The August Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp has a fun Moroccan tile stencil in it, so I bought some embossing paste to try with it, and here is the result when combined with some of the patterned paper and the flair from the same kit. Hopefully you can see it in the photo. I am impressed that my first try was not a total disaster! I’m also surprised that the finish on this once it dries is not shiny or smooth - it has a very nice, somewhat rough texture.

I think you can add color to the paste in a variety of ways, so I am going to have to explore that! Either way, this is one heck of a fun kit!

Suzanne

A friend came over tonight for dinner and the plan was to craft a little but we accomplished nothing, so I made this card really quick after she left. I used my Simon Says July Card Kit and was inspired by this week’s sketch at Retro Sketches. Things just go so quickly when I am not making a mess with my stamps!

I worked at home today because I woke up to some absolutely crazy storms that ended up lasting all day (I am somewhat scared to get on the highway when it’s pouring rain like that) - we are okay, but some streets are reported to be under 3 feet of water tonight! The last time it rained like this, I remember seeing some people canoeing down the street…

XO,
Suzanne

I am back in action today with a card for Summer Card Camp 2 - I fell a little behind this week but I am committed to catching up by Monday. For day 2, I was inspired by Tami Hartley’s card on which she used acrylic paints and a stencil to create a fun background. A little hiccup for me, though, was that I don’t have any stencils or acrylic paint.

Instead, I thought I would use the negative diecut from my Lil’ Inker Pieced Chevron die and some spray mist to create a background, and then I stamped the Hero Arts houses across the front using Memento Luxe ink, which stamps like a dream. I added some pink hearts and a paper strip, as well as some yellow enamel dots. Those hearts were diecut using a SImon Says hearts die and the sentiment comes from their Like Your Style stamp set.

Have a fun day!

Suzanne

Just sharing a card that I made a few weeks ago and had to wait to post until the Lil’ Inker stitched circles were released. I combined those dies with some Fancy Pants papers and this stamp set from Simon Says to make this simple card - I think the yellow is so fun!

I’m heading back to work today after 3 weeks off. Wish me luck, pretty please!

Suzanne

Happy Wednesday! I’ve made another project using Avery Elle’s Simply Tags: Everyday stamps and dies, designed by the one and only Nina Yang! These tags are the perfect size - not too small, not too big at 2.75×1.5 inches in size. I embellished this project using some Glitz patterned paper and Simon Says Stamp wooden hearts and dotted kraft envelope.

So cute, just like Nina! Thanks for stopping by!

Suzanne

I have been a bad card class student and am playing catch-up on my homework! I was inspired by Shari Carroll’s video on Day 4 of Pattern Play, so tonight I made this card using the March Simon Says Stamp card kit.

I combined 3 patterned papers and lots of stickers on this one, and no stamps! I was inspired by this week’s CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, but I am not really sure this qualifies as CAS - what do you think? Yay or nay, please help me decide! Edited to add: CFC girls…I linked up, but you are free to give me the boot if this isn’t quite CAS enough.

How was your day? I went to breakfast this morning with my family for my sisters’ birthday, to a place that is only a couple miles down the road, but have not visited in nearly 9 nine years! I think I need to start going there more often - the pancakes were divine! I was able to squeeze in some work, and spend the afternoon shopping with my hubby…so fun!

All in all, a pretty good day!
Suzanne

Happy Monday! We are gearing up for another big snowstorm here in Boston, so I hunkered down and did my “homework” for day 1 of the Pattern Play class. There were several awesome videos this morning - I watched them as soon as I got to the office, and then I made this card using some of the tips and tricks that we learned today.

I made this card using the Simon Says Stamp February 2013 Card Kit, which contains the “I like your style” stamp set and these patterned papers from Glitz’s Hello Friend collection. I think I found a good mix of pattern sizes in that stash. I used Nestabilities to cut the card base and inner circle (doing my best to center it!), and handcut the flower after stamping in dark gray. I then used a gray marker to color the edges of the flower:

I also layered the flower onto white paper as Jennifer suggested doing. I stamped it in a very light gray ink so that the ink underneath would not cast any dark shadows from underneath the flower.

Lovin’ this class! See you soon,
Suzanne

You are in for a special treat. I really can’t believe I agreed to be videotaped with Jen Rzasa and Jessica Davis doing the 10 Minute Craft Dash the other night at my house. I thought you wouldn’t see my pants in the video…SO not true! Aren’t my pajama bottoms sexy? (NOT.)

Here are the colors for the challenge:

The cardstock, scalloped sticker, and patterned paper came in this month’s Simon Says Stamp card Kit. The flowers are from Martha Stewart and the embossing folder is from Lifestyle Crafts. Ten minutes is not a long time!

Here’s our video. I noticed a few things….I am surprisingly calm until I panic at the end; Jen’s cinematography skills while chasing me upstairs remind me of a horror movie, though I love how Teddy comes along for all the action; and my accent sounds REALLY bad (or good, depending on how you look at things).

After this we over, we were too pooped to craft anymore so we ate mini donuts and cookies instead.

Thanks for stopping by!
Suzanne

Happy Friday! I just wanted to let you all know that the Soapbox Creations Card Hanger Die is back in stock, and you can read about here on Laurie Willison’s blog. Instead of using it to hang my card on a gift bag, I thought it would be fun to show you how else the die might be used. It in the photo above, it’s hanging on the wall…

…and in this photo, it’s hanging on my fridge! You could diecut magnetic strips to mount to the back of your patterned paper and also use these to hang projects on white boards. Using adhesive, you may even want to hang cards in a window, especially during the holidays. It’s so nice to be able to open the card while it’s hanging, rather than having it squished down by a clunky magnet or tape.

Here’s a shot of the card I made last night using the March Simon Says Stamp Card Kit. I added my own pearls and wooden embellishment. The Lawn Fawn papers and stickers in this kit are SO fun!

I’m also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week: Anything Goes!

Have an awesome day,
Suzanne

Who doesn’t love a little CASADIA, especially on Valentine’s Day?! I am joining in on Wida’s fun card chain today. This began way back when Jennifer Rzasa CASE’d Laura Bassen, and then Wida CASE’d Jen… kinda of like a paper form of the game of telephone. Dozens of cards later…here I am!

My spot in line comes after Nora Noll, who made this card:

What I really love about Nora’s card is the general layout and the Valentine’s theme, so I grabbed the Simon Says February Card Kit and went to work. Right away I knew I wanted to use the doily and the envelope to mimic Nora’s circle and tag layering, but I used ribbon as my vertical element instead of stamping and diecuts as she did. I also decided to stamp the long sentiment alongside the ribbon too.

It took me a few tries to get the flower and ribbon to look right to me. There were a few failed attempts at a bow, then a knot, and then I decided on the layered ribbon look, adding some crochet thread behind the flower as well. The finishing touch were the three small blush pearls in the bottom corner.

Thanks so much for having me, Wida! If you would like to learn more about CASADIA or Wida, head on over to her blog here!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Suzanne