...Enjoying Life...: 2020

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

SSS DieCember Release Blog Hop Day 1!

Hey guys!

Today, I'm excited to be a part of the Simon Says Stamp DieCember release blog hop!

DieCember is such a fun month and Simon always starts it out with a dies-only release. It's filled with so many amazing dies! There's something for everyone!

FREE GIFT:

As you can see from the banner above, Simon is giving away a free American Crafts Christmas Tag Kit, with any purchase, while supplies last. Use code JINGLE at checkout. Offer expires on 12/4, at 11:59pm EDT.

GIVEAWAY:

Simon is also giving away a $25 gift certificate at every stop along the hop, from the comment sections! Be sure to leave a comment below for a chance to win. Simon will announce the winners on their blog, on Wednesday, December 9th.

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.

MY CARDS: All products are listed below in the affiliate links, at no cost to you.

I had lots of fun playing with some of the new dies! For this first card, I used the Paper Hugs die. I cut out two of them so I could create a shadow effect. Then I just did a little ink blending and paired it with an embossed gray background. So quick and easy!

For my next card, I used the Sneaky Kitties die. It's a "line die" so it cuts all the way across. It's difficult to see in the photo but I actually took the negative portion of the die and then cut away each kitty, quickly colored them with Copic markers and then I paper-pieced them back into the negative spaces. So fun!

I must admit, this next one was tough for me. And it was not because of the product, it was me! I think I made three cards and threw them all away before deciding that this one was okay. (still don't love it) Does that ever happen to you? It was frustrating but it's a beautiful die when you use it correctly! *cough, cough* Anyway, It's the Sunflower Petals die set and I have seen some AMAZING cards done already from some of Simon's other designers!

Can ya see a theme here? I guess I've been on a gray kick recently. Not sure why but I'm loving all the grays lately. And even though this next card doesn't have any gray, the blues I used are definitely grayish-blues - ha! I used the Simple Stem die and cut it out several times to create a sprig of leaves. I colored the white diecuts with Copics. The hugs die is also a new release product and is from the Small Script Trio die set. That set also comes with a "thanks" die and a "loved" die.

Okay, so that's it for my stop on the hop. Don't forget to stop by Simon's blog again tomorrow for day 2 of the hop! There is so much more inspiration coming your way!

I hope I've given you a few ideas on how to use some of the awesome products in this release! Next up is the fabulously talented Lea Lawson!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog

Yana Smakula

NEW RELEASE PRODUCTS AND OTHER PRODUCTS USED: affiliate links used at no extra cost to you.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Guest Designing With Concord & 9th!

Hey guys!

I am so excited, honored and grateful to be guest designing this month for Concord & 9th!

For our first Feature Friday post, guest designers are sharing projects they created using the Postmarked Turnabout stamp set and the Snail Mail Bundle stamp and die set.

Winter has arrived here in Minnesota, bringing cold temps and snow, and I'm already missing seeing color around me, so I thought I'd use some fun, bright colors to stamp the Postmarked Turnabout stamp.

I also used the adorable snail image, some dies and a sentiment from the Snail Mail Bundle stamp and die set. These colors make me happy!

I love that Concord & 9th has beautiful ink colors that match their fabulous cardstock! And if you haven't tried their Turnabout stamp sets yet, you really should! It's a brilliant product idea, there are so many different ones to choose from and they're very easy to use!

For my second card, I kept it neutral, using only gray and white, along with the Snail Mail stamp and die set.

I haven't used the shadow stamping (or off-set stamping) technique in a long time but I always love the results! All you need is a white pigment ink and another dark colored ink. I used C&9's Mushroom ink and cardstock. Give this technique a try! It gives a dimensional look without any dimension. So fun!

I hope you've enjoyed these cards today! A big thank you to Lindsie and Concord & 9th for inviting me to guest design this month and thanks for stopping by!

Product's used with affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Friday, October 9, 2020

SSS Make Merry Release Blog Hop Day 1!

Hey guys!

Welcome to my stop on the Simon Says Stamp, Make Merry release blog hop!

If you'd like to start at the beginning of today's hop, click here to be taken to Simon's blog.

I'm excited to share my cards with you today! This release is amazing with so many fun products to choose from! First, let's get some business out of the way.

FREE GIFT:
As you can see from the banner above, Simon is giving away a free bottle of Stickles Festive Glitter Glue, with any purchase, while supplies last. Use code FSTV25 at checkout. Offer expires on 10/11, at 11:59pm EDT.

GIVEAWAY:

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 Make Merry Gallery. There is so much inspiration to see! I encourage you to check them out and add your own cards/projects.

MY CARDS: All products are listed below in the affiliate links, at no cost to you.

Gosh, I had fun playing with some of the new goodies from this release! On my first two cards I used the Falling Snow Acetate Sheets. They are so cool! I own a cheap laminator and I was worried that it would ruin the acetate sheets but it worked beautifully! I love how the first card turned out, so I used the negative portion to make another one. So fun!

My next card is simple but it makes an impact with the gorgeous Bold Merry Christmas stencil! I just used some Distress Oxide Inks and splatters.

Next up is is the adorable Feline Like Christmas Spinners stamp set. I didn't make a spinner card but I did enjoy creating a cute outdoor scene with a skating rink and falling snow. Eeeeep!

Now for some beautiful leaves. This cling stamp is called, All Leaves. I scribbled some different colored Zig markers directly onto the stamp, spritzed it with some water and then stamped. I love the organic results!

Last but not least is the adorable Deco Hat Gnome. This die set is delightful! I decided to create a gift tag with it. Isn't he the cutest?! So many possibilities with this set of dies!

I hope I've given you a few fun ideas on how to use some of the new products from this awesome release! Don't forget to check out Simon's blog tomorrow for day 2 of the hop.

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog <<YOU ARE HERE!

New release products:

affiliate links used at no extra cost to you

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

It's a STAMPtember Blog Party!

Happy STAMPtember, you guys!!!

It's the best month of the year! Let's party! Let's celebrate our collective love of stamping! Let's have fun, be inspired and enjoy this wonderful hobby of ours! I'm ready and I hope you are too!

WHAT IS STAMPTEMBER?

If this is your first STAMPtember, I am so excited for you! STAMPtember is a month long celebration of our love of stamping. There will be a blog post every single day of the month over on Simon's blog with contests, prizes, exclusive collaborations with your favorite stamp companies, special promotions, announcements, and more!

STAMPtember always starts with a bang, with Simon Says Stamp releasing a HUGE number of amazing products on the first day! I had so much fun playing with some of them! I'm excited to share my cards with you but first here's a code for a free stamp set!

FREE GIFT:

There are codes for lots of different free products at every stop of the STAMPtember blog party! It's like a scavenger hunt, so be sure to keep your eye out for all the codes! Head over to Simon's blog if you want to start at the beginning of the party, and for a full list of participating blogs.

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 STAMPtember Gallery. There is so much inspiration to see! I encourage you to check them out and add your own cards/projects.

MY CARDS: All products are listed below in the affiliate links, at no cost to you.

Okay, let's get to the inspiration! First up is a pretty set of three cards I created using the Floating Leaves stencil. This stencil is a big one, so it can be used on a slimline cardbase, as well as an A2 size card. Love that! I used some yummy Distress Oxide Inks for an easy blend of colors!

My next two cards showcase the beautiful, Etched Laurel Leaves die set. For a bit of added texture in the background, I used an older stencil and some clear embossing paste to create the circles.

And I paired the same die with the gorgeous, Detail Ringlet Plate for this card. Love the elegance!

Okay, this next one is just plain fun! I love the Mix and Match Circles stamp set! The possibilities are endless with the many images in this set. I only used four of them for my card and stamped them with some of my favorite Simon ink colors!

And last up is this cutie. The Halloween People stamp set is adorable! And I created the background with the Circle Pattern Cling stamp. I white embossing it and added some Halloween colors with more Distress Oxide Inks. So fun!

Enjoy the rest of the blog party! I hope I've given you some inspiration using some of the new STAMPtember products!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

New Release products and other products used:

affiliate links used at no extra cost to you

Friday, August 7, 2020

SSS Let's Connect Release Blog Hop!

Hey guys!

Welcome to my stop on day 1 of the Simon Says Stamp, Let's Connect release Blog Hop! I'm so happy you're here! It's an amazing release with so many fun products!

If you'd like to start at the beginning of today's hop, click here to be taken to Simon's blog.

FREE GIFT:
As you can see from the banner above, Simon is giving away a free Gina K. Designs Dot Runner with any purchase, while supplies last, if you shop during the blog hop! Use code GLUE at checkout. Offer expires on 8/9, at 11:59pm EDT.

GIVEAWAY:

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 Let's Connect gallery. There is so much inspiration to see! I encourage you to check them out and add your own cards/projects.

MY CARDS: All products are listed below in the affiliate links, at no cost to you.

My first card uses the gorgeous, "Drawn Daisies" cling stamp. I couldn't wait to do a little water coloring with my Karin Markers, after white embossing the flowers.

These next cutie patooties are from the, "Unicorn Love" stamp set. There are several adorable images included in this set, giving you a ton of options for creating lots of fun cards! I just used simple Copic coloring to create a birthday card.

Okay, so this next stamp set is the cutest! It's called, "Gnome School." If you love gnomes, this one's for you. And I love the playful sentiments, making it even more fun. Especially for all those homeschooling moms and kids out there right now! Or should I say gnomeschooling? (hee, hee!)

My next card features the beautiful, "Detail Petal Plate." I have so many ideas for this one. It might look like this took a long time but it really was fairly quick to color and I love how it turned out!

And this pretty die is called, "Poppy Stem." I just cut out a bunch of them from white cardstock, colored them with Copic markers and adhered them to a black, slimline card base. The white splatters give it a bit more texture.

I hope I've given your some fun ideas on how to use some of the new products from this Fabulous release! Don't forget to check out Simon's blog tomorrow for day 2 of the hop. Thank you so much for stopping by!

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog