SSS You Are Loved Release!

Hey guys!

Can ya believe it? I'm blogging again already. I know it's weird but I'm excited to be back with another release from Simon Says Stamp. Yes, even though we're still celebrating DieCember, Simon has come out with another fabulous release called, You Are Loved!

I received some products but only had a few days to create with this surprise release, so needless to say, my cards are clean and simple but I still love them. I hope you do too!

First up is this card using the, "Always and Forever" stamp and die set. I did some shading with Antique Linen Distress Ink inside the circle and did some very simple coloring on the champagne classes with Copic Markers. The sentiment is included in the set too.

I think this next one has to be the simplest card I've ever created. Lol! I used the inlaid die cutting technique for a one layer card. I added dimension by adding a bit of shading on the letters. This is a die set called, "Ornate Love." There's also a coordinating stamp set but I didn't have it so just used the dies.  

 This set also comes with a "love you" die and three nested heart dies.

My third card is a fun one. The die is called, "Windows to My Heart." There are so many fun ways you could use this die! I decided to back it with some glitter cardstock then I added some snowflakes and sequins for a wintery love card.

I was also able to play with one of the three gorgeous cling background stamps from the release. It's called, "Damask Background." I inked it up with two different Distress Inks, spritzed it with some water and stamped it onto my panel. I always love how this technique turns out! And adding glitter never hurts either! And I used the "LOVE" from the Ornate Love set again.

I received one more stamp set that I haven't had a chance to play with yet, so I'll be back soon to show you that card. It's a gorgeous set and I'm really looking forward to inking it up!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I always appreciate your visits and comments.

I've listed all the new products below in the affiliate links. I'm so thankful to those of you who use those links to shop. It doesn't cost you anything extra to use them and it helps me continue to share my cards using the products I love! If you need more info about my affiliate links, click here.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! ♥

It's a DieCember Blog Hop With Simon Says Stamp!

Hey Guys!

Welcome to my stop on the Simon Says Stamp, DieCember Blog Hop!

If you're following along, you should've arrived here from the amazing, Heather Hoffman and her blog, Houses Built of Cards. If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, click here to go to Simon's blog.

I'm so glad DieCember is here! It's an awesome month, filled with inspiration, fabulous fun and lots of brand new dies from Simon Says Stamp!

I was sent some new dies to play with and I'm excited to share my cards with you but first, we need to take care of some important stuff! 

Right now, through December 29th, 11:59pm EST, and while supplies last, Simon is giving away this adorable stamp set FREE with ANY purchase! Whoop! Just use code: DCMBR27 at checkout.

Also, did you know Simon has card galleries on their blog where you can link up your cards for everyone to see? There is so much inspiration in each gallery and there's a new one just for DieCember products! You can find that one here. If you've used any Simon brand product on your creations, head over to the galleries and choose the one that coincides with the products you've used, then link it up! You can link to your blog, Instagram, Flickr or even Facebook, as long as your post is set to "public."

 Simon Brand Galleries

And one more thing. Simon is giving away a $25 gift card from the comment sections of every stop along the hop! Just leave a comment to enter! They'll announce the winners on their blog December 12th!

Whew! Now that all the business is taken care of, let's get to some inspiration! By the way, I recently realized, I've totally become a clean and simple cardmaker. Or maybe I always was? Lol! You'll see what I mean when ya start scrolling down.

All products used are listed below in the affiliate links at no cost to you.

For my first card, I used the adorable new, Big Picture Book Otter. He is just the cutest! I first tried coloring him with Copics but didn't love it, so I made another one, using the same design but with sparkly cardstock instead.

My next card uses the beautiful die called, Ice Skating Girl. I love her! I die cut her three different times, in neutral cardstocks and offset them just a bit to give her some motion. And do you see that pretty edge on the right? That's another new die called, Bixby Border. I thought it was perfect for the skater.

 
Here's another Big Picture Book die - the Cinnamon Bun. Gah! Isn't it fun?! I left this one really simple too, just adding some embossed lines on the bottom and a large sentiment at the top. I did a bit of coloring with Zig Markers and used Glossy Accents for some shine on the frosting.

 
I love how this next one turned out! Very CAS again. The Bixby Background die is so pretty! And blue and purple always look beautiful together, don't ya think?

 
Okay, last one. This die is called, Mod Leaf Oval and it's a beauty! I used two Distress Oxide Inks for the background - Tumbled Glass and Bundled Sage - love how pretty they look together! Once again, I offset two dies, one cut in white and one cut in a light blue cardstock.

That's it for me - I hope I've given you some inspiration for DieCember! Next up on the hop is the very talented, Laurie Willison and her blog, Soapbox Creations.

Thanks so much for stopping by! ♥

DieCember Products:

  Other products used:

SSS Fun and Festive Release!

Hey guys!

I'm back with another release from Simon Says Stamp and it's fantastic! It's called, Fun and Festive and it really is just that! 

This release is filled with so many awesome products for your holiday cardmaking! You can click here to check out all the new goodies, or click the products listed below, in the affiliate links.

I've got lots of cards to share with you today, created with some of the new release products, which were so generously sent to me.

My first card uses the adorable, Big Picture Book Puppy Die and a new stencil called, Lined Circles.

I cut the puppy from white cardstock and colored him using Copic Markers. I love his sweet, little tongue sticking out! I used some coordinating colors of Distress Inks to ink up the stencil for a fun background.

And since I had some ink left over on the stencil, I added a little more, then spritzed it with a bit of water, placed it carefully over another white panel and pressed gently all around. The results of this technique are always cool!

The sentiment on the card above is from another new die called, You're So Kind. I love that it cuts out a perfect strip so you can use the negative or positive die cuts, by themselves, or use both, like I did.

My next card uses a beautiful set called, Mele Kalikimaka. In case you couldn't guess, that's Hawaiian for Merry Christmas. This set has a gorgeous wreath image, filled with shells and a big bow.

I wanted to keep this one soft and pretty so I used very light-colored Copic markers with just a hint of shading and some added sparkle for the bow. There are so many other techniques you could use with this stamp set!

There's also a delightful new stamp set called Winter Scene and it is so fun to play with!

I added an extra, snowy hill so I could fit more of the adorable images onto my card and colored everything with Copics.

And this, Snowflake Tags die is a must for quick and easy gift tags for your smaller packages! These dies cut out a snowflake, which you can use separately, so of course I wanted to use them on a card too.

Two simple tags on the right but I used Alcohol Inks for the background of my card, adding some beautiful shimmer here and there, by just rubbing a small piece of foil onto the still sticky portions of the Alcohol Inked panel. I then cut the snowflakes from vellum and adhered them, adding coordinating sequins for a finishing touch. I love how it turned out!

I hope I've given you some inspiration on how to use some of the products from this fabulous new release! 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it! ♥

 

WINNER From Altenew's Refresh Your Alcohol Markers Blog Hop!

Hey guys!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my post. I loved reading each of them! You are all so sweet and I really appreciate the love and support!

The winner of the Altenew $20 gift card, randomly selected from the comments is. . . . . . .

 

Big congrats, Michele!!! Please send an email to winner@altenew.com with the subject “Altenew Refresh Your Alcohol Markers Release Blog Hop Winner from Barb Engler's Blog” by 9/30/18 to receive your gift certificate!

Thanks again, everyone! ♥♥♥
 

Refresh Your Alcohol Markers Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Hey guys!

I'm so happy and excited to be a part of the Altenew, Artist Marker Refills blog hop!

Welcome to my stop on the hop. I'm so glad you're here! You should've arrived here from my wonderful, sweet and talented friend, Virginia's blog. If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, click here to be taken to the Altenew blog.

Let's take care of some business first and then I'll share my cards with you.

Prizes:
Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to six lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog by Wednesday, September 26th, for a chance to win. The six winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 9/29/2018.

Wait - that's not all! Altenew is generously letting me give away a $20 gift certificate too! To enter to win, just leave a comment below and I will randomly choose a winner from all the comments and announce that winner here on my blog on September 26, 2018. 

And to celebrate this blog hop even more, Altenew is running a marker sale! Save 15% off on All Artist Markers from 9/20/2018 at 12:01 EDT until 9/22/2018 at 11:59 PM EDT. No code needed to enjoy this sale! (Excluding refills and brush nibs.) Not valid on previous purchases.

Okay, I've created two cards for today, using both the Artist Markers and Artist Marker Refills. All products used are listed below, in the affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. 

I was sent a set of refills to play with and I had so much fun! And by the way, don't ya love their pretty packaging? 💙

My first card uses bold colors to create a cool background with the Artist Marker Refills. They work beautifully on Yupo Paper!

I just added a sentiment strip and the card was done.


I used softer colors on my second card for a wispier background.

I colored the flowers with Artist Markers and as with my first card, the background was created using the Refills. I popped up the flowers and added the sentiment strips to finish the card.

I hope I've inspired you and given you some ideas for using Altenew's Artist Markers and refills! The next stop on the hop is Enza Gudor at her blog, Creative Findings. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! ♥

                    
                    Affiliate links to Artist Markers and refills:


                        Affiliate links to other products used:
 

It's a STAMPtember Blog Party!

Hey guys!

I'm back today with a post for Simon Says Stamp's STAMPtember blog party! There are a lot of designers posting today and each one of us has a different coupon code for you to use to get free products - yay! Think of it as a scavenger hunt for some fun, free stuff! It all starts on Simon's blog where you'll find a list of everyone who is participating in the party.

Yesterday, I shared a card with the adorable, Big Picture Book Fox. If you'd like to see that card, you can click here. And if you haven't seen Simon's huge, STAMPtember release, go check it out because it's amazing and filled with so many fantastic products! I've also added them below, in the affiliate links. It won't cost you any extra by using the links, it just helps me continue to create and to share new products with you in the future. I really appreciate your support!

I've got four more cards to share with you today and not one of them involves flowers! I know - shocking - but they're still fun and I loved creating them. I went very simple with each one because I really wanted to showcase the adorable images. I will not be linking every product I used on my cards, just the release products below. So, if you have any questions, just ask in the comments and I'll answer as soon as I can. Okay, let's get started!

On the first two cards, I used the Hip Ginger stamp and die set. Oh, my goodness, this set is the cutest! I created one for fall and one for winter.

Aren't they adorable? I love how you can stamp and color the gingerbread man, along with the clothes and accessories, then add the different outfits depending on the theme of your card. So fun! The sentiment I used is from an older SSS set.

My next card uses the Festive Trees stamp and die set.

 

I colored the embossed trees with Copic Markers but this set, which comes with four different trees, would look awesome with watercolors too!

Last up is cupcakes! I used the Picture Book cupcake die, cutting out three of them so I'd have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry frosting!

I colored them with Copics, added some shimmer to the frosting and topped them with sprinkles, of course! They make me happy! The two sentiments on this card are from older sets.

Here's my coupon code for you to use during checkout over at Simon Says Stamp. This one is a "free with any purchase" code and it's a $5.00 value.

Here's a larger photo of the sticker sheet.

They are puffy, shiny and actually have little stars inside for the shaker element. They're really cute and would be perfect for all your projects with little ones in mind!

I hope you're enjoying the start of STAMPtember! I placed an order from the release, so as soon as those goodies arrive, I'll be back to share more.

Have fun looking for more surprises throughout the blog party and thanks so much for stopping by! ♥

STAMPtember is Here!!!

Hey guys!

Happy STAMPtember!!! 

This is always such a fun month! I don't know about you but I look forward to it all year! 

To kick things off, Simon just posted a HUGE new release with amazing products! I've linked them all below for easy access, so you can check them out and shop if you'd like. I used affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

I have one card to share tonight but I'll be back Sunday morning with a post for the STAMPtember blog party. 

I love Simon's Picture Book series and this, Big Picture Book Fox is the cutest! I just cut him out from white cardstock, colored him with Copic Markers and popped him on the panel. So easy! The sentiment is an older die, also from Simon. Wouldn't that be fun to give to a little boy for his birthday?

Make sure to stop back here on Sunday because I've got more cards to share and a surprise gift for you guys! The blog party is sort of like a scavenger hunt, where all the participants will have different codes for you to use for specials, free products and more! How fun is that?!

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

 

Rubeena's Craftiversary Blog Hop DAY TWO + Giveaways

Hey guys, 

Welcome to Rubeena’s Crafting Anniversary 2-Day Blog Hop! 
 

I'm so honored and excited that Ruby asked me to be a part of this celebration! The hop is huge with more than 70 guests and over $1,000 in sponsored prizes! Wow! Here is the prize list. Amazing, right?!

Studio Katia – $50 gift card

Hello Bluebird – $50 gift card

Altenew – $50 Gift card

Pinkfresh Studio – $30 gift card

Gina K. Designs – $50 gift card

Clearly Besotted – £25 gift card

Simon Says Stamp – $25 gift card

Spellbinders Card Kit ($55 value)

Jennifer McGuire – $50 Simon Says Stamp gift card

Winnie & Walter, LLC – $40 gift card

Mama Elephant – $25 gift card

Hero Arts – $25 gift card

Nichol Spohr LLC – Custom-sewn rainbow pencil case + 6 Spellbinders die collections (estimated $115 value)

Danielle Flynn – $25 Simon Says Stamp gift card

Picket Fence Studios – four $25 gift cards

Ellen Hutson – two $25 gift cards

Pretty Pink Posh – two $30 gift cards

The Stamp Market – July 2018 Release (estimated $100 value)

Indigojade Art Shop – $50 gift card to Art Prints & Gifts Shop

Flora & Fauna – a 4×6 stamp set

Waffle Flower – $25 gift card
Power Poppy – $50 gift card

Winners will be randomly selected from the comments left on all the blogs and will be announced here on Wednesday, September 5th. Winners will have 2 weeks to contact Ruby at: ararerubycrafts@gmail.com to claim their prize, before another winner is selected.

If you're following along the hop, you should have arrived here from my talented friend, Laurie Willison's blog. You can find the full hop list on Ruby's blog.

We're not only celebrating Ruby's fourth year since she first discovered cardmaking, we're also celebrating this amazing hobby of ours. It's an industry made up of wonderful people who are not only creative and talented, they are kind, giving and incredibly supportive of each other! I'm so happy you're hopping along so you can learn about why we create and how much joy it brings us!

Without going into too much detail, I started cardmaking in 2010 after scrapbooking for a few years first. I was immediately hooked and never looked back. 

I love this hobby for so many reasons. Yes, like many of you, it is a great stress reliever. To sit down and stamp, or color, or just play with inks, is such a joy and always makes me feel better. But even more important than that are the friendships I've made. I've met so many amazing people, online and in person because of this hobby and gosh, I am so grateful to be able to call them my friends! And even though I don't get to see them very often, we all remain friends and know that we are here for each other, always. Love that!

Okay, enough about me, let's celebrate Ruby and her amazing talent! Seriously, that girl can color and create like no other! And she also has the sweetest personality, always thinking of others, so kind and caring. Love ya, Ruby! Congrats on 4 years!

I've created two cards for today's celebration. All the products used will be listed in the affiliate links at the bottom of this post.

My first card uses the, "Beautiful Heart" stamp set from Altenew.

I colored the flower and leaves with Copic Markers, fussy cut them out and adhered them to a softly blended card base, then added some splatters, along with a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp.

For my second card, I used the, "Even More Spring Flowers" stamp and die set from Simon Says Stamp.

After coloring the images with Copics, I cut them out using the matching dies and adhered them onto the embossed glitter panel. Love that glitter cardstock from Simon!

Thanks so much for visiting me today! The next stop on the hop is the amazingly talented, Janette Kausen's blog!

Happy hopping! ♥