Simon Says Stamp Die-Cember Release

Hi everyone!  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  I can't believe we're already in December! 

Today I'm showing off a card using one of the new dies in Simon Says Stamps' Die-Cember release.  This Shimmer Oval Die cuts a really love intricate pattern within an oval and also adds some stitched lines to the opening on the negative cut which gives it a really nice finished look.

I wanted a simple, rustic look for my card, so I started by cutting the oval from some white cardstock.  Because this is such an intricate die, it works best with a metal shim, but since I wanted all the pieces to stay intact for this layer, I simply cut it without a shim.

The design was then colored with Copics.

I then cut the die from some Primitive Cream cardstock (this time with a shim), and adhered it on top of the colored piece.  Because I knew that I was planning to do this, I could be a little lazier/sloppier with my coloring.

The negative cut was trimmed to 4" x 5 1/2", and then adhered to my card base.  The die cut oval was adhered directly to the card base as well.  Normally I would pop this piece up, but since this is going out in the mail, I wanted to try and keep it as flat as possible.

Because I wanted the focus to be on the die and didn't want to cover it up too much, I opted for some really simple skinny Thickers as well as a secondary sentiment (from the Neat & Tangled Art Deco set) stamped on one of Neat & Tangled's Skinny Strips dies which was popped up with foam tape.

Be sure to head over to Simon to check out the full release.  There are some really great things in there!

Neat & Tangled August Release - Floral Frame

Hey friends!  I'm sharing another project featuring Neat & Tangled's August birthday release today.  I'm using Elena's Floral Frame stamp set.  

I didn't have a great plan when I started this card - I just stamped the floral frame on a panel and colored it with Copics.  Once I was done coloring, I realized I used Chiristmassy colors and since I've been totally slacking on the Christmas card front, I decided to go with it.

The sentiments are from my Art Deco set.

This is definitely a design that you could mass produce, and it's nice and flat for mailing too.

That's all for me today.  I've got a couple more release projects to share with you guys, so I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Thank You Tags and Sale

Hey guys!  It's been quiet here this week.  Lots going on - some projects I can't share until later, including Neat & Tangled June release projects, and lots of designing happening.  Can you believe that we're already working on our last few releases of the year?  It's a little surreal to be working on Thanksgiving and Christmas product designs when school is still in session, but that's how the cycle goes.

Anyway, I really wanted to just make something for fun last the other night, and this is what I cam up with.

I started by cutting a couple of the large tags from the Classic Tag 2 set from Rustic White cardstock and then stamped them with the Art Deco background using Altenew Limestone ink.

Once that was done, I stamped one of the images from Altenew's Floral Shadow Stamp Set in Silver Stone ink.

I wanted to add a bit of detail to the image, so I added some gold accents with a gold Wink of Stella brush pen.

The sentiment is also from the Floral Shadow Stamp Set; I stamped it in Pure Graphite on one of the tags, but then it seemed a bit dark, so I used Industrial Diamond on the second tag.

I couldn't quite decide how to finish these off, so I split the baby.  The Classic Tag 2 set has a couple of dies that accent/reinforce the top of the tag.  On one tag I used just the round hole reinforcer in a gray cardstock.  On the other, I cut the larger reinforcement piece that covers the top of the tag from the gray cardstock and added a round reinforcer that I colored with the gold Wink of Stella.

These tags were quick and easy and using a MISTI perfect for mass producing, and I think they work well for a number of occasions.  You could certainly stamp a bunch of these out and then add the sentiments later.

Also, just wanted to let you know that there's a sale happening over at Ellen Hutson this weekend.  20% off any purchases over $75.  As I always like to remind folks, these sales are my favorite time to stock up on Copics.  Copics (including refills, nibs, accessories, etc.) are always 28% off at EH, and this sale will be on top of that, so  really good time to pick those up if you're in the market. 

That's all for me today, thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

*Affiliate links below to Ellen Hutson and in text to Neat & Tangled and Altenew stores.

Altenew Clear Stamps, Floral Shadow

Neat & Tangled Dies, Classic Tag 2

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Limestone

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Silver Stone

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Industrial Diamond

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Pure Graphite

Zig Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Tip Marker, Christmas Sparkle, Set of 3

Neat & Tangled May Release and Giveaways - Day 4

It's the final day of release reveals, and today I get to show off my newest cover plate and stencil design - Dimensional Triangles.  I am a huge fan of geometry based designs and I love the kind of optical illusion this design allows.  

For this first card I went very bright and bold and basic - magenta, yellow, and cyan.  The cover plate was cut using each of those colors and white to use as the webbing and then the colored pieces were inlaid.

The sentiment is from the Art Deco set and was embossed in white on the sentiment piece and then popped up over the panel.  Really easy to do, but what a great impact, right?

This next card was done in essentially the same manner, but this time I went with a monochromatic look using some Hero Arts layering papers since the papers are already matched and did not require me to go digging into piles of cardstock.

I also turned the cover plate 180 degrees so instead of looking kind of like triangular tunnels receding into the distance, these are more like pyramids.  Isn't it fun to see the differences? 

For the sentiment here I used the Square Thoughts stamps and dies.

This next card features the Dimensional Triangle stencil.  My Monday card featured the stencil for the background, but I wanted to create another card for today's post.

I placed my stencil on the paper panel and then using three different Distress Oxides (Wild Honey, Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple), masked off each diagonal stripe and added ink rotating between colors as I moved from stripe to stripe.  

Once that was done, I re-inked the stencil by masking off the stripes going in the other direction and again alternated the ink color I used for each stripe.  This gives a great gradation and variation in color.  

After removing the stencil, I spritzed the panel with water to get some extra texture and heat set the panel.  I then stamped the sentiment, from the Hello You set, in Versafine, clear embossed it, and popped the entire panel up over my card base.

I was kind of making this one up as I went along, but if I had to do it again, I would probably use Distress Ink instead of Oxide.  I think you would get a greater variation in color with the regular ink where the different shades overlap.

That's all for me today.  Don't forget that I'm selecting a few winners for some of my new release goodies including today's Dimensional Triangle products.  Just be a follower and leave a comment to be entered.  I'll be announcing winners tomorrow morning.

Head over to the Neat & Tangled blog too.  Danielle is giving away all today's featured products to a lucky commenter!

See you tomorrow when I'll announce the winners and recap this week's projects!

*Affiliate Links Below to Ellen Hutson in text to Neat & Tangled

Scotch Foam Mounting Tape

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Neat & Tangled Clear Stamps, Art Deco

Neat & Tangled Clear Stamps, Square Thoughts

Neat & Tangled Dies, Square Thoughts

Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad, Wild Honey

Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad, Abandoned Coral

Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad, Candied Apple

Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder, Clear

Art Deco + Mondo Peony

I've got a Neat & Tangled / Ellen Hutson mash up going on today.

I found another of these Mondo Peonies that I had colored (with Copics) way back in the craft room over the weekend and I thought that my Art Deco background would be the perfect backdrop for it.

The background in black and white really balances the boldness of the flower.  The embossed sentiment is from the Calathea set.

I love how easy this card is (once you color the flower, or find a colored flower that is).  I think it would be gorgeous with the background in a metallic finish and a softer more delicate flower as well.

Short and sweet today.  Come back tomorrow.  I've got something special planned ;)

*This post contains affiliate links for Neat & Tangled (in post text) and Ellen Hutson (below)

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Mondo Peony by Julie Ebersole

Neat & Tangled Clear Stamps, Art Deco

Neat & Tangled Clear Stamps, Calathea

Scotch Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape

Neat & Tangled May Release - Day 2 - Giveaways

Welcome back for Day 2 of the Neat & Tangled release.  I'm so so excited about today's post because you get to see my new Art Deco set.

I'm a little giddy about this one because this is one of those sets that makes cardmaking fast and easy, but with a huge impact.  My first card demonstrates this to a T.  I simply stamped/embossed in Princess Gold the background image, stamped a sentiment, and done.  Think how quickly you can pump these cards out, but they look so chic and professional.



For my next card, I went a little more soft and subtle.  The background was clear embossed on some watercolor paper and then I used one, just one, Distress Marker and a waterbrush to add the color.



To create that ombre look, I basically colored each section with the marker/waterbrush, but then went back in layers to create darker and darker sections.  So the lightest has just one wash, the mid-tone two washes, and the darkest is three.  It takes a bit of time, but it's not rocket since and the look is wonderful.



For the sentiment, I used the same marker, and my MISTI, and just colored the stamp with the marker and stamped it on the panel until I got enough coverage.  I very carefully used the waterbrush to soften the color just a bit as well.

I hope you're as excited about this set as I am!  Remember I'm giving away some products this week.  To be entered, leave a comment here.  For additional entries, share this post on Facebook, or repost my Instagram post today and leave an extra comment.  Be sure to head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see what the rest of the team created and to enter to win this set from Danielle too!  See you back here tomorrow!