Thinking of you card

 Hi friends! It is Monday again and I hope you had a good weekend and got some crafty time.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

It is time for a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is Thinking of You. During November Pauline C is our guest designer. I hope you will visit her blog. 

I made a thinking of you card this week, using a brand new embossing folder from the Simon Says Stamp And Everything Nice release. I used ink and wax for the background and the two birds were watercolor-stamped.

The And Everything Nice released is filled with creative products for holiday and winter crafting.

Start by inking the Simon Says Stamp Wispy Pine Needle Frame embossing folder with Distress Ink. Mist watercolor paper with water and emboss.

When dry, ink the needles, making it the darker towards the edges.

Apply Gilded Foundry Wax around the edges and heat set.

The two birds come from Simon Says Stamp Vintage Blooms and Beautiful & Curious. Ink the stamp and then mist with water before stamping.

The sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Big Botanicals was gold embossed.

I inked the stamp with Ground Espresso, misted with water and stamped, off-setting slightly, for a shadow.

Mount on grey kraft-stock, gold metallic kraft-stock and folded light blue cardstock.

Such sweet bird stamps.

Here you can see how shiny the gold embossing is. The shadow helps it stand out better from the background. I also added buttons and some ribbons.

The foundry wax adds a great distressed gold look to the branches.

Join us this week in our Thinking of You challenge! You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Simon Says Stamp And Everything Nice Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am so happy to take part in the Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop to celebrate the new And Everything Nice release. If you are following along in the hop, you should have come here from the wonderful Lisa Addesa.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

The And Everything Nice release is full of a great variety of new and versatile stamps, embossing folders, stencils, dies, ink and sequins, perfect for holiday and winter crafting. You can find the entire And Everything Nice release here.

The not-yet-released Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Christmas Candle 3x4 stamp set is automatically added to your cart that contains any purchase of And Everything Nice collection! This gift with purchase will expire 11/9 at 11:59 pm EST or while supplies last.

When I saw the new Simon Says Stamp Joy Cover die I thought it would be great as a book cover. Instead of making my own book, I altered a small sketchbook. You can also a make the book from scratch or use the design for a card instead.

I also used the Simon Says Stamp Frosty Tree Gathering die set och the Festive Merriment stamp set.

I used collage paper which I made for a recent Mushroom tag. Tear old book paper and adhere to watercolor paper with matte medium. Add a layer of medium on top too.

Coat with gesso. Let dry completely.

Die cut Simon Says Stamp Joy Cover from the collage paper. Die cut it three more times from cream paper.

Glue the pieces together to form a dimensional word and then ink the edges slightly.

Add Star Dust stickles to the letters and frame.

I die cut the inlaid pieces from various watercolor scraps. I have a lot of papers where I have tried out different watercolor paints and these come in handy for die cutting. I used shades of blue and green.

I covered the front of the notebook with Tim Holtz backdrops paper using matte medium.

I covered the spine with a piece of canvas fabric.

Die cut the beautiful Simon Says Stamp Frosty Tree Gathering from Simon Says Stamp Silver Vellum, twice.

Cut the trees a part. You want one of each, which is why you have to cut the original design twice.

A sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Festive Merriment was stamped on kraft paper and cut into two pieces. Glue the first piece at the top of the book.

Glue Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to the cover, as snow or stars.

Glue the second part of the sentiment at the bottom of the design.

Glue the tree trees on the cover, without covering up essential parts of the word. 

I covered the back of the sketchbook with kraft paper. The book is about 4.1x6 in.

This would be a great little Christmas gift.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I am so happy that the holiday crafting period has begun. 

Don't miss all the inspiration along the hop! There are of course prizes to be won too, and at each stop on the hop Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon, randomly drawn from those who leave a comment. The winners will be posted post on the Simon Says Stamp store blog on 12 November.

Your next stop on the hop is Kim Hamilton. Don't miss to the stunning project she has created. If you get lost along the way, here are all the stops:

Simon Says Stamp Blog

Nichol Spohr

Suzy Plantamura

Emily Midgett

Amy Rysavy

Sandi MacIver

Lisa Addesa

Anna-Karin Evaldsson (you are here)

Kim Hamilton

Nicky Meek

Bobbi Lemanski

Barb Engler

Lea Lawson

Alberto Gava

Michelle Langley

Celes Gonzalo

For more inspiration, remember to check out the And Everything Nice gallery at Simon Says Stamp, and if you make something with products from the range, it is fun if you post it in the galleries too. There are galleries for all releases, and for the card kits, full of inspiration.

This is the first And Everything Nice blog hop, don't miss blog hop number day number 2, which is tomorrow.

Thank you so much for stopping by here today! 

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Shimmery Pumpkin Card

Hello crafters! Today I have a fun and quick card to share with a double embossed background.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Pumpkins are fun. They can have many different colors, shapes and textures. Here they cover the entire background. This is a fun technique to do with many types of embossing folders and it is quick, while at the same time giving texture, shimmer and interest.

Start by applying embossing ink to Simon Says Stamp Autumn Gourds folder. Mist the back of watercolor paper with water and then emboss. Sprinkle white embossing powder all over the card. Don't worry about removing powder that is in the wrong place.

Mist the background first with a little Distress Spray Stain Spiced Marmalade and then with Distress Spritz Spiced Marmalade and Antique Linen. Finish with a tiny bit of Walnut Stain.

Die cut Simon Says Stamp Simple Thanks from cream, kraft and gold glitter cardstock. Glue together, off-setting slightly. Adhere with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Perfect Foam Tape. The small sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Wildflower Cuttings.

Here you can see the shimmer and the texture better. I also added Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Mandarin Gems to the card.

The panel was mounted on yellow and orange paper and then on folded kraft cardstock.

When embossing powder ends up in the wrong place, it just adds texture.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Colorful Mushroom Tag Tutorial

Hello friends! It is Monday again and I have a tag with textured and colorful mushrooms to share with you.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

It is time for a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is Add Texture. Adding texture with different techniques is one of my favorite things to do. During October Alison Bomber is our guest designer. I hope you will visit her blog and look at the beautiful project she has created for the challenge.

I made a tag with a textured inky background, textured mushrooms made from collage paper and additional texture in the shape of cheese cloth and gems.

This collage paper is a favorite of mine. Adhere piece of old book paper to watercolor paper with Matte Medium. Add a layer of medium on top too.

Coat with gesso, but let the text show through.

When dry, die cut Simon Says Stamp Tall Mushrooms, Pocket Full of Mushrooms and Mushroom Stems from the collage paper.

Paint the pieces with Distress Paint, adding water to make it less opaque.

Shape the mushrooms with Tim Holtz Shaping Kit and adhere the hats with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Perfect Foam Tape.

White emboss the grasses from Tim Holtz Nature's Discovery on a tag.

Smear Distress Inks on a non-stick craft sheet, mist with water and press the tag into the ink. Let dry and repeat until you are happy with the look. I forgot to take photos of this step. As a final layer, I added a little Distress Oxide Ink.

Stamp Simon Says Stamp Old Letter here and there and the Crackle Background at the bottom of the tag, for even more texture.

Here you can see all the layers of Distress Ink, Distress Oxide Ink and stamping. The sentiment strips are AALL & Create Mindful Moments.

Most of the mushrooms were adhered with foam tape. I like that you can spot words through the gesso and paint. The large mushroom has the word 'London' in the background.

Vary the angle and overlap some of the mushrooms.

I also added some cheese cloth dyed with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Dazzling Sprout Gems. The sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Forest Scenery.

Here you can see the dimension better.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Join us this week in our Add Texture challenge! You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.

Thank you so much for visiting today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.