold Matte</a> mat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for me today! Hope you guys are having a great week!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-56580339994867127192024-01-23T06:00:00.064-05:002024-01-23T06:02:07.525-05:00SSS Rainbow Splash Inks<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyVpW7nmahjjyRx3zW_PBpd51Z2Gfz9y8f87eOUU8d0tMavuovwENw9y53S8vUgFc_jPgJmaOmOUYjeFZ83-gXwTNnAVi0D6PM0VjJaXpq0KoJdm3H10njrom4Up6XhLLNLT83e_R3fL9r3DJKQ1jy1AohgbAUXvRbpazTIG5qtIE21vByJ5bnLE5Yh0/s2710/IMG_8616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2710" data-original-width="2710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyVpW7nmahjjyRx3zW_PBpd51Z2Gfz9y8f87eOUU8d0tMavuovwENw9y53S8vUgFc_jPgJmaOmOUYjeFZ83-gXwTNnAVi0D6PM0VjJaXpq0KoJdm3H10njrom4Up6XhLLNLT83e_R3fL9r3DJKQ1jy1AohgbAUXvRbpazTIG5qtIE21vByJ5bnLE5Yh0/w640-h640/IMG_8616.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like most of you, my appetite for inks is greater than my budget for inks. I've been eyeing the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzw1">Rainbow Splash inks</a> since Simon released them last year, and I was finally able to pick them up this month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are 13 inks in the set. I was looking for a quick and easy way to try out most of them, so I pulled out my <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzw2">Dimensional Rectangles</a> stencils. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are four stencils in this set, and for each of these cards I used two colors for each layer. One color was inked from the top left corder of my stencil diagonally across to the center area, and the other color (the darker one) was inked from the bottom right diagonally across to the center.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the card on the left, I used the following color combinations: Princess and Crimson, Pumpkin and Dandelion, Lime and Grass, and Lake and Heather.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha94syySX4rmIVCuZU1cz3YFdSzq3_AmzH7r7MiJuMrj3C1mvIUtjdD9EUUg4Vn4isU6rXi5bbkUMHOYG0vO1gLeYkJyrjaC0JLb3DmL5TOxMKgK8mbnIYsLvZ_3VPLHJD6r0HsoiiCBEeb_BI3U9LDUrxH8KqQbWsvhIGshrg8Gb0fQS1W-oJWTUtbIs/s3027/IMG_8622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2270" data-original-width="3027" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha94syySX4rmIVCuZU1cz3YFdSzq3_AmzH7r7MiJuMrj3C1mvIUtjdD9EUUg4Vn4isU6rXi5bbkUMHOYG0vO1gLeYkJyrjaC0JLb3DmL5TOxMKgK8mbnIYsLvZ_3VPLHJD6r0HsoiiCBEeb_BI3U9LDUrxH8KqQbWsvhIGshrg8Gb0fQS1W-oJWTUtbIs/w640-h480/IMG_8622.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This one came out a lot more colorful than I anticipated, but I love how bold it is. To soften it a bit, I added some dark splatter and used a black card base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dzw4">Chin Up</a> die is one of my favorite new ones, and I die cut the sentiment itself from white cardstock and the shadow from black. After adhering them together, they were popped up over my background with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the next card, I narrowed down the color families a little bit going with a lighter and darker shade of each color family. I used Ballet and Princess, Canary and Dandelion, Lime and Grass, and Lake and Sea.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyIvy0_rtGG72TD3So-7fdWVbdM1KY6_LHhq68uXTJtu5F1XIrIUCrIGqNXoOahVXjqdw3OJNmt98jzckk0bI5iD6XB5La5NWEU6YgesJL6zqNZoN64EfwcSM8AamGsH7OcwigeQmmLb3jMxG2HMUXm28-LcCyQsURaDJlXZnKcGmkMxfbyade_snCcU/s2777/IMG_8625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2083" data-original-width="2777" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyIvy0_rtGG72TD3So-7fdWVbdM1KY6_LHhq68uXTJtu5F1XIrIUCrIGqNXoOahVXjqdw3OJNmt98jzckk0bI5iD6XB5La5NWEU6YgesJL6zqNZoN64EfwcSM8AamGsH7OcwigeQmmLb3jMxG2HMUXm28-LcCyQsURaDJlXZnKcGmkMxfbyade_snCcU/w640-h480/IMG_8625.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time I used the pattern horizontally, added a black mat, and the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9a">Hugs and Kisses</a> sentiment which was also popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was a really fun way to take these new inks out for a spin. There were two that I didn't get to use yet, Scarlet and Emerald, but I am sure they will be soon!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-85359481378713833752024-01-18T06:00:00.071-05:002024-01-18T06:00:00.128-05:00SSS Sweetheart, Hello There Animals and Heart Banners<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affilaite links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfMY5k0kBBhEXbZuRc0Fuslbi2ifWItted-K6_Ce0RGScvdmceq7uUBR07AFXqWxzCHvFYfxqF_un6oJ6f3dXIl1cw2E99mbTltyM0pHplDMw22ZHI3io_ZiYHj4cjxAr5rq6ElQ0bhO8VyVRf5x_XYoCr0NfhkDjU-wM2iL4CyFVQa3qyita71CJZMY/s2801/IMG_8479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="2801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfMY5k0kBBhEXbZuRc0Fuslbi2ifWItted-K6_Ce0RGScvdmceq7uUBR07AFXqWxzCHvFYfxqF_un6oJ6f3dXIl1cw2E99mbTltyM0pHplDMw22ZHI3io_ZiYHj4cjxAr5rq6ElQ0bhO8VyVRf5x_XYoCr0NfhkDjU-wM2iL4CyFVQa3qyita71CJZMY/w640-h640/IMG_8479.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Thursday! I've got a couple cards to share today mixing some of my favorite new products from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh8z">Sweetheart</a> release: <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsld">Hello There Animals</a> and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsle">Heart Banners</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Same basic formula for these card, just mixed up the orientation and sentiments.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by inking the backgrounds using the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsle">Heart Banners</a> stencils. It's a set of four stencils that creates a variegated heart background. For the pink background, I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9t">Bubblegum</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9v">Sweets</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9y">Amethyst</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9v">Lilac</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GYMb7mTnjPwE6GTXv-zPoZE58vq5Pn8LWfJ8dju_XiPLfFmjHiDZktRtOVHvdEcPqyOFTiDHorf5RCJA6eAuz_FWBh-LrkC9UL-yMwtSdZTVtl8I3NCde7v0l_l3xCfS2-k0vOBGX4E9rw-RsMDKCYn6W_DEKOkZnVImp9zollE0NmkqrB4Lh-KcVn8/s3314/IMG_8491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2486" data-original-width="3314" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GYMb7mTnjPwE6GTXv-zPoZE58vq5Pn8LWfJ8dju_XiPLfFmjHiDZktRtOVHvdEcPqyOFTiDHorf5RCJA6eAuz_FWBh-LrkC9UL-yMwtSdZTVtl8I3NCde7v0l_l3xCfS2-k0vOBGX4E9rw-RsMDKCYn6W_DEKOkZnVImp9zollE0NmkqrB4Lh-KcVn8/w640-h480/IMG_8491.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the blue background, I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bva7">Cadette</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dslj">Marine</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dslg">Seafoam</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dslh">Ocean</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yAkrHYE7yGDBucUnFDMXOIWm2a0LcwshxAK8hL6ZX7JRC4WgkaZBR3KDuAm0aqo1ytILbr39z0kx0bkkqfwSwPK_kJKDvCknQgpiy7_bxAQUW8P5Y5Eznt-MtlJ0Q6_RBiDwtTfnJ2GwXI9kUTngS1EzpNLniifXCa5gpV3vrDoCwmXeoyVQGP00C7E/s3075/IMG_8485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2307" data-original-width="3075" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yAkrHYE7yGDBucUnFDMXOIWm2a0LcwshxAK8hL6ZX7JRC4WgkaZBR3KDuAm0aqo1ytILbr39z0kx0bkkqfwSwPK_kJKDvCknQgpiy7_bxAQUW8P5Y5Eznt-MtlJ0Q6_RBiDwtTfnJ2GwXI9kUTngS1EzpNLniifXCa5gpV3vrDoCwmXeoyVQGP00C7E/w640-h480/IMG_8485.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I trimmed these down, horizontally for the pink, and vertically for the blue and then set them aside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I stamped the bunny and dog from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsld">Hello There Animals</a> on some Neenah Solar White cardstock, along with their accessories, and colored them with Copics. I used E20s for the puppy and very light Warm Grays for the bunny. I actually extended the right side of the bunny just a bit because I wanted to tilt her head a little, so I used a black fine line marker to bring the side of her face down a little further and colored in accordingly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgs5ZE378VtnFEJnYeIMCsUFVfsfEVWwxhrQ3JPJHbgNsCEhVrryq7aDPR7X2vDZ7B8JefLb0ztj4rli1WFRgbtO4nTT6rRRNBY7YUGgVynnvu-Dt4EkDMPA2nRAWPhIa-tu2l0o7A5rBd20eTP-w9pIvYN8przC91IEHxVoufVlMTYMznng6KEqhOM8/s1426/IMG_8487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1426" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgs5ZE378VtnFEJnYeIMCsUFVfsfEVWwxhrQ3JPJHbgNsCEhVrryq7aDPR7X2vDZ7B8JefLb0ztj4rli1WFRgbtO4nTT6rRRNBY7YUGgVynnvu-Dt4EkDMPA2nRAWPhIa-tu2l0o7A5rBd20eTP-w9pIvYN8przC91IEHxVoufVlMTYMznng6KEqhOM8/w640-h480/IMG_8487.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The critters and their accessories were fussy cut and then arranged on my panels to help me figure out sentiment placement.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM886tvd93YuMB7daYHCmUssTK1pGXDQX0n8Lq2IIY0oqnPAI5h_OztFtC3G2e1TweWf9JNe5P2dJR0Mx9KuTy6-EsDo9sM7ISPmANyNjdCDrMxVydo9eIblc3zvmzjU-TKhX_56LO2-zmGVZNMK4arbdsa5nvfU2Ry4qB0_hqGeFo1zeFfQ23aQeNIk/s1790/IMG_8484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="1790" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM886tvd93YuMB7daYHCmUssTK1pGXDQX0n8Lq2IIY0oqnPAI5h_OztFtC3G2e1TweWf9JNe5P2dJR0Mx9KuTy6-EsDo9sM7ISPmANyNjdCDrMxVydo9eIblc3zvmzjU-TKhX_56LO2-zmGVZNMK4arbdsa5nvfU2Ry4qB0_hqGeFo1zeFfQ23aQeNIk/w640-h480/IMG_8484.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiments are also from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsld">Hello There Animals</a>s set and stamped with Versa Claire black ink directly onto my stenciled background, while the critters were popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These little guys are so much fun, and I love how quickly the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dsle">Heart Banners</a> background comes together!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-56001418760928403012024-01-16T06:00:00.082-05:002024-01-16T14:05:00.708-05:00SSS Sweetheart, Regal Hearts Background - Emboss Resist and Inking Two Ways<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJOMZ53p6mNx2HRJBmOwuf5Mrm-EUnPvyUr7bVDYDxcoi5wXopKb6BVG-9BCV7m-N3zY8ur2vhec-vj4QXRUZGeHm25IFtRQC3ansC_MVs7VZoKRvxk69PmtYphQ_3tJDhmgto7K8kBGPMajqYJCiesMq1_x4Ii58Xf9KQzDFrdM7upCNL2TkJx6MLbc/s2650/IMG_8492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2650" data-original-width="2650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJOMZ53p6mNx2HRJBmOwuf5Mrm-EUnPvyUr7bVDYDxcoi5wXopKb6BVG-9BCV7m-N3zY8ur2vhec-vj4QXRUZGeHm25IFtRQC3ansC_MVs7VZoKRvxk69PmtYphQ_3tJDhmgto7K8kBGPMajqYJCiesMq1_x4Ii58Xf9KQzDFrdM7upCNL2TkJx6MLbc/w640-h640/IMG_8492.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi friends! Today I'm sharing two super easy ways to create impactful backgronds using emboss resist inking. My cards today both feature the new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhby">Regal Hearts</a> background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by inking and clear embossing the background on both of my cardstock panels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once that was done, I trimmed the panels down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the red card, I just added simple inking around the edges using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4b4a7">Paprika</a> ink. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7f7rhmqgiSE9Fa-cNltl983GpdDA9aWOjYekHVyZVZEzPoqdNbpQqXwcPjOlDZ6SFovceexrb9Y1vA1Wx4li5F3iqg1elQaUonFJZFOlZeb-KwMaAzLuTBr_vN7oHpAGYuJ1-0hjESI83jU-dL4Nod-3r6FWrMMGxyt20NHPR5wx5BuqsHS51sP5ljyM/s2082/IMG_8499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2082" data-original-width="2082" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7f7rhmqgiSE9Fa-cNltl983GpdDA9aWOjYekHVyZVZEzPoqdNbpQqXwcPjOlDZ6SFovceexrb9Y1vA1Wx4li5F3iqg1elQaUonFJZFOlZeb-KwMaAzLuTBr_vN7oHpAGYuJ1-0hjESI83jU-dL4Nod-3r6FWrMMGxyt20NHPR5wx5BuqsHS51sP5ljyM/w640-h640/IMG_8499.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inking around the edges of your background adds drama and depth to the panel making the center glow. The addition of the embossed background just gives it a little more elegance and oomph.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnORJbZxyvKkQAQUMfS4kXOpk8a5HmO4PdTXJZLwxU-7aOrcLAees-jLFMMk_nvEDkkX6qlgdDQYMmhlpWOXRY1JqFG1eU3sx-E1HMTSzoI3f19pN1gLtATlDQ09fZMM8CxdlL9lcUWGsa89e8nFQwUHuY0qY5g8T-axO4-Lhl98Gx1x2F8KLMv6rXzX0/s2806/IMG_8505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2105" data-original-width="2806" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnORJbZxyvKkQAQUMfS4kXOpk8a5HmO4PdTXJZLwxU-7aOrcLAees-jLFMMk_nvEDkkX6qlgdDQYMmhlpWOXRY1JqFG1eU3sx-E1HMTSzoI3f19pN1gLtATlDQ09fZMM8CxdlL9lcUWGsa89e8nFQwUHuY0qY5g8T-axO4-Lhl98Gx1x2F8KLMv6rXzX0/w640-h480/IMG_8505.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I kept this one very clean and simple, adding the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9a">Hugs and Kisses</a> sentiment which was cut from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05q">Matte Silver</a> cardstock and popped up with foam tape as well as a smattering of clear sequins.</div><div><br /></div>For this next card I created a quilted look with some very simple inking.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RzOceERvFOSB5ElHACxJ0Yczlgo4ErtIHmUcA5a50jppxi4rPLobwMFGE9E2-KbhrCp3nItNqwF2cBScpeKGxJ1LgmUNtki_lVq-yNxHT0egf_qflhFFi2ovTRnkjNG-9ySipJo0rJwz_BWNFX0hs2KfKVNHM7lLbpSkE8zSTTHl5LumFqJI1d6zpDQ/s2213/IMG_8512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2213" data-original-width="2213" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RzOceERvFOSB5ElHACxJ0Yczlgo4ErtIHmUcA5a50jppxi4rPLobwMFGE9E2-KbhrCp3nItNqwF2cBScpeKGxJ1LgmUNtki_lVq-yNxHT0egf_qflhFFi2ovTRnkjNG-9ySipJo0rJwz_BWNFX0hs2KfKVNHM7lLbpSkE8zSTTHl5LumFqJI1d6zpDQ/w640-h640/IMG_8512.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To do this, I simply placed a mask between the rows of the pattern, and inked the edge of the mask with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4apgy">Cherry</a> ink. I then moved the mask down the pattern between the row where I had inked the one edge and the next row, and inked again. This was repeated both horizontally and perpendicularly until the entire background was inked. The inking basically emphasizes the squares in the pattern.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I actually used one of the clear backers that Simon Says Stamp background stamps come with for this job. It was a great way to reuse the clear material, but it also allowed me to very precisely line up the mask and see exactly where it was. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDqkchK6x8ntWLSfcJB8wu7MFyIhHBjyVtgvUll6uCj5cw-bGFD6x-5P37GbhD2BjQD9FyfBlJPX83ZBszcuIjZWMB_EhTWku8CgAMXRmwAH6L3zy2-wtSmBuk4ffiA9jQHNMYxMtTRLqPWZWdJduGN-k53TXTxJvLxvuxLc1AWRrmaJyUEmBGkWml74/s3180/IMG_8516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2384" data-original-width="3180" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDqkchK6x8ntWLSfcJB8wu7MFyIhHBjyVtgvUll6uCj5cw-bGFD6x-5P37GbhD2BjQD9FyfBlJPX83ZBszcuIjZWMB_EhTWku8CgAMXRmwAH6L3zy2-wtSmBuk4ffiA9jQHNMYxMtTRLqPWZWdJduGN-k53TXTxJvLxvuxLc1AWRrmaJyUEmBGkWml74/w640-h480/IMG_8516.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment was cut from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhc5">Glossy White</a> cardstock and adhered to a shadow piece cut from the same cardstock as the background and inked on the edges with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4apgy">Cherry</a> ink. This, as well as the secondary sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dha7">All the Love Reverse Sentiment Strips</a>, was popped up with foam tape.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for me today, thanks for stopping by!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-7995139317777334032024-01-12T08:00:00.055-05:002024-01-13T08:53:14.041-05:00SSS Smitten & Sweetheart Blog Hop, Day 1<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBTAOVINvBNRJULj3fn_yT5d50C67HUxJX5Gor8FZIaR2qzgt7Jrm9QOqgnL-gP-Ji9BjDlyOWJQXm42j3ZP2RqlbzRn9EwzZemDIV5yuOrFfRQUKzsEFBxebhytDVdsbskCSTdNltC30HHRZI3cB2hTEoJPdIdhp1TLgAXe-vdWkXCWDQrIFc4WyOpM/s4500/Sweetheart_BlogHop_1080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4500" data-original-width="4500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBTAOVINvBNRJULj3fn_yT5d50C67HUxJX5Gor8FZIaR2qzgt7Jrm9QOqgnL-gP-Ji9BjDlyOWJQXm42j3ZP2RqlbzRn9EwzZemDIV5yuOrFfRQUKzsEFBxebhytDVdsbskCSTdNltC30HHRZI3cB2hTEoJPdIdhp1TLgAXe-vdWkXCWDQrIFc4WyOpM/w640-h640/Sweetheart_BlogHop_1080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Welcome to Day 1 of the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha7">Smitten</a> & <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh8z">Sweetheart</a> Blog Hop! You should be arriving here from <a href="https://mindyeggendesign.com/blog/">Mindy Eggen</a>'s blog, but I will have the full hop list below if you need it. Today's hop celebrates not only yesterday's Sweetheart release, but the Smitten release which occurred last month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All good blog hops have prizes, and as usual, one lucky commenter at each spot on this hop will receive a $25 credit in the Simon store. In addition, everyone can get the Hearts and Stars stencil pictured above free with any order this weekend using code HTZ24.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today I'm featuring more cards created using my <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9q">Printmaking Hearts</a> products. This first set of cards features the stamps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gTK6f0kV_5rIBLgJamCHRRpcSOh89aePbD0X3tCd6BwEAOIdTkWL0qT7C0tIja7_DK7jgCZ8V9IKu8ZImuLYaqKmgdO4_UNyNpwhlOV_7_TO1MegvnUOpBvUWUOUOL8cIf2cDtTOWH_mSbL04OgoHg_KRtN7lUkN1ikVHHni0tIItVcfuTwY4pBG9go/s2740/IMG_8538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2740" data-original-width="2740" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gTK6f0kV_5rIBLgJamCHRRpcSOh89aePbD0X3tCd6BwEAOIdTkWL0qT7C0tIja7_DK7jgCZ8V9IKu8ZImuLYaqKmgdO4_UNyNpwhlOV_7_TO1MegvnUOpBvUWUOUOL8cIf2cDtTOWH_mSbL04OgoHg_KRtN7lUkN1ikVHHni0tIItVcfuTwY4pBG9go/w640-h640/IMG_8538.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These hearts are very easy to line up. There are three layers, and for these cards I did all the stamping at once. I placed two of the layers in my regular sized MISTI. f you're looking at the MISTI straight on, one was positioned to stamp my card panel when it was placed in the bottom left corner of the MISTI. The second was positioned to stamp my card panel when it was rotated 90 degrees and placed in the top left corner of the MISTI. For the third layer, I used my Tim Holtz platform. This way I could place all the layers once and get all the panels stamped at the same time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Note, I cut all my panels to A2 size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") centering the stamps on the panel. This gave me enough margin to stamp the sentiment below the hearts if I wanted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mixed things up in terms of stamping, backgrounds, and sentiment placement o give you an idea of different ways you can use the stamp set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Z0qL0kmsnWsrTmBSqM1jOGlxIQQbKoePNHaBqcH5olqDZZPSsKeYSzpXmLb23s0mJiuJHA6W9pbNA1UiF-MxwU0Gd-vy3e6p6PCjLD-Vc5M3s5SOD4i62wMBILESwgF93l9P8gVZqnl3IjG-0UZ6DkQ9YoNr7kfrwZoGolLFWTzrRqgm6PnFgZYLqak/s2061/IMG_8546.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="2061" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Z0qL0kmsnWsrTmBSqM1jOGlxIQQbKoePNHaBqcH5olqDZZPSsKeYSzpXmLb23s0mJiuJHA6W9pbNA1UiF-MxwU0Gd-vy3e6p6PCjLD-Vc5M3s5SOD4i62wMBILESwgF93l9P8gVZqnl3IjG-0UZ6DkQ9YoNr7kfrwZoGolLFWTzrRqgm6PnFgZYLqak/w640-h480/IMG_8546.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This first card is very straightforward. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9u">Cheeky</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9v">Lilac</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9y">Amethyst</a>. The panel was trimmed down to leave space at the bottom for the sentiment, also from the set, which was stamped with Versa Claire black ink. A dark purple mat compelted the look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt5uRwIEsB8XNS1Ck6JtE4qNuWDI8hWTocDPMPzbeQZzz2g13czwuG2CPkBVwfqTKjEu7EdusWK5jIvQfouCobsqEPQJH5pkRgb1l15syNS0XX7kgeM4BQvrU3XQRRCnC6DGDdPsCQNsMB_Nl3KpgWlSIONKGI9HjsXMtYD4Gs-jG5FrjzGnSWNtHh3w/s2454/IMG_8548.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="2454" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt5uRwIEsB8XNS1Ck6JtE4qNuWDI8hWTocDPMPzbeQZzz2g13czwuG2CPkBVwfqTKjEu7EdusWK5jIvQfouCobsqEPQJH5pkRgb1l15syNS0XX7kgeM4BQvrU3XQRRCnC6DGDdPsCQNsMB_Nl3KpgWlSIONKGI9HjsXMtYD4Gs-jG5FrjzGnSWNtHh3w/w640-h480/IMG_8548.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I stamped the hearts using one of the full color families from Simon: <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9t">Bubblegum</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9v">Sweets</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dha0">Taffy</a>. If you're not in the mood to color mix yourself, you can never go wrong using one of these ready-made color trios. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These were stamped on a subtle grid pattered paper which softens it up a bit. I added a black die cut frame which was popped up with foam tape as well as another of the sentiments from the set embossed in white and popped up as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk36XqMh8pNne9SA9wcnWrP0Px0Qw-YhPffXlq_WGjPp3xcSiTuVpuxFNM73a0TPay7Ai_dAJeMjzZ8ct7J6mB2FXsSEue2K3Di7qvaUiKCgICRDTb-l_s722mWTl1kCAJFfJV9BBJSXWjumESrdU92x0i95mjlvCdfL7QUugIQ60ylNELI7VgxfgJpE/s1812/IMG_8542.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1812" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk36XqMh8pNne9SA9wcnWrP0Px0Qw-YhPffXlq_WGjPp3xcSiTuVpuxFNM73a0TPay7Ai_dAJeMjzZ8ct7J6mB2FXsSEue2K3Di7qvaUiKCgICRDTb-l_s722mWTl1kCAJFfJV9BBJSXWjumESrdU92x0i95mjlvCdfL7QUugIQ60ylNELI7VgxfgJpE/w640-h480/IMG_8542.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I chose a slightly more 'patterned' paper for this next card and stamped the hearts using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9t">Bubblegum</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4b005">Morning</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4acog">Twilight</a>. A light blue patterned paper mat and a sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dha7">Reverse All the Love Sentiment Strips</a> were added as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrzzbAAXJB34mF4E4ejIdiqb1waSVrpK9gsx7PrxESVUJhobs5xK1adtVL3M7FKNnrEm3-mwIP11Vw77x1PrF6DH2_x1rzDpO9gpfGYGLoi4o6VHBX4DIKWJMgudup5t-rreYBdhhJvpHSFQR6aN-bZzNdedgHUyFrghLRQ-nOFzOjQdmHIPcxFQQfX8/s2158/IMG_8552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1619" data-original-width="2158" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrzzbAAXJB34mF4E4ejIdiqb1waSVrpK9gsx7PrxESVUJhobs5xK1adtVL3M7FKNnrEm3-mwIP11Vw77x1PrF6DH2_x1rzDpO9gpfGYGLoi4o6VHBX4DIKWJMgudup5t-rreYBdhhJvpHSFQR6aN-bZzNdedgHUyFrghLRQ-nOFzOjQdmHIPcxFQQfX8/w640-h480/IMG_8552.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This last one is my favorite. These hearts were created using Distress Embossing Glaze on kraft cardstock. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhab">Lumberjack Red</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhac">Lost Shadow</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhae">Hickory Smoke</a>. To give it a little more moodiness, I inked the edges with a combination of <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhaf">Frayed Burlap</a> and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhai">Ground Espresso</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment is again from the set and embossed in white. The original embossing was a little too white, so I toned it down a bit by coloring the embossing with my E25 Copic. Just cuts the contrast a bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For these next two cards, I thought it would be fun to create cards using just the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh97">coordinating die</a>, which can really function as a standalone die.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppSGO7-Xp3uQ-J4jxCJs5A7HyURPjefgWvNhFKEg1WcasWMhlCjQ8ULt7B2ZudJUIrONqqzAEQ4h63xeOWfIDfy2_pSdt6xd5k6h1Pf6MgUv90M7R6hi8ljLe4hPGGic8IqO-TynAf2mQZbx6aL7BgK8cFwPJICrdNQhDBrSP34oE4eLReN-S72hpyIU/s2676/IMG_8519.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2676" data-original-width="2676" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppSGO7-Xp3uQ-J4jxCJs5A7HyURPjefgWvNhFKEg1WcasWMhlCjQ8ULt7B2ZudJUIrONqqzAEQ4h63xeOWfIDfy2_pSdt6xd5k6h1Pf6MgUv90M7R6hi8ljLe4hPGGic8IqO-TynAf2mQZbx6aL7BgK8cFwPJICrdNQhDBrSP34oE4eLReN-S72hpyIU/w640-h640/IMG_8519.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a very similar formula for both, but done two different ways. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, I created a couple of painted panels using Distress Paint. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dham">Lumberjack Red</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhap">Weathered Wood</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhat">Black Soot</a>. For the card on the left, I kind of randomly painted a piece of watercolor paper, for the card on the right, I started by painting the panel with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dham">Lumberjack Red</a>, and then added some <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhat">Black Soot</a> to the bottom, tapering off as I moved up the panel to create an ombre effect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the randomly painted panel (on the left) was dry, I die cut my hearts. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkIUgtIs0GAAmE4SmgAnEGcTRWN3cqW8QISuf2uCELWUkyjmHzGzI-V0PvXMcXPFXBKVNLyqOsKos8OM80RnM2H8DhiZiMG7pzCCTocpkhW4d4rKO3nRwqaJ-eqt2CM61Y8V8ixVO9ssb0E7N4LrpjVxesE-HyfXUOOz77OOs1kRZwvHPEilzbW3k3nE/s3374/IMG_8527.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2531" data-original-width="3374" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkIUgtIs0GAAmE4SmgAnEGcTRWN3cqW8QISuf2uCELWUkyjmHzGzI-V0PvXMcXPFXBKVNLyqOsKos8OM80RnM2H8DhiZiMG7pzCCTocpkhW4d4rKO3nRwqaJ-eqt2CM61Y8V8ixVO9ssb0E7N4LrpjVxesE-HyfXUOOz77OOs1kRZwvHPEilzbW3k3nE/w640-h480/IMG_8527.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These were popped up on a white panel, and I added a sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dha7">All the Love Reverse Sentiment Strips</a> which was popped up as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the second card, I used the painted panel as a background.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQ2sHgGJDYPhatpaIyljhXsmAa0Ce1FqD0FdKY4Msv9jUt2Y6BBSFbPbWiICRqv3CflkbRvn8V8eb2pyDEcWZMqKdJIPdBJDyxYs45YcMD-XeJxOdw1PGJlAMT2JtrOfp2Kyk36uvyNv4N_9cJQ6PV2E98M1UQwM_dY71BwwkTylcqw5pqZBDLXKFJwE/s3238/IMG_8531.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2428" data-original-width="3238" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQ2sHgGJDYPhatpaIyljhXsmAa0Ce1FqD0FdKY4Msv9jUt2Y6BBSFbPbWiICRqv3CflkbRvn8V8eb2pyDEcWZMqKdJIPdBJDyxYs45YcMD-XeJxOdw1PGJlAMT2JtrOfp2Kyk36uvyNv4N_9cJQ6PV2E98M1UQwM_dY71BwwkTylcqw5pqZBDLXKFJwE/w640-h480/IMG_8531.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was adhered to a piece of <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dhay">Champagne Matte</a> cardstock. I then die cut the hearts from a piece of white cardstock, and popped the negative piece up over my painted background. I again finished the card off with one of the sentiments from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dha7">Reverse All the Love Sentiment Strips</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Super easy, and I love the clean and simple look of these.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, your next stop on the hop is my very good friend <a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/">Cheiron Brandon</a>, and the full hop list is below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Don't forget to leave a comment to be in the drawing for the $25 store credit. Good luck, and enjoy the hop!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/smitten-sweetheart-blog-hop-1/">Simon Says Stamp Blog</a><br /><a href="https://nicholspohr.com/printmaking-hearts-simon-says-stamp-smitten-and-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1/">Nichol Spohr</a><br /><a href="https://www.laurafadora.com/2024/01/12/smitten-sweetheart-release-blog-hop/">Laura Bassen</a><br /><a href="https://www.cathyzielske.com/2024/01/make-a-fun-cheeky-friendship-bingo-card-today-with-this-stamp-set/">Cathy Zielske</a><br /><a href="https://btarayao.blogspot.com/2024/01/simon-says-stamp-smitten-and-sweetheart_0644420048.html">Barbara Tarayao</a><br /><a href="https://www.thepapermint.com/post/simon-says-stamp-smitten-and-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1">Keisha Charles</a><br /><a href="https://mindyeggendesign.com/2024/01/12/smitten-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1/">Mindy Eggen</a><br /><a href="https://mprantner.blogspot.com/2024/01/sss-smitten-sweetheart-blog-hop-day-1.html">Miriam Prantner</a><br /><a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2024/01/simon-says-stamp-smitten-and-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1.html">Cheiron Brandon</a><br /><a href="https://cardsandcoffeetime.com/2024/01/12/simon-says-stamp-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1/">Tina Smith</a><br /><a href="https://www.handmadebyheatherruwe.com/2024/01/smitten-and-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-day-1.html">Heather Ruwe</a><br /><a href="https://www.lealawsoncreates.com/blog/simon-says-stamp-sweet-smitten-release-blog-hop-day-1-prizes">Lea Lawson</a><br /><a href="https://skypaperscissors.com/2024/01/12/hugs-kisses-simon-says-stamp-sweetheart-release-blog-hop-giveaway/">Seeka</a><br /><a href="https://www.studio-jd.com/fun-treat-boxes-a-blog-hop/">Jean Doeringsfeld</a><br /><a href="https://bdengler4.blogspot.com/2024/01/sss-smitten-and-sweetheart-releases.html">Barb Engler</a>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-54615017152583409952024-01-11T00:00:00.063-05:002024-01-11T00:00:00.160-05:00SSS Sweetheart Release, Printmaking Hearts and Hugs & Kisses<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-E85xAePzpd98dvAvOi6OgM_VS6AVJCiShAY2wyx9Jyxc1GtLhfEeilQEpDi3RqnCtk3sXnNgubc7lPbH31NtmzPT0oEicKlSrLpNrFq0b4UqWWyIBWWrHTCNS288x9u2IOVDOGvD6rqV7vAi7_Ikyfj2el8Uqg_4y4PBO_pjSJdS4gtlwY28X0DDyo/s2269/IMG_8557.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2269" data-original-width="2269" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-E85xAePzpd98dvAvOi6OgM_VS6AVJCiShAY2wyx9Jyxc1GtLhfEeilQEpDi3RqnCtk3sXnNgubc7lPbH31NtmzPT0oEicKlSrLpNrFq0b4UqWWyIBWWrHTCNS288x9u2IOVDOGvD6rqV7vAi7_Ikyfj2el8Uqg_4y4PBO_pjSJdS4gtlwY28X0DDyo/w640-h640/IMG_8557.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi friends! It's a release day at Simon Says Stamp! As you might imagine, the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh8z">Sweetheart</a> release is full of all sorts of Valentine's themed products including several designed my yours truly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It always takes me a while to figure out what to share first. A lot of times I'll highlight products one at a time, but this card is my favorite created for the release and includes all my new products, so I figured I would share it right off the bat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a while since I released a Printmaking set, but I thought that Hearts would be a great addition.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh93">Printmaking Hearts</a> is similar to the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh95">Printmaking Pines</a> set where there isn't an outline layer, just three layers that create the completed hearts. I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9j">Watermelon</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4acp6">Sunbeam</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4d4oa">Sherbet</a> for my three layers. The hearts were then die cut with the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh97">coordinating die</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEkWBpy5feaDt7L2XNQmqSZAJpKTwKomwEVtBsnlAauroRjZWktRm5MW3qwt1ywvbZX8wwO7skD9u-daGBQYskK4CifWBG9msC0vRqYj_CED3HD4AH6l1Kg6ZSerE8COOw57Rb8kMb6ohTo3sHrAb1AK9Ls-ytAdBwT1z_2sF2IaPMSUuiWycUQmt9jk/s3232/IMG_8564.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2424" data-original-width="3232" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEkWBpy5feaDt7L2XNQmqSZAJpKTwKomwEVtBsnlAauroRjZWktRm5MW3qwt1ywvbZX8wwO7skD9u-daGBQYskK4CifWBG9msC0vRqYj_CED3HD4AH6l1Kg6ZSerE8COOw57Rb8kMb6ohTo3sHrAb1AK9Ls-ytAdBwT1z_2sF2IaPMSUuiWycUQmt9jk/w640-h480/IMG_8564.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought the previously released <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9e">Lava Lamp</a> stencils would create the perfect background. There are six stencils in the set, but I chose to use just three of them, using the same colors I used for the stamping.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The stenciled panel was trimmed down and then adhered to my card base, and I then placed my die cut hearts in groups of three on the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9a"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh9a">Hugs & Kisses</a> is my newest sentiment die set. It comes with the sentiment itself as well as a shadow piece, but for this card I'm using just the sentiment piece. It was cut from yellow and pink cardstock, adhered slightly offset, and then popped up over the background and hearts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did adhere one of the front hearts with foam tape as well for some additional dimension.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQGNZNUYVyxP6XO0OdTxkq4BzPqNpjC1QMPresFa2dUsHQupQdjpfd1P6C26BCRaM3AsESK7uVI0TSfPyG3ZyB6OmBmYvzUvfTadg2J2cjtmru6G6jQiCw0mYLAVQyY8vNpMOvQIeDNOmeBPmz2Ean_4ooGu1iBX8JZ5K41lnPiJYtxKJk0fyDwjUjuQ/s1870/IMG_8562.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1870" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQGNZNUYVyxP6XO0OdTxkq4BzPqNpjC1QMPresFa2dUsHQupQdjpfd1P6C26BCRaM3AsESK7uVI0TSfPyG3ZyB6OmBmYvzUvfTadg2J2cjtmru6G6jQiCw0mYLAVQyY8vNpMOvQIeDNOmeBPmz2Ean_4ooGu1iBX8JZ5K41lnPiJYtxKJk0fyDwjUjuQ/w640-h480/IMG_8562.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have lots more to share in the coming days, including tomorrow when there will be a fun blog hop, so stay tuned. For now though, you'll want to head over to Simon to check out the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4dh8z">full release</a>. See you tomorrow!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-70718292427006892112024-01-08T06:00:00.016-05:002024-01-08T06:00:00.133-05:00December 2023 in Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d5j76kQH_atzbD0jKOGF7b5N0j1hmPApN2qCQiTUlLzD6-xfflbzUO74NBeF_LWya3a0yFS4nzn3wOa3-Zu7_cqyvUYLsJ1EcXHE5KNEwOkXyw2KmP95MVRpO5gmBpUogz_5gmtL3gUUD1uW2LER11ZJBvoiCm8p6QeSwLVseRskikGaiC5MCzv1v-U/s1350/Dec23books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1175" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d5j76kQH_atzbD0jKOGF7b5N0j1hmPApN2qCQiTUlLzD6-xfflbzUO74NBeF_LWya3a0yFS4nzn3wOa3-Zu7_cqyvUYLsJ1EcXHE5KNEwOkXyw2KmP95MVRpO5gmBpUogz_5gmtL3gUUD1uW2LER11ZJBvoiCm8p6QeSwLVseRskikGaiC5MCzv1v-U/w558-h640/Dec23books.png" width="558" /></a></div><p>I'm so late with my December reading recap, it's been a busy several weeks, but better late than never right? Here you go:</p><p><u>The Postcard</u> - Anne Berest - historical fiction - five starrs - Loved this one. It's kind of a Holocaust mystery, and a fictionalization of the author's family and search for answers. One year, her mother receives a postcard. On it are written four names - the names of family members lost during the Holocaust. There is no sender name or return address. Fifteen years after received the postcard, the author decides to try and figure out who sent it. Her exploration leads to numerous conversations with her mother and others as she hears the story of how her mother grew up and survived. A must read.</p><p><u>This Other Eden</u> - Paul Harding - historical fiction - five stars - Based on the true story of an island off Maine where freed blacks settled in the late 1700s. The island became a haven for former slaves, Native Americans, mixed race families. They lived there peacefully, though with very little, until they were evicted by the state of Maine in 1912. The book covers the history of representative families there as well as the period directly preceeding their eviction. The families were considered mentally and physically unsound, some were sent to psychiatric facilities, others fled. It's a sad story of home and loss of it.</p><p><u>The Vaster Wilds</u> - Lauren Groff - historical fiction - five stars - The story of a servant who flees her English colonial settlement in the midst of famine and escapes to the north. It's a story of survival against all odds as well as solitude. The girl is trying to reach the French settlements, but ends up alone. The Native Americans know she is there and tolerate her, but do not engage with her. As she flees she remembers her story, the reason she left England, her life in the colony, her reasons for fleeing. A quick and compelling read.</p><p><u>O Pioneers! (Great Plains Trilogy, #1)</u> - Willa Cather - historical fiction - five stars - I read Cather's <u>My Antonia</u> several months ago and really enjoyed it. Turns out it was the third book in her Great Plains Trilogy. The books aren't related in terms of storyline, just in theme, so the rest of the books have been on my list to read. This one was just as good. It's the story of Alexandra Bergson who grows up on a farm in Nebraska. Her father dies when she is just a teen and it has been a difficult existence for the family, but Alexandra is savvy and innovative. She takes over the farm and it prospers as does her family. Just like <u>My Antonia</u> the book doesn't necessarily have a story arc, it's just the story of life, the good and the bad, the various relationships, how Alexandra lives her life and what goes on in it. Really enjoyed and looking foroward to reading book #2.</p><p><u>The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)</u> - Nita Prose - detective - five stars - This is a sequel to Prose's The Maid which I really enjoyed. Molly is now Head Maid at the Regency Grand, and she's in charge of a reception int he newly renovated tea room for famous mystery writer J. D. Grimthorpe. When Grimthorpe drops dead, an investigation ensues. Molly, and others, are under suspicion. Molly works to discover who the murderer is while also remembering the past....Molly and Grimthorpe actually have a connection. I enjoyed learning more about Molly's growing up life in this book, and while it wasn't quite as good as the first one, still very good.</p><p><u>North Woods</u> - Daniel Mason - historical fiction - four stars - This book is centered around a little cabin in New England built by a couple that runs away from their Puritan settlement. It follows the life of the house up to presenet times and the inhabitants that live in it throughout the years. This one was more like three and a half stars rounded up. For me it was kind of uneven. I found some of the stories of the inhabitants fascinating and really interesting, while others were not so much. It ended up being a little bit of a let down as I thought the first part of the book was the strongest and then kind of faded away. Still a decent read.</p><p><u>We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I</u> - Raja Shehadeh - biography - four stars - A really interesting book particularly in light of current events. Shehadeh is a Palestinian writer/journalist/attorney who is looking back at the life of his father, also a Palestinian lawyer and activist. The book focuses in large part on how the Palestinian state arose and while there is plenty of frustration with the Israelis, he is equally critical of the Arab world's complicity, particularly Jordan. His father spent time in jail and was later banned from Jordan (and his family) for a time due to his activities. A really interesting view of the current situation came to be.</p><p><u>Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education</u> - Stephanie Land - autobiography - three stars - This was a strong disappointment. It's probably closer to two and a half stars rounded up. I really enjoyed Land's previous book, <u>Maid</u>. It was eye opening to me how fine a line many families walk between making it and not making it as well as the difficulties in obtaining aid. In this part of Land's story, she and her daughter have moved to Missouri where she is getting her degree. She continues to clean and between that, child support, a scholarship, and school loans they are surviving. This book bothered me a lot though. Honestly, Land just seemed pretty selfish throughout. I get that she wants time to herself, to live the life of a student vs a mom, but she got to where she is as a result of decisions she made in her life, many of them admirable, but they were her choices. She complains a lot about having a kid and not being able to have a life. When she doesn't have her daughter she makes questionable choices that lead to other difficulties. <u>Maid</u> made me want to read a second book by Land, this one makes me not want to read a third.</p><p><u>My Armenian Friend: A Novel</u> - Andrei Makine - fiction - four stars - This book is a reflection of the narrator's childhood friendship with Vardan, an Armenian boy living temporarily in Siberia where the narrator is an orphan. The orphans go to the local school along with the regular inhabitants of the town, and that's where he meets and befriends Vardan. Vardan is a quiet, thoughtful child with very deep and thought provoking observations. He changes the narrator's view of the world and those around him. The story takes place over a short period of time, but the impact of the friendship is lasting. This wasn't a knock your socks off book, but I enjoyed the pace and tenor of it.</p><p>Favorite this month was <u>The Postcard</u> and least favorite was <u>Class</u>. I got to 99 books in 2023! I never set goals, but 99 seems kind of like it's taunting me... I'm off to a bit of a slower start this year, but I need to hurry it up as there are a ton of books that just came in on my hold list. I'm currently almost done with <u>Tom Lake</u> which I'm loving as well as the autobiography of a travel writer which I am not loving. What have you guys been reading?</p><div><br /></div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-53801407683149377222024-01-03T06:00:00.041-05:002024-01-03T06:01:47.643-05:00Yay!<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPToYGiwMAXgOerruo8e-jpnz6k9ATkz4ansqG3XSgVNl0Q-8nWpL-9bKe3aVIxijVQ0l3iiAepPPRwl6FqAImMHr8Szrzqhm879Er4_HXfqBG-xR2wJ7hSRj6cySM5Dd3dakv8MG1tyfWQeUaGto4hyOJpeYwC1JO_kwD8l7T3VCJjGRTSGKPDQsgoVE/s2372/IMG_8466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="2372" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPToYGiwMAXgOerruo8e-jpnz6k9ATkz4ansqG3XSgVNl0Q-8nWpL-9bKe3aVIxijVQ0l3iiAepPPRwl6FqAImMHr8Szrzqhm879Er4_HXfqBG-xR2wJ7hSRj6cySM5Dd3dakv8MG1tyfWQeUaGto4hyOJpeYwC1JO_kwD8l7T3VCJjGRTSGKPDQsgoVE/w640-h640/IMG_8466.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yay! We made it into a new year! I created this easy, bold card last year using some goodies from Concord and 9th and Simon Says Stamp.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Yay dies are from the C9 <a href="https://shrsl.com/4d4oc">Hip Hip Hooray die set</a>. I love a great bold sentiment die. There is a detail die that cuts both the letters themselves as well as the shadow. I cut this die once in orange for the letters and once in a turquoise blue for the shadow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then there is an outline die. This was cut once for my base piece, and then a second time where I die cut the outline from teal, then placed the first detailed die in the center and die cut. This allowed me to then inlay all the rest of the pieces into that second die cut piece, while adhering them all to the first base piece.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The secondary sentiment is from the coordinating <a href="https://shrsl.com/4d4of">Hip Hip Hooray stamp set</a> and was embossed in white on a black strip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdPIhqjnC9sGS5zpylOLcUt2mrBvkp-Nb_GEUWgHw5FPOKtoGQL1C9yGeSw5hzGL5EnnKefBeLN46_wj9PH-mo20DSyJaIZsoAlfaWig3SEQYdyhuggQlht-MCWUczVLADCma-Aw0j6IF2eT2K8MvXvwGheHAy8pNNBqjvtYjW6c0n6IVSp0-sAwzYds/s2110/IMG_8461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2110" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdPIhqjnC9sGS5zpylOLcUt2mrBvkp-Nb_GEUWgHw5FPOKtoGQL1C9yGeSw5hzGL5EnnKefBeLN46_wj9PH-mo20DSyJaIZsoAlfaWig3SEQYdyhuggQlht-MCWUczVLADCma-Aw0j6IF2eT2K8MvXvwGheHAy8pNNBqjvtYjW6c0n6IVSp0-sAwzYds/w640-h480/IMG_8461.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The background was so easy. I used the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4d4o8">Giant Firework</a> stencil from Simon Says Stamp, inking it with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4d4oa">Sherbet</a> ink. I added a simple black mat to this and adhered it to. my card base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjcnKg7ffjy2LbQwFbCm1FH1zX-hkmBRzkxtqV6C4JfGQMCP6DQdFJg8elJ6ir4RRAU-3t-xXwRmbTQ0T-lKC7vXruZsPFluOibT6UJ4txkClkA18wpXbBfjdBMRAz2m1PdMP4nepmt3alAX-XId7dou4r-WZh9MBqVoE6W7JvqCTDHwO8n0Xv4rmaTY/s3630/IMG_8459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2723" data-original-width="3630" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjcnKg7ffjy2LbQwFbCm1FH1zX-hkmBRzkxtqV6C4JfGQMCP6DQdFJg8elJ6ir4RRAU-3t-xXwRmbTQ0T-lKC7vXruZsPFluOibT6UJ4txkClkA18wpXbBfjdBMRAz2m1PdMP4nepmt3alAX-XId7dou4r-WZh9MBqVoE6W7JvqCTDHwO8n0Xv4rmaTY/w640-h480/IMG_8459.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The two sentiment pieces were the popped up with foam tape and that was it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope that your 2024 is off to a great start!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-20260309988719857552023-12-21T06:00:00.033-05:002023-12-21T06:00:00.123-05:00SSS Smitten Release, European Street Buildilngs<p> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyD5a0d7Zz4uz8QNVQe6Z7zGzCoY8O5XgcWnutL9gTOegYLTLvET8QJsUl0E9dXRGSbtuYwhKjWuWzIqZI8OeKdPdE0UnpUeqDUAtkeIUd6r3qRORAeUW2lzadneKGcr3r1B_5FY3iefYsSRTxETDUq5-wqdEWSnZzqf_h-SUpFDAtJzOH-_3W0ee5Z8/s2124/IMG_8268%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2124" data-original-width="2124" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyD5a0d7Zz4uz8QNVQe6Z7zGzCoY8O5XgcWnutL9gTOegYLTLvET8QJsUl0E9dXRGSbtuYwhKjWuWzIqZI8OeKdPdE0UnpUeqDUAtkeIUd6r3qRORAeUW2lzadneKGcr3r1B_5FY3iefYsSRTxETDUq5-wqdEWSnZzqf_h-SUpFDAtJzOH-_3W0ee5Z8/w640-h640/IMG_8268%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Super quick and easy card to share today featuring the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cltn">European Buildings</a> set from Simon's <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha7">Smitten</a> release.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've seen some really gorgeous, colorful, and detailed designs featuring these European buildlings, but when I initially saw the set I was inspired to create a more graphic, clean and simple design.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the stamp set there are three layers for each of the buildlings which add detail and color to the design. For this card, I used just two of the layers for each building, the solid design that creates the buildling itself with window openings, and the piece with window details.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both of these pieces were stamped with Black Versa Claire ink.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rather than die cut the buildings, I chose to fussy cut them because I wanted that very clean line around each of the buildlings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also die cut a red heart using one of the dies from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cltq">Nested Round Hearts</a> set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The heart was adhered to a soft gray panel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3IPjjOaJ9xrIJ753aur6obHSYkQ_SVri8uVucPOFxpENQ9M0d0woPFb2IFnCNxKWmm7ekoYYopzWnSPOP6KfrxO_oq87m1e5w8FEHUwObDL8VBEeymJ3qRZkl3SolVvcM_sXVA9iFKrtwpMtSfgw29_HwcEJ4kc3nPcMl7N8jr2A5GLXvwjNhJZw-z0/s3683/IMG_8272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2762" data-original-width="3683" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3IPjjOaJ9xrIJ753aur6obHSYkQ_SVri8uVucPOFxpENQ9M0d0woPFb2IFnCNxKWmm7ekoYYopzWnSPOP6KfrxO_oq87m1e5w8FEHUwObDL8VBEeymJ3qRZkl3SolVvcM_sXVA9iFKrtwpMtSfgw29_HwcEJ4kc3nPcMl7N8jr2A5GLXvwjNhJZw-z0/w640-h480/IMG_8272.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then popped up a black 'ground ' piece on which the sentiment, also from the set, was embossed in white. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The buildings were also popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was a very simple card to create, but I like the impact. It would also look great with a large circle as a moon on a darker or inked background.....something I will need to try soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful Christmas!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-38392859747965427492023-12-19T06:00:00.117-05:002023-12-19T06:00:00.127-05:00SSS Smitten, Cards and Tags with Shared Design<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGorSiq0mi8m4npVECsYHPiwXA5SZzf-ocBfZBeqAGm-qTbmhcgC6WJJt-0CcLpqEThH7w_LK4dYydSuS7U80XCFf8e4i4AvOO1xXaHY_kK0TkNG7EdmxkT6BpBebKLP2BDiJzw4DCSoozu8J4vRhsmG5AT9WLvOCNuuQAPRnkyAMqi-kxeSMPGLjE_B0/s2801/IMG_8291.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="2801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGorSiq0mi8m4npVECsYHPiwXA5SZzf-ocBfZBeqAGm-qTbmhcgC6WJJt-0CcLpqEThH7w_LK4dYydSuS7U80XCFf8e4i4AvOO1xXaHY_kK0TkNG7EdmxkT6BpBebKLP2BDiJzw4DCSoozu8J4vRhsmG5AT9WLvOCNuuQAPRnkyAMqi-kxeSMPGLjE_B0/w640-h640/IMG_8291.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi all! For today's projects, I wanted to create some tags featuring the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clst">Puppy Love</a> stencil from Simon Says Stamp's new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha7">Smitten</a> release.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What started out as tags ended up becoming a couple sets of coordinating tags and cards where I was able to translate my tag design into card format.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by inking up my stencil using <a href="https://shrsl.com/4b4a7">Paprika</a> ink over red cardstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From my inked cardstock, I was able to cut two arched shapes from one of the dies in the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clss">Nested Domed Arches</a> set. I added a bit of white paint splatter to these pieces for a bit of contrast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs02NKYcLHnsLf3xLqHwtJYC-BIKeJKYmVCjZxEZPhyphenhyphen678VyzWWWCCYqEvDuRzwQouuIB8IM8qxypM4LYslH5ags1JjZ_EECTXczyTW5WOFGeulIk9Nt59xhLITSVEZSnNhbeTgqVvQRYuwE2MH8pk7OiTQnjzHfSHxQ-ooLv3vegWyb-l6Gfem1Vv7bc/s2734/IMG_8302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2734" data-original-width="2734" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs02NKYcLHnsLf3xLqHwtJYC-BIKeJKYmVCjZxEZPhyphenhyphen678VyzWWWCCYqEvDuRzwQouuIB8IM8qxypM4LYslH5ags1JjZ_EECTXczyTW5WOFGeulIk9Nt59xhLITSVEZSnNhbeTgqVvQRYuwE2MH8pk7OiTQnjzHfSHxQ-ooLv3vegWyb-l6Gfem1Vv7bc/w640-h640/IMG_8302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I die cut two additional dome shapes from soft gray cardstock using the next largest die from the set, and adhered my stenciled piece to it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I looked at my stencil, I noticed there was a lot of residual ink on it, and decided I should put that ink to good use. I placed the stencil over a piece of white cardstock, and spread white embossing paste through the stencil. When you do this, the white paste picks up the color of the ink from the stencil. It's not a super even blend, but I like the variation for this technique.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMcHcNIGOUHN0Yt1LZMjt6Q7QCAsKiowuiiwwPYxRE7b_Za0d6L7Dyozn8MpGDC2y6XbHZxdqLhUn5003QoZW-SM0QkCVklP6y7FvDoxYFvCnFoQLMguOqFxth2P2Fm_Rn1OuD9LZIHDJ2Zc3bQmceVcdXpkCRlCTRPf0JZ5O-nyO6zqD-Y10G9hupJc/s2930/IMG_8325.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2197" data-original-width="2930" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMcHcNIGOUHN0Yt1LZMjt6Q7QCAsKiowuiiwwPYxRE7b_Za0d6L7Dyozn8MpGDC2y6XbHZxdqLhUn5003QoZW-SM0QkCVklP6y7FvDoxYFvCnFoQLMguOqFxth2P2Fm_Rn1OuD9LZIHDJ2Zc3bQmceVcdXpkCRlCTRPf0JZ5O-nyO6zqD-Y10G9hupJc/w640-h480/IMG_8325.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the paste had fully dried, just as with the red tags, I die cut two domed arches, adhering them to larger arches cut from soft gray cardstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clsq">Lil' Critters Dachsund</a> die was perfect to go with my stenciled tags. These were die cut from white cardstock and then colored with Copics. I used E23, E25, and E27 for the dog itself and colored the nose and eye with black. The nose and eyes are separate pieces, so I used bits of washi tape on the back of the die to adhere them to my dog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also die cut a white 'ground' piece by die cutting the bottom of the smaller arched dome from white cardstock and then using one of the dies from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clsz">Layered Hills</a> set to create the curved ground line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4mvwFvfomRg5MvdYskTZ32lXigPeUSGVM_0N7pvX5-V474uXTQyxI3tLHD4949B5bDD_BCK4NYD3t840xCjszViXubngUOpmjAqzWb3XrAHDYSv2F0dwbrE3t7XCdgqnwDZK_b9YCYf_DI_9UwY6qCZfOpXE5NTnRyYXzT3LOC2tm_GFZSYiv9k15gs/s2464/IMG_8306.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="2464" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4mvwFvfomRg5MvdYskTZ32lXigPeUSGVM_0N7pvX5-V474uXTQyxI3tLHD4949B5bDD_BCK4NYD3t840xCjszViXubngUOpmjAqzWb3XrAHDYSv2F0dwbrE3t7XCdgqnwDZK_b9YCYf_DI_9UwY6qCZfOpXE5NTnRyYXzT3LOC2tm_GFZSYiv9k15gs/w640-h480/IMG_8306.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both the white ground piece and the dogs were popped up over the tags with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the actual tags, I used a sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clsw">All About You</a> set, stamping it with Black Versa Claire on white cardstock and then die cutting it with the coordinating die. These were also popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then punched a hole in the center of the tag and added some twine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgID87rDzpc0FS_FHowGAXpIxwoM17gSdMhePIW8FKQxb2jBaSRl_jncQBfGMdmnaMBSe2G8CoFCuMQLWXzZOjHntg_z_RccKab3RkLGdVlH4f9n6-bf5c0edZAbAVlK5QJq_fcZuL0iD_vARgWCXf-xn-e9zVRvXsLaiP2rGIF2HVY77bQA0BzWRGNOA/s3024/IMG_8310.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgID87rDzpc0FS_FHowGAXpIxwoM17gSdMhePIW8FKQxb2jBaSRl_jncQBfGMdmnaMBSe2G8CoFCuMQLWXzZOjHntg_z_RccKab3RkLGdVlH4f9n6-bf5c0edZAbAVlK5QJq_fcZuL0iD_vARgWCXf-xn-e9zVRvXsLaiP2rGIF2HVY77bQA0BzWRGNOA/w640-h480/IMG_8310.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the cards, I created a patterned paper mat by using the stencil to create a tone on tone background. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the red version, I used white pigment ink on black cardstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3neCTzkuK8kS0GNLEIN_0HoxL_ue_5Xc4lDr1b6L9ibVDXAnZJwQ0vGPIqCSteMbSOpWWDs45KpVTUH4VtBPJdp0W54MUGYijHOdo1iDTNO3twJkml-lHgTKheIgGFUtIM6rFmZUB04ABm3Gm-oyagdyU-6P5m-JCkHFOdWdzBMQIW9sLc7leKIt8eI/s3518/IMG_8305.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2638" data-original-width="3518" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3neCTzkuK8kS0GNLEIN_0HoxL_ue_5Xc4lDr1b6L9ibVDXAnZJwQ0vGPIqCSteMbSOpWWDs45KpVTUH4VtBPJdp0W54MUGYijHOdo1iDTNO3twJkml-lHgTKheIgGFUtIM6rFmZUB04ABm3Gm-oyagdyU-6P5m-JCkHFOdWdzBMQIW9sLc7leKIt8eI/w640-h480/IMG_8305.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the pink version, I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4apgy">Cherry</a> ink on pink cardstock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpQQxCRwym1D7YZ4FPdvbTTO_P7ZoKFbbLuc8_JHyujGQjX1Z_ZC6ksMl0DVpxFjKhk4DSxNGoUis6-LDcyO9IX4OGo2oN4h2vw0xC_RP0o2fQFe07HaK2IqWD9um8RMSi5c40rWOg_Yw9zSqaKDyl2TesBKUg9ySwiRM6F-Q0-5W2a4tdG_HGaXBoK4/s3328/IMG_8321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2496" data-original-width="3328" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpQQxCRwym1D7YZ4FPdvbTTO_P7ZoKFbbLuc8_JHyujGQjX1Z_ZC6ksMl0DVpxFjKhk4DSxNGoUis6-LDcyO9IX4OGo2oN4h2vw0xC_RP0o2fQFe07HaK2IqWD9um8RMSi5c40rWOg_Yw9zSqaKDyl2TesBKUg9ySwiRM6F-Q0-5W2a4tdG_HGaXBoK4/w640-h480/IMG_8321.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also went with larger/bolder sentiments on the cards using the Thinking of You sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clt1">Big and Bold</a> set, and the You Make Me Smile sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4clsw">All About You</a> set. As with the tags, these were die cut with the coordinating dies and popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-BdB_3LK2slA7nU2VLBBkxC_R2jzMCuboB1prQEirvm0Pcaa5zyt-W2es1vCFfKEmaL6goRRNW3dXlboEsnrsMzDFZrpuR9tF6CjNa5BgWrX8bij5A1ff4x6SDEihjrAJ-3o6kwzXSgo19DOscFfmmNQ09oubIP1Nwv8n8NL_1TmSa2_8RKdroo7nwM/s2374/IMG_8316.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="2374" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-BdB_3LK2slA7nU2VLBBkxC_R2jzMCuboB1prQEirvm0Pcaa5zyt-W2es1vCFfKEmaL6goRRNW3dXlboEsnrsMzDFZrpuR9tF6CjNa5BgWrX8bij5A1ff4x6SDEihjrAJ-3o6kwzXSgo19DOscFfmmNQ09oubIP1Nwv8n8NL_1TmSa2_8RKdroo7nwM/w640-h640/IMG_8316.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These definitely took a bit of time to make as there were numerous steps involved, but by using like design, I was able to make a number of projects with not a lot more effort.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope that this gives you some ideas for creating similar pieces!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-34864240227187162622023-12-15T00:00:00.015-05:002023-12-15T00:02:41.919-05:00SSS Smitten Release, Lady's Mantle<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBn5cHDVg7vDKG7BlNGAJ_wP9ghO323B9wv2p-UH4ZR7XUJXxgyR7cM5DbMHSVzObOWaki22OKCNuEO1JKe4ClDPIMsMxZt6n_U3tDAgIOqUiy5VjPoMNt6jf-OOO6qkhLVXgIIlKdgoZayR_2-iz803YLLWIdekfSiMlWFtWP3hLVUZcyjBzwVqs9VI/s2016/IMG_8278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="2016" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBn5cHDVg7vDKG7BlNGAJ_wP9ghO323B9wv2p-UH4ZR7XUJXxgyR7cM5DbMHSVzObOWaki22OKCNuEO1JKe4ClDPIMsMxZt6n_U3tDAgIOqUiy5VjPoMNt6jf-OOO6qkhLVXgIIlKdgoZayR_2-iz803YLLWIdekfSiMlWFtWP3hLVUZcyjBzwVqs9VI/w640-h640/IMG_8278.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Friday! It's release day at Simon Says Stamp. The new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha7">Smitten</a> release has lots of spring and valentine themed products including this <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha5">Lady's Mantle</a> die. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For today's card, I started by inking a panel of Neenah Solar White cardstock with <a href="https://shrsl.com/493o6">Fairway</a> and <a href="https://shrsl.com/49f7f">Pine</a> inks to create an ombre effect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then die cut three of the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha5">Lady's Mantle</a> dies from <a href="https://shrsl.com/4aph9">Matte Gold</a> cardstock. These were adhered to my panel with liquid adhesive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To make sure that everything was strongly adhered to the panel, I placed a piece of printer paper over top and ran it through my die cutting machine. This had a bit of an unintended effect. The Matte cardstock is really pretty and lovely, but a bit 'softer' than traditional cardstock, so it flattened out a bit, but this was a happy occurrence. It really gives the dies more of a foiled or gilded look.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-moIIHN2tbA1WDgyG0F51GZAnG55y1QhoXYMdi1nkD3I_KaOwfFNLw06Dw8PNqhYzbEKgUH8ZZknJ9a2oHQsVn0xJ5vIy-ahhwMFg0czeLzCMEPBi5keW5PzkafrOPGc3UiSu2SY26aKcE7WwsfQjTiJ18DsV4JvVKqzqdqND5gdycX4oqNKH2Pfp8I/s2872/IMG_8282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="2872" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-moIIHN2tbA1WDgyG0F51GZAnG55y1QhoXYMdi1nkD3I_KaOwfFNLw06Dw8PNqhYzbEKgUH8ZZknJ9a2oHQsVn0xJ5vIy-ahhwMFg0czeLzCMEPBi5keW5PzkafrOPGc3UiSu2SY26aKcE7WwsfQjTiJ18DsV4JvVKqzqdqND5gdycX4oqNKH2Pfp8I/w640-h480/IMG_8282.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment is from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4chan">Hibiscus Blooms</a> set, and before embossing, I used my heat tool to make sure that that corner of the card was nice and dry so it would emboss cleanly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished things off with a <a href="https://shrsl.com/4aph9">Matte Gold</a> mat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To give you an idea the difference in look between the die before and after it got pressed to create the gilded look.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UQZNQUm4F_kg8vj51xFjGAOtksaMdGCOI7066FnX33iqofuSf7cNUhgHszodz1oOTNCy5vQjJ1q_yulmxeCUdZkKpF23uzuwgSaT4f5THbhaPTDbFyRLIR7nRaCipeMdCiP-fGOoTc4TIiwVcdodDictvfcKVgMHrncyneIG5RwV11RBEEsv-cXecZk/s2797/IMG_8288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2098" data-original-width="2797" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UQZNQUm4F_kg8vj51xFjGAOtksaMdGCOI7066FnX33iqofuSf7cNUhgHszodz1oOTNCy5vQjJ1q_yulmxeCUdZkKpF23uzuwgSaT4f5THbhaPTDbFyRLIR7nRaCipeMdCiP-fGOoTc4TIiwVcdodDictvfcKVgMHrncyneIG5RwV11RBEEsv-cXecZk/w640-h480/IMG_8288.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really like both looks, and love that I've found a new way to stretch my supplies to get different effects.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Be sure to head over to Simon to check out the full <a href="https://shrsl.com/4cha7">Smitten</a> release and have a great weekend!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-42272530508986000082023-12-12T06:00:00.042-05:002023-12-12T06:00:00.142-05:00The Greetery, Frosty Pines<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7gaeQF0hgKuxujtgdQQyV9V65OJ4BbUtYHQjYW9Y0xFgqRr1bpOcZPVxeHnoRz1mnI1QH8tAv53C9bNh6-QhyBaCEZrw_5awNATkovo2IF14Jpt74seNGHnaNf-CIozY4TXUMHnLgiq_aI0nK195DNQK_QpUM7FsiAYh31rJ_8TQ4H85ndUNe2Uvyos/s1928/IMG_8330.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1928" data-original-width="1928" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7gaeQF0hgKuxujtgdQQyV9V65OJ4BbUtYHQjYW9Y0xFgqRr1bpOcZPVxeHnoRz1mnI1QH8tAv53C9bNh6-QhyBaCEZrw_5awNATkovo2IF14Jpt74seNGHnaNf-CIozY4TXUMHnLgiq_aI0nK195DNQK_QpUM7FsiAYh31rJ_8TQ4H85ndUNe2Uvyos/w640-h640/IMG_8330.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got to play with these <a href="https://thegreetery.com/collections/stand-alone-dies/products/frosty-pines-die?_pos=1&_sid=d41151e23&_ss=r">Frosty Pines</a> dies from The Greetery during my crafty weekend last month, and whipped up a quick little card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by creating the base panel, inking the background with Stormy Sky Distress Ink, and adding some sparkly snow using glitter paste and a snow stencil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also die cut a snowy landscape for the bottom of the card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The trees were created by die cutting the trunks and greens from colored cardstock. I adhered the green pieces to the trunks create the basic trees. The greens were then cut a second time from white. I clipped off the tops of those pieces to create snow, adhering them to the top of my green pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GuU_RC9wORnzkCqwjMBTZBZeSq8t-dJ6G4da3xwZUQDhGpLNF0sTZdKfJf2WoxnIoMEG1crg_bSB1liBPqiBG0EcRsJHIzQ5E_ggbmxFGH-JtWFHwXnDK4k9-FlS9jJdf9srT7HOIPwx7zdqXTcuN32sJOAX7Qpwu0CZ6-m9mBBOqg9TDXXWYMHqBW4/s3401/IMG_8335.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2551" data-original-width="3401" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GuU_RC9wORnzkCqwjMBTZBZeSq8t-dJ6G4da3xwZUQDhGpLNF0sTZdKfJf2WoxnIoMEG1crg_bSB1liBPqiBG0EcRsJHIzQ5E_ggbmxFGH-JtWFHwXnDK4k9-FlS9jJdf9srT7HOIPwx7zdqXTcuN32sJOAX7Qpwu0CZ6-m9mBBOqg9TDXXWYMHqBW4/w640-h480/IMG_8335.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some extra sparkle, I added glitter to those white pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Those cute little bunny dies are part of the die set. They were cut from a light gray and placed beneath the tree on the left.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A simple sentiment finished things off. It's a little hard to see all the sparkle in the photos above, but you can see the ma bit better below:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorzCcDpgUM6o7sEleL9dId9-5ITRVdCAidkXfkBalWaEsmclws9JzQfpaLoEHnnmVLNOThDkk5XfON_QF4OouwhWoZ4eERuWueqgBkRsNcy1XAU78dKW93Ioo6OdyME6cYrcpoqqd0Jhf5wnncQuo1KpUqcgTUvaDeQ0-036vI3EuVl5XI6ckWVykEEY/s2137/IMG_8337.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1602" data-original-width="2137" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorzCcDpgUM6o7sEleL9dId9-5ITRVdCAidkXfkBalWaEsmclws9JzQfpaLoEHnnmVLNOThDkk5XfON_QF4OouwhWoZ4eERuWueqgBkRsNcy1XAU78dKW93Ioo6OdyME6cYrcpoqqd0Jhf5wnncQuo1KpUqcgTUvaDeQ0-036vI3EuVl5XI6ckWVykEEY/w640-h480/IMG_8337.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We actually got. bit of snow yesterday morning. It doesn't stick around long here in Virginia, but it was a fun surprise to wake up to!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have a great day!</div><p></p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-60833410706230559792023-12-07T06:00:00.031-05:002023-12-07T06:00:00.158-05:00SSS DieCember, Aurora Blooms Die<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXkBQ_1cIvhqyf6oOrbSvYEE3siJxS8jyOrkpkvzhIRDbrS3qRY2FDDLwhR5zL5ON_AsMd2aTXw57QI4z5b-zGxwlnKZYOCGf3oyvnB6qsDqfJduMHmgepg0LqyT1G7xWSRq9pJpcRAsDOsDLV4RWxbX5hGIfOLQbSRwPxvF26yPw-nb3SOIWBK-xpGo/s2069/IMG_8110.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2069" data-original-width="2068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXkBQ_1cIvhqyf6oOrbSvYEE3siJxS8jyOrkpkvzhIRDbrS3qRY2FDDLwhR5zL5ON_AsMd2aTXw57QI4z5b-zGxwlnKZYOCGf3oyvnB6qsDqfJduMHmgepg0LqyT1G7xWSRq9pJpcRAsDOsDLV4RWxbX5hGIfOLQbSRwPxvF26yPw-nb3SOIWBK-xpGo/w640-h640/IMG_8110.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As many of you know, whether it's stamps or dies, in a floral set I most often gravitate to the greenery. That was the case for today's care which features the greenery dies from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c06f">Aurora Blooms </a>set. As the name suggests, this set has some really pretty floral dies also.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I knew that I wanted a tone on tone look and picked a darker chartreuse color for my base panel and lighter for the greens themselves. I die cut each of the greens two to four times. I wanted a bit of dimension, so I used two layers for each of the greens on the card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I had my pieces done, I played with the arrangement on the card until I was happy with the balance and how things looked. Then, I took a photo so I could remember the placement, and adhered each piece to the darker panel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT4Z6QaQW5uVRDrjNJjc7YsJMFDip22NsQnLJqIHep9BizpRmTY4JCeu3pgh3cMLDeUDSe7_xx26-Go58782QFRXfFZbNjqW6ZeXTCYqed91HKtwp8QWYXAI8fZXXN8PQNUV6Ynpzotnm93HniId_3TpnKYYqDET6Gn64O2FnT8kJ47qixKJd7AxqHvI/s3341/IMG_8116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2506" data-original-width="3341" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT4Z6QaQW5uVRDrjNJjc7YsJMFDip22NsQnLJqIHep9BizpRmTY4JCeu3pgh3cMLDeUDSe7_xx26-Go58782QFRXfFZbNjqW6ZeXTCYqed91HKtwp8QWYXAI8fZXXN8PQNUV6Ynpzotnm93HniId_3TpnKYYqDET6Gn64O2FnT8kJ47qixKJd7AxqHvI/w640-h480/IMG_8116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c06i">Here for You</a> sentiment was cut twice from the lighter cardstock as well, adhered together, and then to the black shadow piece. The finished sentiment was then popped up with foam tape.</div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-19446780913629634742023-12-05T06:00:00.028-05:002023-12-05T06:01:46.790-05:00SSS DieCember, Snowflake Burst Pinpoint Plate<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq7TZKBvuPuznySAF_m5M3_4vlKP5r0KMjETka_evI070YxT2zOn3lpj_6a71xHbV0MN-SbzG6MUc3AkkdZ3dqLztXifyeQHSBIVGfcfPu42ByGNTUsSjSQdTjHhlUpNhEVtGOjORuFuB0SvF8KK6-4mZE3tNgC1jSfCAfq5-VIwn0YRozrsYy9c9TzU/s2239/IMG_8159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2239" data-original-width="2239" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq7TZKBvuPuznySAF_m5M3_4vlKP5r0KMjETka_evI070YxT2zOn3lpj_6a71xHbV0MN-SbzG6MUc3AkkdZ3dqLztXifyeQHSBIVGfcfPu42ByGNTUsSjSQdTjHhlUpNhEVtGOjORuFuB0SvF8KK6-4mZE3tNgC1jSfCAfq5-VIwn0YRozrsYy9c9TzU/w640-h640/IMG_8159.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05l">Snowflake Burst Pinpoint Plate</a> from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9m">DieCember</a> release is so pretty! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pierced plates are great to add a bit of texture to your background, but they are also lovely as the focal point for a card.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For this card, I started by cutting the plate from white cardstock, and then inked it with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05o">Stormy Sky</a> Distress Ink, darker on the edges, and lighter in the middle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once that was done, I added some white splatter, and then adhered the pice t my card base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKvao5JHAZ3xqEC2SAi-spAfO7G1hczKL7FUTLtq2HR49mOdIsm-7TfYShOg3_r3yDCO13O0bbQ2cs_v649t3fqsp4aPm5mK9M10WY6y96vyZaBSCzqBf1C-wnWPKgnIWgSmjT2ObVR029DyTrkU-OuLoZkkElhvyfmny6QGi-Q_PlY0GI7WrAGN69Do/s3102/IMG_8161.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2326" data-original-width="3102" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKvao5JHAZ3xqEC2SAi-spAfO7G1hczKL7FUTLtq2HR49mOdIsm-7TfYShOg3_r3yDCO13O0bbQ2cs_v649t3fqsp4aPm5mK9M10WY6y96vyZaBSCzqBf1C-wnWPKgnIWgSmjT2ObVR029DyTrkU-OuLoZkkElhvyfmny6QGi-Q_PlY0GI7WrAGN69Do/w640-h480/IMG_8161.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I silver embossed a sentiment from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05j">Holiday Greetings</a> set, added a <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05q">Matte Silver </a>mat and popped it up in the center of my card. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few snowflakes from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05s">Merry & Bright</a> set cut from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4c05q">Matte Silver</a> as well as some clear sequins completed the look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for visiting!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-20566664745323989362023-12-04T11:49:00.005-05:002023-12-04T11:49:49.678-05:00November 2023 in Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9bfgB91SSF__98EkpSOSc0eR2s5ymMJOp9mzA49ERN4Jb2wiM99CHXnrOOhDfxGUHupMx94RXRymdaiQFPGNDdJ83wYUwZrXEpXA6vj1yXDDpNSq0P9rumg71ViKl5WeUFF9us1b4La3dHYYaJYkVnSYSqBRo2JdmQe_XUCMExL6ufnl4BvX94L-zio/s1190/Nov23Books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1190" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9bfgB91SSF__98EkpSOSc0eR2s5ymMJOp9mzA49ERN4Jb2wiM99CHXnrOOhDfxGUHupMx94RXRymdaiQFPGNDdJ83wYUwZrXEpXA6vj1yXDDpNSq0P9rumg71ViKl5WeUFF9us1b4La3dHYYaJYkVnSYSqBRo2JdmQe_XUCMExL6ufnl4BvX94L-zio/w640-h484/Nov23Books.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>November was a pretty good reading month. A nice mix of books with some old and some new authors. Here are the recaps:</p><p><u>The Door-to-Door Bookstore</u> - Carsten Henn - fiction - five stars - Carl has worked for the bookstore for years, he delivers books to special clients, walking along a regular route. The bookstore owner retires, his daughter inherits the store, but she has very different ideas for the business. She's prefer to discontinue Carl's services, but he persists, and one day a nine-year-old girl named Sasha invites herself along on his delivery route. They grow to be friends, and she also befriends those on his route and opens his mind to how to reach and help each of those individuals. It's a really sweet story. There were a couple things that bothered me about the plot line in terms of how things were resolved with Sasha's father and the bookstore, but overall this was a great book full of very likable characters. Highly recommend.</p><p><u>The Prospectors </u>- Ariel Djanikian - historical fiction - five stars - I really liked this one a lot. It's the fictionalized story of the Bushes, one of the very few families to actually strike gold and make it in the Klondike Gold Rush. They parlayed their earnings into an empire that later included oil. The story focuses on the relationship of Alice Bush with her sister and brother-in-law, who were the ones who really found the gold. Alice went along on their second expedition to help, ended up marrying her brother-in-law's brother, and the two families were linking in good and bad forever. This one bucks the trend for me in that I really didn't like the main characters in the book, but the story itself was so compelling I could get past that. It's one of those dual storyline books although the second, present-day, timeline is definitely not the focus of the book and I could definitely have done without it since it was more on the apologetic side. </p><p><u>Sisters Under the Rising Sun</u> - Heather Morris - historical fiction - five stars - Another great historical fiction novel based on a group of women fleeing the Japanese from Singapore during WWII. Their ship is bombed and sunk and they make it to land only to be made prisoners of war. The women survive years, moving from camp to camp. They are blessed to have been shipwrecked with a group of Australian Nurses who help create more sanitary working conditions, care for them, and keep morale up. It's a pretty amazing story. I loved that the author provided details about what happened to each of the women following their release from captivity also. </p><p><u>All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir</u> - Beth Moore - autobiography - four stars - So I've heard about Beth Moore for years, but have never actually read any of her books or done any of her studies. I picked his one up on a whim because I thought it might be interesting and in general I always find biographies kind of fascinating. Anyway, I enjoyed reading about Moore's growing up life, and this covers how her ministry got started which was also pretty interesting. What I really thought was lacking was her more recent adult life - parenthood, etc., particularly given the emphasis on her formative years. I could have understood if the book was really focused on the ministry portion of her life, but it just seemed a little unbalanced in that regard.</p><p><u>From a Far and Lovely Country (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency #24)</u> - Alexander McCall Smith - fiction - four stars - I can't believe there are already 24 Mwa Ramotswe books! This one was focused on a couple of cases, one in which someone is trying to find the family of someone who was like a father/uncle to her in Canada, and the other trying to stop or put out of business a company advertising dances where eligible men and women can meet where the men solicited are often actually married. This wasn't my favorite of the books. This one was OK. I thought that it was a little less compelling than some of the other more recent books particularly because I feel like Violet Sephotho can't always be the culprit when something bad is happening, but still quite enjoyable and I like that Charlie is getting more credit at the agency.</p><p><u>Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose (Enola Holmes, #9)</u> - Nancy Springer - juvenile mystery - four stars - In this book, Enola gets involved in the disappearance of Wolcott Balestier, an American publisher visiting London. Of course her brother Sherlock gets involved as well and they embark on a somewhat competitive, somewhat cooperative investigation. I enjoyed that the characters in the book were actually real people which is different than the other books in the series. I do like the relationship that is developing between Enola and Sherlock also. I will say that I feel like more so than the other books there was way too much description of Enola's outfits.....made worse by the fact that she changes A LOT. I found it distracting from the book, a minor nit, but it was noticeable.</p><p><u>Birnam Wood</u> - Eleanor Catton - thriller - three stars - This was an interesting premise. A kind of hippie collective of folks who plant crops on other peoples property or public land and then sell the crops to sustain the community/organization decides to try planting on the property of a wealthy couple whose house is somewhat inaccessible because of a landslide. They are not the only folks interested in the land though, a wealthy entrepreneur is also interested for reasons he is not fully disclosing. This could have been a really great book, but it was so preachy. Long monologues about the purpose of the collective and what they do and don't stand for and why the entrepreneur is bad and on and on and on. The story also took so long to set up. It was 400+ pages and could easily have been 100 pages less and would have been much tighter and more effective. There were several twists that I did not expect at all so from the plot line sense it was good, but just a slog in parts.</p><p>Favorite this month was probably <u>The Prospectors</u>, and least favorite was <u>Birnam Wood.</u> I'm currently reading and really enjoying <u>The Postcard</u> and I have a whole bunch of library holds that just came in, so I really need to pick up the pace of things. Would love to hear what you have been reading!</p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-85514491840339111482023-12-02T08:00:00.026-05:002023-12-02T11:01:24.524-05:00SSS DieCember, Blog Hop<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYLZcXxKBlLWmld4rIND0G4RH05Gk67b2AgAAG5iieFkX9fhX3tZEaBwWBhJAVUNH42uD6RCarUSpUtEm51nOxji96xHuZmxUDh_-lnGW43Ltwj5_4zMU9KUztilsm96ZCr5rDRvqlBtoKwZWizNDkWJGOst3oRoslQvLAPQxdSQFy2UidILYKCafLVQ/s4500/DieCember_BlogHop_1080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4500" data-original-width="4500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYLZcXxKBlLWmld4rIND0G4RH05Gk67b2AgAAG5iieFkX9fhX3tZEaBwWBhJAVUNH42uD6RCarUSpUtEm51nOxji96xHuZmxUDh_-lnGW43Ltwj5_4zMU9KUztilsm96ZCr5rDRvqlBtoKwZWizNDkWJGOst3oRoslQvLAPQxdSQFy2UidILYKCafLVQ/w640-h640/DieCember_BlogHop_1080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hi friends! Today I'm participating in Day 1 of a two day blog hop celebrating the Simon Says Stamp <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9m">DieCember release</a>. You should have arrived here from <a href="https://mindyeggendesign.com/blog/">Mindy Eggen</a>'s blog. I will have the full blog hop list at the end of the post in case you need it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All good blog hops involve prizes right? Well this one is no exception. Simon is giving away a $25 store credit to one commenter at every stop along the hop. AND you can get the die pictured above free with any purchase for the next week using code FLURRY.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My projects today feature my latest die set, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bvdw">Bold Scandinavian</a> wafer dies. I love the Scandinavian aesthetic and have designed numerous Scandinavian products over the years. These dies are so much fun to play with and today I'm sharing several different ways to use them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First up, some basic cards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqhwYlce4tporLIr6bO1lyFVVIUWAN281KJeEGj6IP7qrtSulTRLIsNqDVCaAuW36bwQ_dkcEghX9mbM4lFBGQNVYIyt31hVUH0ZYZ5WhBBX5fRiRDwZ5jeU0rjUHlSs1IFdDfSDdB39bIyKAOwYkxYIPaDGJJyB4N8BlsbQ0GkttEAMNCgyC4Wacqvc/s2372/IMG_8132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="2372" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqhwYlce4tporLIr6bO1lyFVVIUWAN281KJeEGj6IP7qrtSulTRLIsNqDVCaAuW36bwQ_dkcEghX9mbM4lFBGQNVYIyt31hVUH0ZYZ5WhBBX5fRiRDwZ5jeU0rjUHlSs1IFdDfSDdB39bIyKAOwYkxYIPaDGJJyB4N8BlsbQ0GkttEAMNCgyC4Wacqvc/w640-h640/IMG_8132.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For these first cards, I challenged myself to create flowers only using scraps. For the card on the right, I created a couple of flowers by layering the various die piece over each other. The flower on the right is adhered directly to the card base, while the flower on the right was popped up for some dimension.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment, from my previously released <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bve1">Plant Sentiments</a> set was popped up with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQG3tXOBVpqwcnT4Z5LjOVnDOvzNli5E3iIiRyES9enKGp6Y9U7AjGYsFAAff8ykgm2kO0tNgbti92mC8kY4WMOcpfd5m6SoekjHCjfXtXQakttWAMaXtoJpBCYTO5gHE6TgJWBcVWHX9x9gCWUoqxwsNcckyQvwtFubLU6Vt7YJjIWxsZdd27lUvjPw/s3573/IMG_8142.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2680" data-original-width="3573" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQG3tXOBVpqwcnT4Z5LjOVnDOvzNli5E3iIiRyES9enKGp6Y9U7AjGYsFAAff8ykgm2kO0tNgbti92mC8kY4WMOcpfd5m6SoekjHCjfXtXQakttWAMaXtoJpBCYTO5gHE6TgJWBcVWHX9x9gCWUoqxwsNcckyQvwtFubLU6Vt7YJjIWxsZdd27lUvjPw/w640-h480/IMG_8142.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the card on the left, I wanted to create an inlaid card. Once I decided which layers/colors to use, the individual pieces were die cut. Then, starting with the largest/outside layer, I die cut the next smallest piece from within that die cut until each of my pieces nested within the outside layer I then die cut the largest piece from a piece of printer paper, covered it with adhesive, and assembled my fully inlaid flower.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Similarly, for the leaves, I die cut the smaller leaf from within the larger one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next I cut a basic panel of white cardstock and die cut the flower stem from it. A small piece of printer paper covered with adhesive was placed behind this area, and then I inlaid a die cut stem.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I die cut both the outside layer of the flower as well as the large leaves from my panel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaghJuxYUKYR0qh3AqkdOwY4h-9F-Xjvf6gtAZKTA-D3m7bV5raQOf8fowbPunXu0PxgtfIWO3-NSCwtqEGCm_PUUCk5cqoDY2zGLjHXfjQPA6GAq-uBFHuiXJrjfWH7M4eHO9hZCc72nGyETc3aOpDFihxLKAaDCL6DGU3nQi7QSDPhfNYjCUBUXBUk/s3274/IMG_8136.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2456" data-original-width="3274" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaghJuxYUKYR0qh3AqkdOwY4h-9F-Xjvf6gtAZKTA-D3m7bV5raQOf8fowbPunXu0PxgtfIWO3-NSCwtqEGCm_PUUCk5cqoDY2zGLjHXfjQPA6GAq-uBFHuiXJrjfWH7M4eHO9hZCc72nGyETc3aOpDFihxLKAaDCL6DGU3nQi7QSDPhfNYjCUBUXBUk/w640-h480/IMG_8136.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I cut a large panel of printer paper to cover almost the entire panel, covered it with adhesive, and adhered it to the back of the card. The flower piece as well as the leaves were then inlaid into the panel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment, also from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bve1">Plant Sentiments</a> set was added and the entire piece was adhered to my card base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My next card steps things up a bit. Years ago my sister visited Japan and brought me back some really lovely papers which I have been hoarding, but I thought this would be the perfect project to use them on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhEeL-IHyHKgTSBKREgVWlu8rLhfBR0cFQmpRs5hXIaSD5BeyLdNlbNcF8MhmOH7jtEZ7s6M4ROz2zYjO6-4s55g3n-9QtfmYL1DwNioDinScmMHYifDh85O3ZI-eXIXJTZlDAou_Q3PhO-re1bUdWJ0KY-b-so787jHWRDlfzH9Q6xMy_LfBSf-QpT0/s1991/IMG_8121.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="1991" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhEeL-IHyHKgTSBKREgVWlu8rLhfBR0cFQmpRs5hXIaSD5BeyLdNlbNcF8MhmOH7jtEZ7s6M4ROz2zYjO6-4s55g3n-9QtfmYL1DwNioDinScmMHYifDh85O3ZI-eXIXJTZlDAou_Q3PhO-re1bUdWJ0KY-b-so787jHWRDlfzH9Q6xMy_LfBSf-QpT0/w640-h640/IMG_8121.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cut a bunch of different pieces from the papers and then mixed and matched the layers until I got a combination that I liked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted some texture for the background. Looking through my scrap papers, I found this piece of kraft cardstock that I had stamped with white pigment ink ages ago. I thought it was perfect for my background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCTHRbUtEgxg0A19mUuVz5Gw_beslViaXiXEGWyabiSaHloIK5nTOWOxgfAb5yFYryIfFDAHSACequTQ7P9LNcU4fDBNgKzHTgP9s8Mq7U2n80KGZvIsQcgsPNYpzUargAZZHBTVsjiwLYwc5i86PoMBLpXOW2t32lqMCQdBuSMWrJuT1ymSmTyIqWkM/s2378/IMG_8126.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="2378" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCTHRbUtEgxg0A19mUuVz5Gw_beslViaXiXEGWyabiSaHloIK5nTOWOxgfAb5yFYryIfFDAHSACequTQ7P9LNcU4fDBNgKzHTgP9s8Mq7U2n80KGZvIsQcgsPNYpzUargAZZHBTVsjiwLYwc5i86PoMBLpXOW2t32lqMCQdBuSMWrJuT1ymSmTyIqWkM/w640-h480/IMG_8126.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The background was stitched to my card base, and then I arranged my flowers and leaves over top. The largest flower was adhered with one layer of foam tape, while the smallest was adhered with two layers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sentiment was popped up with foam tape as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU27bi-iu0mVdXaejfUSXUmNvlshVF868SfLzPS4kcilOtrV_-DH_Yl3C2H5x7V0-esgfkjxfUVMJBTET2CubefDLGZA8qU376-ULY7kQuR9jE2dCwNycxsWJSg-JbrP5IqpkiBnZgZrktxAohMy0dIpaogxyd1TedlhffGZwVwwxZbxks09VTAKzdYo/s3484/IMG_8127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2613" data-original-width="3484" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU27bi-iu0mVdXaejfUSXUmNvlshVF868SfLzPS4kcilOtrV_-DH_Yl3C2H5x7V0-esgfkjxfUVMJBTET2CubefDLGZA8qU376-ULY7kQuR9jE2dCwNycxsWJSg-JbrP5IqpkiBnZgZrktxAohMy0dIpaogxyd1TedlhffGZwVwwxZbxks09VTAKzdYo/w640-h480/IMG_8127.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really loved how this turned out. The patterns remind me of fabric, which got my brain turning in another direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Years ago the girls had some really fun barrettes created with patterns kind of like the ones above. I've got limited amounts of fabric, but I have lots of felt, so I pulled that out to create some barrettes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaT0ADd9V6XSSNynygsqqz3SjFhFhfEszU4Im1GY2aQPGJZFw82gJ0O6yNP8mxkx17tsVEEhsG456M139TIk_Yhgy4rSOEEavCFRX05tTA_WebXWTI-KSOAHKZIutXyOdUIrUCVOHYWYwAmVTzNpzjaAGoMuiwE_7JrUwx9497DrwJfcOrbASO5hW73Q/s1844/IMG_8145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="1844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaT0ADd9V6XSSNynygsqqz3SjFhFhfEszU4Im1GY2aQPGJZFw82gJ0O6yNP8mxkx17tsVEEhsG456M139TIk_Yhgy4rSOEEavCFRX05tTA_WebXWTI-KSOAHKZIutXyOdUIrUCVOHYWYwAmVTzNpzjaAGoMuiwE_7JrUwx9497DrwJfcOrbASO5hW73Q/w640-h640/IMG_8145.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The layers were cut from felt and tacked together in the center. To finish my flower, I used a large sequin at the top which I stitched around/through several times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsLiBYfmGnycDqB-cHLD6cvhSJAlKgadQ5DJA6aHlTthG1JT1Xn69Aw-WPKCPK3FmlH7cPLSXITGohSKcH22XFncvcFquou1Df6yrOMbz0OsVxNSHclRZArbpdFpf4LyGUyeRB-aB2JoHgnyEUBdwJm9aCbiFu-eUAqL_HYvMT6gTcLTztQpBhH8QL_o/s2470/IMG_8148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1853" data-original-width="2470" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsLiBYfmGnycDqB-cHLD6cvhSJAlKgadQ5DJA6aHlTthG1JT1Xn69Aw-WPKCPK3FmlH7cPLSXITGohSKcH22XFncvcFquou1Df6yrOMbz0OsVxNSHclRZArbpdFpf4LyGUyeRB-aB2JoHgnyEUBdwJm9aCbiFu-eUAqL_HYvMT6gTcLTztQpBhH8QL_o/w640-h480/IMG_8148.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The completed flower was then stitched to one of those snap type barrettes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I talked my daughter Ellie into modeling the barrettes for me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthQK2dByqa0rd78mCdhLbdfN7a4z0UPKQO4B5BWyu7o62FTVt1LYl-AvKQr6Os4huPu-v8u60QRvl8xfz085C6IMIYZILdRkblLCPv02kcA2Hnl792fydBNuAiVPzVf62O_c1V8hUv3U0u-8A5epFqg0CsXpuMKdkpoSI3wIK9EyKxzhxYCHqoLljXgE/s3772/IMG_8104.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2830" data-original-width="3772" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthQK2dByqa0rd78mCdhLbdfN7a4z0UPKQO4B5BWyu7o62FTVt1LYl-AvKQr6Os4huPu-v8u60QRvl8xfz085C6IMIYZILdRkblLCPv02kcA2Hnl792fydBNuAiVPzVf62O_c1V8hUv3U0u-8A5epFqg0CsXpuMKdkpoSI3wIK9EyKxzhxYCHqoLljXgE/w640-h480/IMG_8104.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImjGKFD8mV2ZKCR9VkkBuLWyPPVFtm3ua4NWsarWCawMXyUKoHg809p1aRQN9gAUEWQvosJNrKS-IJS9WjL2z8VKmgs0_z1wd8gASyRXKQlFAxcX5RN2ShzfHvZgrw9TNEPZlF70STV3mWHCfmqtR0AsQN35pomqM8d4cwRw45S3YyuWvvFC-tDMXH-A/s3030/IMG_8105.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2272" data-original-width="3030" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImjGKFD8mV2ZKCR9VkkBuLWyPPVFtm3ua4NWsarWCawMXyUKoHg809p1aRQN9gAUEWQvosJNrKS-IJS9WjL2z8VKmgs0_z1wd8gASyRXKQlFAxcX5RN2ShzfHvZgrw9TNEPZlF70STV3mWHCfmqtR0AsQN35pomqM8d4cwRw45S3YyuWvvFC-tDMXH-A/w640-h480/IMG_8105.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These were really quick and easy to put together, they would be a great gift for kids to make for siblings/cousins/aunts or a project/craft for Girl Scouts or a Sunday School class.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for me today. Your next stop on the hop is my good friend <a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/">Cheiron Brandon</a>. The full list is below if you need it. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win the $25 credit to the Simon store and good luck!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/diecember-2023-blog-hop-1/">Simon Says Stamp Blog</a><br /><a href="https://www.laurafadora.com/2023/12/02/diecember-release-blog-hop-6/">Laura Bassen</a><br /><a href="https://nicholspohr.com/must-see-coordinating-dies-for-tim-holtz-christmas-2023-stamps-simon-says-stamp-diecember-release-blog-hop-day-1/">Nichol Spohr</a><br /><a href="https://www.cathyzielske.com/2023/12/some-fun-new-dies-to-go-with-some-favorite-tim-holtz-cling-stamp-designs/">Cathy Zielske</a><br /><a href="https://btarayao.blogspot.com/2023/12/simon-says-stamp-diecember-release-blog.html">Barbara Tarayao</a><br /><a href="https://emilymidgett.com/2023/12/simon-says-stamp-diecemberr-release-blog-hop/">Emily Midgett</a><br /><a href="https://www.thepapermint.com/post/simon-says-stamp-diecember-2023-release-blog-hop-day-1">Keisha Charles</a><br /><a href="https://mindyeggendesign.com/2023/12/02/diecember-release-blog-hop-day-1/">Mindy Eggen</a><br /><a href="https://mprantner.blogspot.com/2023/12/sss-diecember-blog-hop.html">Miriam Prantner</a><br /><a href="https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2023/12/simon-says-stamps-diecember-release-blog-hop-day-1--1.html">Cheiron Brandon</a><br /><a href="https://www.handmadebyheatherruwe.com/2023/12/diecember-2023-release-blog-hop-day-1.html">Heather Ruwe</a><br /><a href="https://bobbihartdesign.com/2023/12/simon-says-stamp-diecember-blog-hop/">Bobbi Lemanski</a><br /><a href="https://bdengler4.blogspot.com/2023/12/simon-says-stamp-diecember-blog-hop-day.html">Barb Engler</a><br /><a href="https://www.studio-jd.com/ho3-and-a-blog-hop/">Jean Doeringsfeld</a>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-37947276986810487212023-12-01T00:00:00.115-05:002023-12-01T00:00:00.141-05:00SSS DieCember, Joyful Greetings<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UmG9H1X95n5rfem6CsP5AgmYMh4w267rqG_yxPEJ9I10-hiwgQKH3u-tQpUHyc4j6hTVHrAe71GJcoHeOPQFFIPXS8qWXLXs-JQGDl1dW07MhOVUhsVl0gW2WO9gAJXVX_cgT3rnW7ePIyF_GYw_ZBm2x6741v0TSeUgSYqJ-Fi634T99NaddI69Wis/s2463/IMG_8169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2463" data-original-width="2463" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UmG9H1X95n5rfem6CsP5AgmYMh4w267rqG_yxPEJ9I10-hiwgQKH3u-tQpUHyc4j6hTVHrAe71GJcoHeOPQFFIPXS8qWXLXs-JQGDl1dW07MhOVUhsVl0gW2WO9gAJXVX_cgT3rnW7ePIyF_GYw_ZBm2x6741v0TSeUgSYqJ-Fi634T99NaddI69Wis/w640-h640/IMG_8169.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy first day of DieCember! Have you checked out the new <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9m">DieCember release</a> from Simon Says Stamp? I've got a couple of items in this release including the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9p">Joyful Greetings</a> stamp set that coordinates with the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9r">Joyful</a> die released last month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This bold sentiment is the perfect focal point for a card, and when used with stencils creates nice flat mailable cards. I've got a few examples to share with you today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This first card features the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4acob">Village</a> stencils. The house layers were inked with <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9t">Bubblegum</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4b005">Morning</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9v">Sweets</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4acog">Twilight</a>. For the windows, I just placed the stencil over my panel, and used a white gel pen to fill in the windows. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2a2tJev4qG3OyGxFefIgZUNQG6mexNqYM-NcasK_Ee4CmVHEDPy_GvyCK6GkDIphrbNdJwzHBq11uhOCq3FBTdilYdi5pZS48pIIFbXt1awNNQvHu-rUBJ4MCtPIG4x4YKYnZi6kWVev6tA6cUzDRZSAAPxEw3M8djmuk6hRWsMb0vQQi95Nl8_X7b8/s4032/IMG_8172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2a2tJev4qG3OyGxFefIgZUNQG6mexNqYM-NcasK_Ee4CmVHEDPy_GvyCK6GkDIphrbNdJwzHBq11uhOCq3FBTdilYdi5pZS48pIIFbXt1awNNQvHu-rUBJ4MCtPIG4x4YKYnZi6kWVev6tA6cUzDRZSAAPxEw3M8djmuk6hRWsMb0vQQi95Nl8_X7b8/w640-h480/IMG_8172.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then stamped the main sentiment along with a couple of secondary sentiments with black Versa Clair ink in the center of my panel.</div><p></p><p>These next two cards feature the previously released <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9y">Berries and Leaves</a> stencil, one of my favorites!</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93-Sxyj4VB5KgeN5zCwi-vzBc_5ls80L0skahZx9KRXLxV0e3KVb4yjv3mrDGVbXXkmYL-PxRIYMNm5nb-nLgx_GTX-Xl3hMTBmYG9tnC-01Bk4507zDVViI0i2nZaa2vKCXd65uZfdYF26YS-dx0lmxrvAOuDRlSAvHbSb7u_oaJFgtC72BUTkt1gvA/s2764/IMG_8182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="2763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93-Sxyj4VB5KgeN5zCwi-vzBc_5ls80L0skahZx9KRXLxV0e3KVb4yjv3mrDGVbXXkmYL-PxRIYMNm5nb-nLgx_GTX-Xl3hMTBmYG9tnC-01Bk4507zDVViI0i2nZaa2vKCXd65uZfdYF26YS-dx0lmxrvAOuDRlSAvHbSb7u_oaJFgtC72BUTkt1gvA/w640-h640/IMG_8182.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did this two ways. First, very clean and simple. The stencil was placed over a blue panel and inked with Royal ink. I did add just a bit of additional <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bva0">Royal</a> inking around the edges of my panel, but not a ton.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used my heating to make sure all of the ink was dry so I wouldn't have any issues with stray embossing powder, and then embossed the sentiment in gold in the center of the wreath.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF-0XzVHxtyQzgqoe401_NbO2zCq1vTblYBEiDeu9BZjiAJJRPQPV6u46488bApLpYwR5033xkeNG9BAOgLDVgVNdEE8fZhiIec-vWooHTE-_zzyetyjxams_BaQaqU1bGyjMXR_e98xJIfXruPRt0TSwkYqGYjfb0JPMWP220sfS876jlKo6G8mwuwM/s2820/IMG_8185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2115" data-original-width="2820" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF-0XzVHxtyQzgqoe401_NbO2zCq1vTblYBEiDeu9BZjiAJJRPQPV6u46488bApLpYwR5033xkeNG9BAOgLDVgVNdEE8fZhiIec-vWooHTE-_zzyetyjxams_BaQaqU1bGyjMXR_e98xJIfXruPRt0TSwkYqGYjfb0JPMWP220sfS876jlKo6G8mwuwM/w640-h480/IMG_8185.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the green version of the card, I started by inking a panel in greens using <a href="https://shrsl.com/493o6">Fairway</a>, <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bva4">Field</a>, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/49f7f">Pine</a>. I was not trying to get a very deep rich color for this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once that was done, I placed the stencil over the panle, and using the same colors, inked through the stencil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFt1l-RgVcQDu2be9s0MQLZVtiuuLSJgdf7ammKMlnWt1dsTvhKTYYDk4fMJteu4pzSagH4KdEtL4dL9XhHWDN-Z9VKPHaf7UMwPmUGdK9pKZjrPqgPjF29wiSJCC8EiTfp7MKITDcG1NBL436HzK6JLNUeQ36jKp-8x9Dx4Yh3urT0AeVDM6yO_1yKI/s2972/IMG_8189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2229" data-original-width="2972" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFt1l-RgVcQDu2be9s0MQLZVtiuuLSJgdf7ammKMlnWt1dsTvhKTYYDk4fMJteu4pzSagH4KdEtL4dL9XhHWDN-Z9VKPHaf7UMwPmUGdK9pKZjrPqgPjF29wiSJCC8EiTfp7MKITDcG1NBL436HzK6JLNUeQ36jKp-8x9Dx4Yh3urT0AeVDM6yO_1yKI/w640-h480/IMG_8189.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After again ensuring that the panel was fully dried using my heat tool, I embossed the sentiment in gold.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I added a bit of gold splatter to finish things off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This last card features the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9x">Holy City</a> stencils.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are two 'sets' of stencils here, one which adds the buildings and trees, and a second that adds the windows. I offset these two sets vertically and VERY lightly inked each, lighter for the one that is higher on the panel, and slightly darker one that is lower and in the foreground.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2luXQ42IRwB7_5fO5V_mDC0UfwnhOCuVHpVA73vzu6PTHOaIzWy3C5uk5iBoKD6yhe2HucSvwTHVJinYE2S3RMfuHDNb8ezgl9NY49KZEveE_c7ahVN-GSpAps4eq9E8dxySmAs3g6T7vvfjF9VX5rLMNbs4pJ2GH4Ow001BuhTcXXAysvF_UHLwhhY/s2754/IMG_8190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2754" data-original-width="2754" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2luXQ42IRwB7_5fO5V_mDC0UfwnhOCuVHpVA73vzu6PTHOaIzWy3C5uk5iBoKD6yhe2HucSvwTHVJinYE2S3RMfuHDNb8ezgl9NY49KZEveE_c7ahVN-GSpAps4eq9E8dxySmAs3g6T7vvfjF9VX5rLMNbs4pJ2GH4Ow001BuhTcXXAysvF_UHLwhhY/w640-h640/IMG_8190.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's hard to pick up in the photo, but I also used the fourth stencil, the starry sky, at the top of my panel.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I used <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bva7">Cadette</a> for the card on the left, and <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bva0">Royal</a> for the one one on the right.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAw4w0N8e6U96lVGq6Xz2MGjCQ4YGOFlYAJvb5BXOtLSONck08gzvgPw9MG8s1GfspcBU4TaEEEvZXp1NoNWG9bXaemVJONNnl1rcYUB8wbZyMs8RQTn5WQhQyNIhRKQuKyjfj_9YvexXpLnPSlR-SatVRUc_CEIPx5wGn-2Fj3gDJJb8HN3uHv5Rvb0/s2772/IMG_8200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2079" data-original-width="2772" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAw4w0N8e6U96lVGq6Xz2MGjCQ4YGOFlYAJvb5BXOtLSONck08gzvgPw9MG8s1GfspcBU4TaEEEvZXp1NoNWG9bXaemVJONNnl1rcYUB8wbZyMs8RQTn5WQhQyNIhRKQuKyjfj_9YvexXpLnPSlR-SatVRUc_CEIPx5wGn-2Fj3gDJJb8HN3uHv5Rvb0/w640-h480/IMG_8200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sentiment was then embossed with silver ink.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">These were really very quick and easy to create.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Be sure to head over to <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bv9m">Simon</a> to check out the full release. lots of good stuff in there!</div><p></p>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-33615318120406814912023-11-29T06:00:00.039-05:002023-11-29T06:00:00.133-05:00Tim Holtz Festive Print Card Set<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRp6ZfxaeCNTd7Z_new63u-wsM2bYk0kuAGgHzKXno9DY1EriTBK805iQgZ4-WE2X802XE6r5ClAyiKANlwhm8xfRImhgtuTIwioVOaeL4iCTseyaFMTsWG5-pZgr5L0RHcSOcQQjX3F3nz83MOaLsAZ1f2pVqesMRGnjLysSvJ4GHNkp5Nqo_pmPAhE/s3024/IMG_8226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRp6ZfxaeCNTd7Z_new63u-wsM2bYk0kuAGgHzKXno9DY1EriTBK805iQgZ4-WE2X802XE6r5ClAyiKANlwhm8xfRImhgtuTIwioVOaeL4iCTseyaFMTsWG5-pZgr5L0RHcSOcQQjX3F3nz83MOaLsAZ1f2pVqesMRGnjLysSvJ4GHNkp5Nqo_pmPAhE/w640-h640/IMG_8226.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Super quick post and set of cards today featuring the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4brvl">Festive Print</a> stamp set from Tim Holtz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by inking up several panels with Distress Oxides. The upside of a crafty weekend with friends is that you get a lot done. The downside (at least for me) is that you write nothing down, so I'm honestly not sure exactly which colors I used on these, except there is definitely some Twisted Citron and Lucky Clover, but the rest of it gets a little hazy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, I did not actually mask off my inked areas, but rather used the large opening from the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4brvj">Printmaking Houses</a> stencil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_Im6GE2cqE5LyF0tDfDXMdzgJVYVB0VxWaZnUoJ3qBYQfbyuNA6IaaOqaTXMLLulghSIWzKjMDI296jw1gvq14-krjBJSxTWQG6OggE-BEoAC1ZOIsZASYZngSwSfQpwQ8M2Novyc9TCEhA86HJ1wg1R3ny-SZmj0Te-G679tge1gTgdNGEBhs9NO3E/s3278/IMG_8227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2459" data-original-width="3278" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_Im6GE2cqE5LyF0tDfDXMdzgJVYVB0VxWaZnUoJ3qBYQfbyuNA6IaaOqaTXMLLulghSIWzKjMDI296jw1gvq14-krjBJSxTWQG6OggE-BEoAC1ZOIsZASYZngSwSfQpwQ8M2Novyc9TCEhA86HJ1wg1R3ny-SZmj0Te-G679tge1gTgdNGEBhs9NO3E/w640-h480/IMG_8227.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Usually I prefer my regular Distress Inks over Oxides because they are more vibrant, but for pure blends where you want a really even blend, Oxides are definitely better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once my inking was done, I spritzed each of the panels with a bit of water, and then stamped the snowglobe images and sentiments with Versa Clair black ink.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-nzduMz-LcCFHTN-Ktion-YrOjMpGzviwhqSI-d5YiA_Q3kK-zh640DodM7a6vypEaSXqXB9vQtyjnc6duOZzgDCoYzew4K6rfzBr0Hy99EUKwT6cNeJyroPa6Az_AW8Y5kG4LMtm8Dees_bmLEBRuM6D8SCByl8Yzo02L_vhL7jsldy2d2QbWSM8WI/s3340/IMG_8230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2505" data-original-width="3340" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-nzduMz-LcCFHTN-Ktion-YrOjMpGzviwhqSI-d5YiA_Q3kK-zh640DodM7a6vypEaSXqXB9vQtyjnc6duOZzgDCoYzew4K6rfzBr0Hy99EUKwT6cNeJyroPa6Az_AW8Y5kG4LMtm8Dees_bmLEBRuM6D8SCByl8Yzo02L_vhL7jsldy2d2QbWSM8WI/w640-h480/IMG_8230.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each of the panels was adhered to the card base with foam tape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Really clean and simple, and you can definitely make a bunch of these in a hurry.</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2995470091480163833.post-83429072504710275542023-11-28T06:00:00.039-05:002023-11-28T06:00:00.137-05:00Waffle Flower Crafts, Postage Collage Christmas - Can You Spot the Error?<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-KmYSjMGFwNzp0jfeDyN1_uShQVTeUri3js7ri1mKIB4AeDps5nWjCc-VQMISyrjhE9ZW8IZG7xZbKzGDAUXNH9MQh_Ch6L7tj4Wfnxldb7Ma-khBc_Bu2WnZ-5-hzsL69p_5jFF08ZAAvmPLAiLOWGj02ZPtJO2ZDlXKODH4J8ddgPZWQbgig1BXz8/s1908/IMG_8048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-KmYSjMGFwNzp0jfeDyN1_uShQVTeUri3js7ri1mKIB4AeDps5nWjCc-VQMISyrjhE9ZW8IZG7xZbKzGDAUXNH9MQh_Ch6L7tj4Wfnxldb7Ma-khBc_Bu2WnZ-5-hzsL69p_5jFF08ZAAvmPLAiLOWGj02ZPtJO2ZDlXKODH4J8ddgPZWQbgig1BXz8/w640-h640/IMG_8048.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I'm preparing for the upcoming Simon Says Stamp DieCember release, I'm continuing to share cards from my recent crafty weekend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been wanting to try out the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bq5o">Waffle Flower Postage Collage</a> collection since it came out, and my friend JJ just happens to have all the products as she's on the Waffle Flower design team. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I first die cut the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bq5p">Postage Collage</a> die from white cardstock, and then added stenciling using the <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bq5n">Christmas Stencil</a> set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made liberal use of JJ's <a href="https://shrsl.com/4bq5t">Shader Brush</a> collection - those little babies are key when you're stenciling something with a lot of small areas and you want a little more control.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are four stencils in this set, and I used ink with the first three, and then gold paste for the last accent layer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0MXx26hbYSWWzSbZjOA21mbonUj6YCnc0hjNXssTDgkH4kkBdOOBESZrkNocypqvprVfiAxpQ_mwMyQEor0JOq3J5sA-af9lxO0NUumZLRLHHNz5_i2Mxi8UXC8QWUVSKbXNbXGxRR_Rvb3okiH-lxAJdrF-jrjYMKypXuS6V_rHJ2io-FrZX9ttnjU/s3724/IMG_8054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2793" data-original-width="3724" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0MXx26hbYSWWzSbZjOA21mbonUj6YCnc0hjNXssTDgkH4kkBdOOBESZrkNocypqvprVfiAxpQ_mwMyQEor0JOq3J5sA-af9lxO0NUumZLRLHHNz5_i2Mxi8UXC8QWUVSKbXNbXGxRR_Rvb3okiH-lxAJdrF-jrjYMKypXuS6V_rHJ2io-FrZX9ttnjU/w640-h480/IMG_8054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished things off with a simple gray mat and a sentiment from Waffle Flower's Subsentiment Christmas Tree set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, you've made it to the end of my post. Have you figured out the error on my card?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you said that the bottom two stamps are reversed, then you are correct! When I pulled these stencils out, I didn't realize there was another set in there. This was actually the initial prototype set. Before the design went final, they swapped the bottom left images with one another....it's a fun little peek at how products evolve during the design/production process.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for me today. Much more to share this week so stay tuned!</div>Miriam Prantnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07292390312513364928noreply@blogger.com0