Living My Dream: Simon Says Stamp Born To Sparkle Release Blog Hop Day 1 - "One Stamp, Five Ways" With Spring Bouquets

I'm so excited about the new Simon Says Stamp release called Born To Sparkle. As usual, it is full of such a fun array of products that it was hard to pick what I was going to use for my cards today! I ended up doing a "one stamp, five ways" post using the new stamp set called Spring Bouquets and the matching dies. Here is an image of them sold as a bundle:

Next, I'll show you my 5 cards using this stamp and die bundle. I tried to incorporate several different coloring mediums and techniques and use the stamp with and without the die to show it's versatility. I also used most of the greetings in the stamp set, but added some dies for greetings as well. And last, I used a slimline, a couple regular sized A2 cards, and 2 mini-slimline cards. Here we go:

CARD 1:

My first card is my slimline. I started with the SSS Chunky Slimline Scalloped Border Dies to make the outside edges of the card. When I use this die, I like to make my slimline card base smaller so it fits inside the scallops and doesn't show on the backside. I also cut a piece of white cardstock to fit on the top of the scallops. I attached the Large Falling Snow Slimline Stencil by SSS and used Texture Paste mixed with a small amount of Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide Ink to lightly color it. I rubbed that over the stencil to add some dots to the white cardstock card front. You can only see the dots on the top of the card, but they go all the way down.

Next, I stamped the larger floral grouping from the Spring Bouquets stamp set with Intense Black Ink on white cardstock. I colored it in with colored pencils and used a white uniball gel pen for details/contrast. I then die-cut it with the matching dies. I attached it to the top of the card with foam tape behind it. I die-cut a banner using the MFT Fishtail Flag Trio using teal cardstock and embossed a sentiment from the stamp set with white embossing powder. I tucked that under the left side of the flowers.

CARD 2:

I started this card by stamping the rose floral grouping from the Spring Bouquet stamp set on white cardstock with black ink. I colored them in with colored pencils again. I die-cut them out and wasn't sure what was going to come next. I thought I would try one of the new gorgeous embossing folders win the release. I love the Floral Centerpiece one, so I thought I would try it on the front of a slimline card. I embossed it on white cardstock and then used foam tape behind it to prop it up. It's so pretty, I wanted to leave it alone! It actually fits really nicely on this size card!

I attached the roses to the top of the embossed background (hated covering any of it!). I then used a sentiment from the new Reverse Encouraging Words pre-printed sentiment strip set. I added 3 sparkling clear sequins around the sentiment.

CARD 3:

This time I embossed the larger floral bouquet on the top and the bottom of Arches watercolor paper cut into a standard A2 card size. I used white embossing powder as I planned on using my Karin Brushmarkers and I like using them with embossing powder (it keeps them in the lines and the colors don't bleed into each other). I love the intensity of the color with these markers - I just can't get this with my more expensive watercoloring options. I love how I can mix more than one color in a flower and get great hues. They are definitely my favorite crafting purchase in a very long time!

At first I attached the watercolored panel to a cream card base and finished it with a greeting. I actually struggled a lot with the greeting. I die-cut the new CZ Swoopy Thank You die out of about 6 cardstock colors trying to make a decision and as I've mentioned many times, I don't make decisions quickly! Finely I realized the cardstock colors weren't blending well with the Arches paper, so I die-cut the thank you out of Arches WC paper and then painted it to match. I was finally happy! I glued that to the center between the flowers. I added some sparkling clear sequins and Nuvo drops. Then I decided I didn't like the card because my eye wanted a frame around the painted flowers. I ended up cutting the image down (ahhhhh hard to do) and attaching it to a colored card base. I was finally happy!

CARD 4:

Thanks to Jennifer McQuire, I've started using my new Gel Press. She has two videos that really inspired me / instructed me on how to use it to create layers. For this card, I rubbed three colors of Distress Oxide Ink on the gel press - Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, and Peacock Feathers. I kept them in a straight line and didn't mix the colors as I rubbed the pads on the gel press so I wouldn't get other colors on my ink pads. Then I used my brayer to mix the colors rubbing it back and forth between them and cleaning it off on scratch paper between the colors. I pressed a piece of white cardstock onto the gel press. I may have done this twice - can't remember, but a second time does intensify the colors. Next, I rubbed the same three colors on the gel press again and used the brayers to mix them and remove some of the ink. I pressed the SSS Medium Dots stencil over the gel press. I laid the same paper over the gel press, but this time I turned it the other way so the dots showing through the stencil would be attached to the opposite color of the three. I removed the stencil and pressed another piece of cardstock over the gel press picking up the color that had been under the stencil so I got the opposite impression for another card.

Next, I embossed the floral bouquet on the paper with white embossing powder. I cut it down to size and then decided I wanted my flowers to pop more. I colored them in with colored pencils to match the color of the ink below them. I just wanted them to be darker than the ink, but the same shade. I primarily used Luminance by Caran d'ache and Prismacolor pencils as they both are my most opaque colors and went over the ink well. I embossed a sentiment above the flowers with white embossing powder. I added some sparkling clear sequins and Nuvo jewel drops in the same shades as the inks below them.

CARD 5:

I wanted to make at least one card with Copics since I had done 3 with pencils. I stamped the rose images twice on the sides of a piece of white cardstock cut to fit on a mini-slimline sized card (about 6" x 3" with a .25" mat on each side leaving it .25" smaller than the envelopes on each side. I colored the roses in with deep magenta/reds and the leaves with teals. I didn't want it to look like a Christmas card, so once I went with red flowers, I had to do the leaves in something other than green. I used a light Jade copic around the green areas onto the background.

There are two tiny little sentiments in the set and both looked nice on this card. I used this one in the top right corner between the flowers. I ended up using 3 of the 4 sentiments in the set. I stamped it with black ink to match the ink around the flowers. I used sparkling clear sequins and Nuvo drops around the sentiment. I just can't NOT do this. I don't know when to stop sometimes and I know nothing about the "less is more" theory. Oh well, at least I am consistent haha!

BLOG HOP DETAILS:

The blog hop graphic on the top of this post tells about the SSS blog hop promotion. There is a free gift with purchase using the code CRUSH428. You receive the Island Crush Ink Cube set for free. The promotion expires on 5/2 at 11:59 pm EDT.
This is a 2 day blog hop, so start on the SSS Blog tomorrow for another day of inspiration and prize opportunities!
SSS is giving away a $25 gift certificate on every stop of the blog hop today and tomorrow by drawing one individual from the comments section. They will announce the winners on their blog on Wednesday, May 5th.
Check out the Born To Sparkle Gallery for ALLLLLL the inspiration in one place with links to each blog post. When I am using a stamp for a "one stamp, five ways" post, I always go to the gallery to see all the cards that were made with that stamp set first to get my mind working! And make sure to add your creations to the gallery as well!
You can see the entire Born To Sparkle Release HERE and I have links to the products I used in this post below. Next on the blog hop today is:

Cheiron Brandon

Have a great hop friends and thanks so much for visiting today!!! Click on the email link on the top left side of my blog if you want to be notified when I post my "one stamp, five ways" blog series! Suzy