SSS DieCember Blog Hop!

Hey guys!

Welcome to my stop for day 1 of the Simon Says Stamp DieCember blog hop! You should've arrived here from the very talented Gayatri and her blog, Handmade By G3. If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, head to Simon's blog here.

I love DieCember! It's a month long celebration of die cutting with special features, sales, education and inspiration that focus on die cutting and it all starts with Simon's exclusive, new release!

I'm so excited you're here and I can't wait to share my cards with you but first, we need to take care of some important business.

FREE GIFT:
As you can see in the graphic above, Simon is giving away an adorable, exclusive enamel pin, free with any purchase! How fun is that?! You can choose which pin you'd like and use the corresponding code at checkout. This gift is valid until 12/8 at 11;59pm ET, or while supplies last.

GIVEAWAY: 
Simon is also giving away a $25 gift certificate at every stop along the hop, from the comment sections! Be sure leave a comment below for your chance to win! They'll announce all the winners on Wednesday, December 11th, on their blog.

SIMON GALLERIES:
Did you know Simon has card galleries for each of their releases and their card kits, and even a video gallery? It's true and you can add your very own cards and projects to these galleries! Here's a link to all the Simon Brand Galleries and here's the link to the new, DieCember Gallery. There is so much inspiration to see! I encourage you to check them out and add your own cards/projects!

CARDS:
Okay, let's get to my cards because I know that's why you're all here - to see some inspiration. I had so much fun playing with some of the new products!

For my first card, I used the, "Hello Crafty Friend" die set. It's perfect for all your crafty friends, near or far! My background was created using Alcohol Pearl Inks.

I created another card with the same die set but this time I also used the matching background die. This one is clean and simple. Just a bit of shading with some Distress Oxide Ink.

This next die set could be used for so many special people in your life. Whether it's your spouse, partner, a sibling, or a close friend, they'd love to receive a card with this sentiment! It's called, "The Best Is Yet To Come." I used an older stencil, with some pretty shading, for the background.

While I had that stencil out and before I cleaned it, I spritzed the remaining ink with some water, took a watercolor card panel and laid it on top of the wet stencil. It's a fun technique! The die for this one is designed by Cathy Zielske for Simon and I love the simple yet bold letters! I don't know about you but I can never have enough "Thank You" dies! It also comes with a matching background.

Next up is the, "Burst" die and it's a fun one! So many possibilities with this one! I used Alcohol Pearl Inks again for a fun and striking look!

 Here's a different angle so you can see the shimmer from the gold.

Okay, last card, I promise! ;) For this one I used the beautiful "Winter Wishes Circle Die," along with one of the many dies from the "A7 Thin Frames" die set. I also added some leaves from an older set. More Distress Oxide Ink and some white splatters make for a pretty card!

That's it for me. I hope I've given you a bit of inspiration for using some of the new DieCember products. Thank you for your visit! I appreciate it so much!  

Day 2 of the hop will be this coming Friday, December 6th.

Your next stop on the hop is the wonderful, Lea Lawson at her blog, Lea Lawson Creates. 

Enjoy the rest of the hop!

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