Two-fer

June 29, 2022June 27, 2022 Happy Ink Designs2 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

We are showcasing Riley and Company Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

As always, the generous folks at Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $25 voucher to one randomly selected winner to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store. You can enter 5 times which means you can make 5 different projects following this week’s prompt and have 5 chances to win a shopping spree!! Sounds like a win/win to me!! I’ve linked all of the supplies that I used at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

I’ve got two cards to share today. I couldn’t decide which direction I wanted to go with this challenge so I made two different cards using the same sentiment. For my first card I used an old die that I didn’t realize wasn’t available anymore Diamond Pattern die by Simon Says Stamp and popped it up using some foam squares.

For the background I used the Aqua Holographic card stock by Simon Says Stamp and attached it to a side folding card base.

The sentiment is from Riley and Co. and it’s called Relax, You’re Not Getting Old. I white heat embossed it on a piece of black card stock and cut it out using an old die by MFT.

To finish her off, I added a few Teal Ocean Pearls by Studio Katia.

For my next card, I thought it would be kinda funny to have a lovely, peaceful, serene background and then this snarky comment coming from left field. They’re polar opposites of each other. I liked this idea because if i were to give this card to someone, at least the background is still bright and cheery and let’s the recipient know I’m only joking..

For this card I took a piece of A2 cut Lemon Chiffon Yellow card stock and die cut it using the Sunburst die by Simon. I ink blended Wild Honey and Squeezed Lemonade on the sunburst and attached it to another A2 piece of Lemon Chiffon card stock.

I added some splatters using my splatter brush and White Gouache and one of the pearlescent golds in the Finetec Mica Pearlescent Watercolor set. I love the way the gold shimmers in the light.

I used Audrey Blue card stock for my sentiment background and also the trim. The trim is one of the Stitched Rectangle Trimmings from Memory Box. I white heat embossed the same sentiment and cut it out using one of the Chunky A2 Scalloped Rectangles die by Simon. I popped the sentiment up on some foam squares for a little dimension.

For an embellishment I added a few Apricot Glacé Pearls by Studio Katia.

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

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You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Cardmaking · Challenges · Design Team · Handmade Greeting Cards · Simon Says Stamp

Healing Hugs

June 22, 2022June 21, 2022 Happy Ink Designs1 Comment

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

CAS (Clean & Simple)

We are showcasing Hero Arts Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

Ok, so as you can probably see I struggle with clean and simple cards. I ALWAYS want to fill the empty space!! I’m not even sure if this can be categorized as CAS, but it’s the best I’ve got. I will say, however that it was super easy to make. I’ve been dying to use my new Gemini Foil Press so I had to make it work. I started out on a piece of Sea Glass card stock and foil pressed the Intricate Floral Background foil plate. How gorgeous is this foil plate??? I am absolutely in love!!

I used the Healing Hugs die by Simon Says Stamp and die cut it several times. I used Neenah 110 lb. card stock for the shadow die which I cut only once but then I used this beautiful card stock by Tonic Studios called Honey Gold to die cut the top layer. In order to give my sentiment some dimension, I die cut the top die two more times using Neenah 110 lb. card stock and glued them all together using Bearly Art glue, which is my new favorite go to glue.

I cut my beautiful background down by die cutting it with one of the many Rounded Rectangle Infinity dies by Hero Arts. This die comes with SIXTEEN different sizes!! I love getting a bang for my buck and this die certainly… bangs? Well, you know what I mean.

I used another one of the Rounded Rectangle dies to cut out a slightly smaller piece of craft foam so I could pop my panel up a smidge. I attached everything to a top folding A2 card base. And because I couldn’t just leave it at that, I had to add this adorable little heart that is also part of the Healing Hearts die set by Simon. To finish it off, I covered the heart with some Nuvo Crystal Glaze to make it nice and shiny just like my beautiful foiled background.

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

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Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Cardmaking · Challenges · Design Team · Handmade Greeting Cards · Simon Says Stamp

Hello Summer

June 18, 2022 Happy Ink Designs2 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Add a Sentiment

We are showcasing Newton’s Nook Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

Ok, so I’m a tad late on this challenge, but 5 days in the hospital kinda set me back a bit so I’m cutting myself some slack. I had this card half way done so I figured I might as well finish it. Plus, I love Newton’s Nook and I love how it turned out so all in all, I’m happy to share it with you.

I started out with a piece of Bristol Smooth card stock. I used one of the two stencils in the Retro Sun and Palms stencil from Newton’s Nook and I ink blended the sunset. I love that this is in the shape of a circle, it totally reminds me of something I’d see on a t-shirt or something from the 80’s. I used distress oxides starting with Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry and Dusty Concord. The stencil also comes with a second stencil of palm trees and a few birds, but I decided to use a stamp set instead. I used Paradise Palms, also by Newton’s Nook because I wanted to heat emboss the palm trees and I wanted to use these tiny birds.

I didn’t want the palm trees to go outside of my circle so I used a circle die by Simon and cut out a circle using Gina K Masking Magic. It wasn’t quite the same size but I made it work by tearing open the top of the masked circle and lining it up the best I could with the bottom of my ink blended circle.

This stencil is really cool because it has indentations on the 1st stencil so that you can line it up either vertically or horizontally and have it perfectly centered on an A2 sized card stock. I love that some companies are doing this. Maybe it’s not a new thing, but it’s new to me.

I stamped the palm trees with Onyx Black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I stamped the small flock of birds from the Paradise Palms stamp set using the same versafine ink but decided not to heat emboss them. I trimmed my panel down to 4″ x 5.25″ and attached it to a piece of teal card stock that I had in my card stock stash.

Once my background was done, it was time to move on to the sentiment. I used the “Summer” die from an old Simon Says Stamp set called Four Seasons Sayings stamp set and die. I die cut it 3 times using some more of that teal card stock. I’ve been so excited to use the new micro dot sheets by Simon Says Stamp on my thin die cuts and it worked beautifully! Why hadn’t anyone thought of this sooner? I always struggle with intricate dies and how to glue them without making a mess and I’ve tried everything!! I did have to glue a couple of spots, but overall it was a lot less messy and so easy to adhere. Once my 3 layers were glued together, I used a Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen to give it some sparkle and then went over the whole thing with Nuvo Crystal Glaze to really add the shine.

I used the “Hello” stamp from the Four Seasons Sayings stamp set which I don’t think is available any longer, but there are many stamp sets with the word Hello. I added a few Bora Bora pearls by Studio Katia and attached everything to a top folding card base.

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Cardmaking · Challenges · Design Team · Handmade Greeting Cards · Simon Says Stamp

I’m Coming Out of Retirement

June 8, 2022May 23, 2022 Happy Ink Designs2 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Welcome to my blog. After taking over a YEAR off due to health problems, I’m FINALLY back in my craft room!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Bright and Cheerful

We are showcasing Simon Says Stamp Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

I can’t even tell you how good it felt to get back in my craft room. I’ve taken basically the last two years off from card making because my health has been so pour. I’ll spare you the gory details, but let’s just say that ulcerative colitis and all the problems that come with it are truly horrific. It’s amazing that I’m still alive. So recently I felt well enough to make a couple of cards and I’d like to share them with you.

It’s a miracle that I even got this posted because I had to relearn everything. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING!! I couldn’t remember how to type a blog post or edit photos or even take photos for that matter so please, bare with me while I find my bearings.

I started this card out by ink blending a rainbow background on Bristol Smooth Cardstock with distress oxide inks. I used Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Salvaged Patina and Wilted Violet. Speaking of distress oxides, there’s NEW OXIDES on the market!! And of course I had to have them. I just recently purchased Salvaged Patina, (which is a beautiful teal color) Kitsch Flamingo (a lovely addition to the pinks), Saltwater Taffy (which is more of a peachy color and I love it) and Rustic Wilderness, which I have yet to use. I can’t wait to play with them all. Am I missing any? I told you, I’ve been in a bunker for the past two years!! Well, not really but it sure feels like it.

When my background was dry, I used a stencil by SSS called Reversed Hearts and Moonstone Glimmer Paste by Nuvo to create this lovely background. I trimmed it down to 4″x5.25″ and added it to a white side folding card base.

Keeping this card nice and simple, I used the Happy Birthday Brush Script die (also by Simon) for my sentiment and cut the shadow layer out with black card stock and I layered the white layer three times to give it some dimension. I found the best glue to use on these thin dies is called Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue. I tried several others but they all kinda spludged out the sides.

To finish her off, I added some pearls by Studio Katia called Hibiscus and Amethyst Pearls. I matched my card with a Doll Pink envelope and my card was complete. By the way I want to say a Big Happy Birthday to my sister Sabrina, who’s Birthday inspired me to make this card. She’s dealing with health issues of her own so I wanted to brighten her day. Thank you so much for stopping by to check out what I’ve created for this week’s Wednesday Challenge. I sure hope to hear from you all again next week ~

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

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