Creative Fun With Background Stamps, Featuring Simon Says Stamp: Beautiful Moments Release

Every so often I love to have some slightly-messy fun on my card making. Even if messy isn't your jam, background stamps are a solid choice for quick card making, whether you want to add a lot of POP, or just a subtle pattern. Today's just slightly-messy cards are part of Simon Says Stamp's latest collection, called Beautiful Moments, and we're celebrating with a two-day blog hop! Today is day one . . .so let's get to it!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Have you ever used a gel printing plate? The beautiful mystery of paints and inks on a gel plate is that you never know what you'll end up with. 

You can start simply by rolling out some paint onto the plate with a brayer, and then press your background stamp into it. (I used the adorable new Pinwheel Party stamp.)  My biggest two-part tip for working with the gel press is: Don't panic and don't clean your plate too soon! The first impression may not look great but stick with it. As you build up layers on the gel plate and cardstock you'll get some interesting textures and colors blending. 

For the second card (with pink sentiment) I used Distress Oxide inks, tapping them directly onto the plate, and then stamping into it. I pressed a piece of watercolor paper down to pick up all that color and texture. It created a more subtle pattern but I love it!

Another tip: After you've made that interesting background, stamp larger sentiments onto vellum so all that awesome color and pattern will still remain the focal point. 

Next, I set aside the gel press and pulled out my heat embossing supplies. I stamped and embossed the Pinwheel Party stamp onto watercolor paper, and then added puddles of watercolor paints on top. The white embossing resists the watercolor and really makes the pattern pop. Again - this is play. You never know exactly how it will come together until you mess around and try it. My biggest tip for this idea, is to use colors that will blend nicely into each other - otherwise you'll have a muddy mess. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today for day one of Simon Says Stamp's two-day blog hop! One lucky commenter from each stop will win a $25 coupon to SSS, so be sure to leave comments along the way! (Winners will be announced on the Simon blog, on March 4.)

Don't miss out on all the fun:

• Stop by the Simon Says Stamp website to see the entire Beautiful Moments collection.
• Join the SSS YouTube Live Stream at noon EST on Friday, February 26! Click HERE to be notified when they’re live.
• Are you on the gram? Check out the Instagram hop on Monday March 2.
• If you create with the Beautiful Moments collection, be sure to add your projects to the gallery on the Simon Says Stamp Blog!  We would love to see what you create!

Don't Miss a Stop on the Hop!

Simon Says Stamp Blog

Emily Midgett

Nichol Spohr

Barbara Tarayao

Heather Ruwe

Keisha Charles

Sandi MacIver

Tina Smith

Lisa Addesa

Nicky Meek

Cheiron Brandon

Barb Engler

Bobbi Lemanski

Caryn Davies

Laura Williams <<you are here!>>

Brenda Noelke

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

Pinwheel Party 6x6 background stamp

Friendship stamp set

(or grab it with coordinating dies)

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Labels die set 

Spellbinders Essentials Modern Ovals dies 

Gel Press 8x10

This is the gel plate I have, 

but there are many other shapes, sizes and brands to choose from!

Looking for more bright cheery card ideas using Simon Says Stamp?

You might love this post too:

5 Ways to Use Paper Strips on Card Making 

Fall in LOVE with the Heart to Heart Release at Simon Says Stamp!

The holiday decor is put away (well, maybe...) so it's time to start thinking about Valentine's Day card making. All of today's cards and products can be used for Valentine's Day, but they can also be used for anniversary, thinking of you, or just to say hello to a friend. It's all part of the latest release from Simon Says Stamp, called Heart to Heart, and you might just LOVE it! 

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

We'll start off with Locket of Love. I used the new stamp set, as well as the coordinating stencil. The stencil makes it easy peasy to add color to the jewelry pieces in the set, and the sentiments are really pretty too! 

I added some dimensional glaze and glitter to the pearls, and I spritzed over everything with Simon Hurley Solar Spray (in Royal Flush.) It adds a subtle but very pretty metallic sheen and splatter to the card in person. 

Next up, a clean and simple card - again, this might be a Valentine, but it would be a super sweet anniversary card as well. It features the new Hearts Aplenty die, and I paired it with the Love You sentiment from the Locket of Love stamp set. 

And lastly - this might be the perfect Valentine or all occasion card for your bestie! This card uses two new products. First, the absolutely ADORABLE Groovy Wishes stamp set, which includes lots of words to mix and match. (They offer coordinating dies too!) Second, something used in a surprising way . . .the Falling Snow background die. Flipped upside down, I decided the falling snow reminded me of champagne bubbles, or maybe a lava lamp, perfect for this groooovy card! 

I hope you'll stop by  Simon Says Stamp today to check out the entire Heart to Heart release. It's packed with products and inspiration to get back to crafting, now that the holiday season is behind us. Wishing you a very crafty January and a beautiful new year! xoxo

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

(all sold at Simon Says Stamp)

Groovy Wishes stamp set

(or grab the bundle with coordinating dies!)

Falling Snow die

Locket of Love

(or grab the bundle including dies and stencils!)

Hearts Aplenty die

Simon Hurley/Ranger Solar Spray

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

 

5 Ways to Use Paper Strips for Card Making {Plus See what's NEW from Simon Says Stamp}

 "I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!" (Please say it like Buddy the Elf, while throwing your hat in the air. Thank you.) I'm honestly pretty smitten with today's die set. It checks a lot of boxes for me: Simple to use (check.) Totally versatile (check.) Helps me make a bunch of cards at once. (check check.) In today's post you'll find some helpful tips for mass-producing cards and using paper scraps - so stick with me as we look at FIVE different ways to use the new Stripped die from Simon Says Stamp for an adorable card set. 

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Here's our starting point. Five 6x6 sheets of patterned paper and this awesome card-sized die, called Stripped, that will perfectly trim a striped background. (HERE'S A TIP: However many pieces of paper you start with is how many card bases you'll end up with. I used five patterns, to create five cards.)

Step One: Die cut the Stripped die from each piece of patterned paper. I recommend laying the strips out in some semblance of organization to make life easier as you assemble. You can see my piles in the photo below, as I've started assembling my first card. Once you have those piles, simply start mixing and matching to create the background of your card. I recommend using glue for this, because you can gently slide your pieces if something isn't stuck down quite right. Start with one strip all the way at the end of your card, make sure it's straight, and then just go from there. 

I do believe I promised you FIVE different ways to use this set so let's look at the first card idea. (All of today's cards also feature the Just Sayin' stamp set and coordinating dies - so adorable!) 

1. Straight Up!

This first card is just straight forward, striped goodness and a stamped/die-cut sentiment. 

2. Straight Up But Sideways

Whether you use this set horizontally or vertically, the process is still the same. I rounded the bottom corners on this cutie just to be a little different. 

3. Trim it and Mat it

Rinse and repeat for number three EXCEPT, adhere the strips on a flat panel of cardstock, and then trim the edges to create a smaller area to mat on your card base. Plus - don't miss the inlaid die-cutting happening on this card. After trimming the panel, consider die cutting a shape from the center. It created a perfect dimensional landing spot for my sentiment.

4. Die-cut it and then Die-cut it Again

How about using a striped die-cut panel and cut a shape from it? In the last idea you saw the negative space left behind, but this time let's use a panel to make a giant heart.

5. Make Stripes From Your Stripes

Another way to make different use of your striped panel, is to only use part of it. Cut it in half as shown below, or even into smaller strips for a striped stripe. (How's THAT for a tongue twister?)

Crafty friends, these are only just a few of the ways you can use this Stripped die from Simon Says Stamp. And remember - if you don't have this die, everything I did here could be created with papers from your scrap bin and a paper trimmer. BUT I gotta say, it was so nice working with these pieces that all cut exactly the same. It removed all the math and guess work - so mass producing a whole variety of cards was much less frustrating and a lot more fun!

If you're pretty sure you can't live without today's cute products - you're in luck! They're part of the new DieCember release at Simon Says Stamp. I hope you'll go check out all the new items and enjoy all kinds of inspiration. 

Don't Miss Out on the Fun:

• Stop by the Simon Says Stamp website to see the entire DieCember collection. 
• Join the SSS YouTube Live Stream at noon EST on Thursday December 4th. Click HERE to be notified when they’re live.
• Don't miss the two-day blog hop Friday Dec 5th and Saturday the 6th! 
• Check out the Instagram hop on Monday, December 8th.

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

(all sold at Simon Says Stamp)

Stripped die 

Just Sayin' coordinating stamps and dies

(you can also purchase just the stamps or just the dies - but trust me, 

you want it all, and it's a very reasonable price!)

Bold Floral Embossing Folder

Just Sayin' 6x6 Printed Paper

(it's just a coincidence that this SB patterned paper has the same name 

as the SSS stamp/die set - but dang, they sure look cute together!)

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Labels die set

Spellbinders Linear Touch Rectangle die set

I'm so glad you stopped by today! Which striped idea is your favorite? Any ideas for MORE ways to use this die? I'd love for you to share them in the comments! 

Looking for more inspiration with Simon Says Stamp?

You might love these too!

Showboat Thank You Cards

The Latest Holiday Inspiration from Simon Says Stamp . . .And Everything Nice!

Sometimes it just feels good to get ink on your hands...and maybe a few splashes of watercolor...a spritz of shimmer, and maybe even a splatter of paint. Today's holiday cards got a little artsy, but the good news is that whether it's your style or not, today's products lend themselves to every style from clean and simple to layered and messy, and it's all brand new (and SUPER CUTE) from Simon Says Stamp. Let's take a look at this new holiday collection, called And Everything Nice!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Both of today's cards begin with the same background, the Leafy Double Garland Embossing Folder. This is a great background for holiday and winter card making. I went BOLD for these backgrounds, but this would also be beautiful as a subtle texture behind a clean and simple holiday card. After embossing a piece of watercolor paper, I used watercolor paints as well as Simon Hurley Solar Spray, and Spellbinders Splatter White to add all kinds of messy color to this background. 

Here's a TIP: When working with watery paints, keep your heat gun or a hair dryer handy to quickly dry sections if paint starts running or blending where you don't want it to! Sometimes even a quick dab with a tissue is helpful if it your artsy gets a little too fartsy. ;)

To finish this card, I added the new Brilliant Cardinal die, as well as a heat embossed sentiment from Stacked Holiday Sentiments. 

This closeup photo shows the pearly shimmer of the Solar Sprays nicely! Such a fun fancy detail!

Next up, same background, and same colors but I started out a little different. For this card, I actually put some watercolor straight onto the embossing folder, sandwiched my watercolor paper in, and carefully put it through my die-cutting machine. This presses the color right into the paper. It wasn't quite enough color, so then I went back and added more paint, water, and then Solar Spray, plus another sentiment from Stacked Holiday Sentiments. This time I added the sentiment onto vellum. 

Here's a TIP! If there's a bit too much background showing through, add a second layer of vellum to make the words pop. Another vellum tip - staples are a great way to adhere vellum to a card, with no pesky adhesive to hide!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you're feeling inspired to get your hands a little messy and embrace the spritzy, splattery, shimmery side of the holidays! 

Don't Miss Out on the Fun:

• Stop by the Simon Says Stamp website to see the entire And Everything Nice collection. 
• Join the SSS YouTube Live Stream at noon EST on Friday, November 7! Click HERE to be notified when they’re live.
• Don't miss the two-day blog hop Friday, November 7th and Saturday the 8th! 
• Are you on the gram? Check out the Instagram hop on Thursday, November 13th.

 

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

Leafy Double Garland embossing folder

Stacked Holiday Sentiments stamps

(there are also coordinating dies available!)

Brilliant Cardinal Die

Simon Hurley/Ranger Solar Spray

Spellbinders Essential Arches dies

Spellbinders Splatter White

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Looking for more holiday inspiration with Simon Says Stamp?

Check out this post too!