blog hop

Hello Friends! Welcome to Simon Says Stamp May 2013 Card Kit Blog Hop! Are you ready for Spring? I know I am with the help of this month's card kit, May Flowers!  It's is the perfect kit to get you in the mood for some Springtime weather and all things blooming ....  especially FLOWERS! 

You may be arriving from Nicole Magouirk's blog. Nicole has the has sweetest laugh & is so full of life & so talented too. If you want to start at the beginning of the hop click here. 

I am always honored and excited to work Simon's Monthly Card Kits! I love the paper selection in each kit, the exclusive stamp set and some fun elements that inspire me to do something different each month! For example in this kit, the lace trim and Perfect Pearls. If you subscribe the kit packs a value of only $19.95 ... that's what I call a serious value especially when stamp sets cost about $14.99. 

Just a side note if you are considering purchasing a kit...the last few kits have sold out. No pressure...just an FYI :) If you have purchased a kit and you end up winning a kit ... you will be credited for the full amount of the kit that you purchased. 

The flowers in the stamp set called "Best Mom Ever" are so delightful, and so easy to paper piece or color. I guarantee once you try the vellum in the kit you will want more (it's 40lbs) ! The vellum is the best I have ever used and it's so nice and substantial! Once you get to the mini tutorial you will see how I used the vellum on my flower. I also used the vellum as a layer on both of my card bases...The softness of the vellum really gives your card an elegant punch.  (if you are new to vellum you might want to poke around here , here & here to see three popular vellum posts I have done when you are finished hopping)

Stamped backgrounds are my favorite sort of card to design. The "Perfect Bow" was altered and you will see how further down the post.

When background stamping I just go with the flo and don't worry to much about lining the images up perfectly. Stamping is supposed to be fun right? When you layer the card up most imperfections get covered up so no stressing lol. After stamping with this ink from Hero Arts I filled in the leaves with some Copic markers. I like to stay away from the lines a tad just in case the inks might react.

When coloring with Copics or alcohol markers I think it's best to start with your lighter colors first.

Since I have yummy vellum on my card base I wanted to bring some vellum into the forefront of my card. I decided to add the vellum to flowers however, I didn't want to cover the entire flower just a portion of it.  Stamp on the vellum with Archival Ink and give the ink a few minutes to dry. You can "glue" the vellum with a dot of Glossy Accents or some Vellum Tape.

I have already used the "Perfect Bow" so many times but, for this card I needed the bow to be smaller... no problem. All you need to do is trace the die on your paper. The traced line will help you trim it evenly to make the bow smaller.

Trace along all of the edges or cut some off free hand. If you trace the die it gives you a guide line but, not necessary.

This is how the trimmed bow looks.  Email me if you have any questions :) Now for the best part...the

GIVEAWAY:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to one lucky commenter on every blog in the hop!!! The giveaways will stay open until Thursday April 25/13 at 11:59pm EST and the winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Friday April 26/13!

If you are a number person that means that Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $450.00 during this hop.  I encourage you to comment on ALL of the designers blogs for more chances to win on each blog. Best of luck to you all! 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog on the hop! The next stop is the amazing & crazy talented  Shari Carroll. If you encounter any broken links on the hop, you can head back the Simon Says Stamp blog here  for a full list of participants.

Happy Hopping!! ;-) and a huge thanks for your visit as always! Hugs, Kathy

wood veneer paper...so fun

Hello Friends, and welcome if you are new to my blog. Today Jennifer McGuire and I are sharing cards today that are created with the same die cut. Jennifer is one of those people that if you are lucky enough to meet .... you fall in love with right away... and that has nothing to do with how she oozes creativity. I'm pretty sure you already know that :) Did you see her video yesterday? It's about creating your own wood embellishments.

This "Tri Circle" die cut from Simon Says Stamp is great for a background or as a CASE card. (I love this die because I can never line circles or squares perfectly on a card) Today I used the "Tri Circle" die to resemble port hole windows in a boat. The woodgrain VENEER "paper" was just what I needed to complete my boat look. (the woodgrain is available in two colors and you can purchase a 12 pack or a 6 pack. See the supply list for options)

You don't have to be a dog lover to fall in love with Simon's mascot. This stamp set is called "Seasonal Simon" and I love all of the little extras in the set. I used a scrap for the umbrella's handle and paper pieced the top of the umbrella. Glossy Accents on top gives you that finished look. I cut a small slit by his mouth to fit the stem of the rose.

Copic markers were used to color a gray day on the water outside the port holes & Simon (the dog). Lawn Fawn had the perfect fishes and sentiment... thank goodness :) I never plan a card so I go searching for the right sentiment after the fact. Email me if you have any questions. :) Thanks so much for your visit today it's so appreciated. I can't wait for you to see Jennifer's card as you can imagine IT'S AMAZING... CLICK HERE TO SEE HER WORK OF ART. Thanks again and a big thanks to Jennifer! Hugs, Kathy

P.S. I have two GIVEAWAYS here and here if you like that sort of thing. 

CARD SUPPLIES AND LINKS: