Good morning! It’s the weekend… hooray! It’s an extra wonderful weekend, because the new Simon Says Stamp Dear Friend release is live, and we are hopping along to inspire you with the fabulous new products! You should have arrived here from Lisa Addesa, and your next stop is Tina Smith.
I am super proud of the fact that I have two new illustrations included in this Dear Friend release: Peony Background and Blissful Bouquet! (I have shared some inspiration using Peony Background HERE.) I love a good bouquet stamp, because how easy is it to stamp and go without having to worry about masking or die cutting each individual piece, but I also love the versatility and freedom of a good bouquet builder. I designed the Blissful Bouquet set to create lush, fluffy bouquets, with uniquely-shaped foliage, sprigs of “filler” flowers, and two large centerpiece blooms- a peony and a dahlia. I have a pair of projects to share with you using this new stamp set, so let’s get started with the details!
I love challenging myself with no-line coloring, but sometimes no-line coloring can be made even more challenging if the images are extremely small. I made sure to size the images in this set so that no-line coloring would be a bit easier! I die cut and stamped a ton of the images from Blissful Bouquet onto Hammermill cardstock (which is awesome for alcohol marker coloring!) using Hero Arts’s Contour Ink, my preferred ink for no-line coloring, then sat down with my Copic markers and went crazy coloring.
I very rarely use yellow or orange while creating, so after my homage to pink and purple on THESE cards, I thought I would switch things up and play with yellow and gray! I love the combination of yellow and gray; it’s so unique and modern, and can be great for masculine cards, but when paired with florals, it can be beautifully feminine, as well. The dahlia is such a sunny yellow; it practically glows!
Once I had finished coloring my images, I die cut a vellum circle using the circular Thin Frames Die from Simon Says Stamp. I ran the circle die cut through my die cut machine inside the Terrace Floral 3D Embossing Folder, which creates a beautifully subtle textured effect on the translucent vellum. I die cut a super pale gray circle frame and adhered it to the embossed vellum die cut, creating an area around which I could “ground” my floral images.
Next, I trimmed another panel of pale gray cardstock down to slightly smaller than A2 sized and mounted it on a full size white A2 card front, leaving a white border around the edge. I arranged the Blissful Bouquet floral die cuts around the embossed vellum circle and adhered them to the circle, then hid foam adhesive behind the solid die cuts so avoid marring the translucent vellum. I die cut a pale gray So Happy For You Both greeting and added it over the vellum circle, as well as a silver heat embossed “congratulations” from the Blissful Bouquet stamp set. The final touch was to add a few iridescent, pale gray pearls to add one last bit of shine and elegance, perfect for a wedding card!
My second card features a festive floral shaped balloon card created using the Blissful Bouquet and the Balloons dies from Simon Says Stamp! Who wouldn’t want a beautiful balloon decorated with flowers and a fluffy silk bow? I kept my no-line coloring an elegant, feminine palette of vivid mauve, jade green, and periwinkle blue. That big fluffy peony bloom makes my heart go pitter-patter. I used Copic markers for these images today, but I can’t wait to try no-line watercoloring with these pretty blooms!
I die cut the sentiment from a panel of coordinating mauve cardstock using the Scripty Happy Birthday die, cutting it twice from the same cool rose colored cardstock and layering the die cuts together to create a dimensional die cut. I also die cut the largest balloon of the Balloons die set from some iridescent white foil cardstock. I arranged the flowers in a swag around the base of the balloon, leaving the bottom bare so that I could tie a silk bow around where the balloon would be tied after filling it up. The iridescent coating on the white foil cardstock is difficult to capture in the photograph, but it picks up the colors of the flowers and foliage beautifully.
After I had added all of my die cuts to the front of the balloon, I created a shaped card by slightly offsetting that same largest balloon die on an A2 card base, allowing the edge of the balloon to overlap the folded side of the card. I adhered the full size, decorated balloon die cut to the card front, creating a festive, elegant, uniquely shaped birthday card!
My last card features the utterly adorable new Caring Thoughts stamp set! I am so smitten with the storybook illustration style of these critters, and the sweet little scenes make it super easy to stamp one or two stamps and have a scene ready to go! I stamped my darling bunny with the butterflies onto some Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper using Contour Ink, then used Karin Brushmarker Pro markers and a damp paintbrush to pick up the color from my glass mat. I prefer this method of picking up the scribbled color from the glass mat to putting the marker directly to the watercolor paper, because this allows me to control the vibrancy of the color a bit more. I can easily dilute the color on my mat, but it is much more difficult once the concentrated color hits the watercolor paper. I added a few black pen lines (the eyes, the whiskers, the details on the butterfly) that got a bit lost in the no-line watercoloring. I die cut the finished vignette using a fluted oval die from Spellbinders.
To accent my sweet purple butterflies, I decided to watercolor some coordinating purple flowers. I die cut the Blossom Vine dies from some more Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper, then used Karin Brushmarker Pro and my damp paintbrush to add vibrant lilac and bottle green to the die cuts.
I arranged the oval bunny die cut with the flowers on a white A2 card front using foam adhesive. For the greeting, I stamped the “hello” from the Caring Thoughts using Obsidian pigment ink, then clear embossed over the top of the stamped image to create a crisp black sentiment strip. I also trimmed down one of the greetings from the Reverse Bold Hello Sentiment Strips and adhered it beneath the “hello” with another double layer of foam adhesive. I love how the bunny looks like it’s nestled amongst a field of pretty purple blooms!
Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:
We’re giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop from the blog comment section. Winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 24th of May. The winner can email Simon Says Stamp to claim his/her prize.
Here’s the full hop list, in case you get lost:
Simon Says Stamp Blog <<YOU ARE HERE!
Emily Midgett <—– you are here!
Today is only Day 1 of this fabulous hop; be sure to check out the Simon Says Stamp Blog for more inspiration from Day 2 tomorrow morning! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
Beautiful coloring!
Simply gorgeous!
Your coloring is amazing on the flowers! The bunny is sooo cute! Gorgeous cards!
Wowsers! Your no line colouring technique is awesome! All 3 of your cards are so beautiful.
Your coloring is perfect!
Three completely different cards but each one equally fabulous to the other two. The yellow flower on the soft grey background would be a beautiful wedding or anniversary card – that balloon shaped birthday card was a big WOW for me, anyone that was lucky enough to receive it would feel honored and lastly the bunny card was adorable. Your coloring always brings paper to life. Stunning as always !!
Oh my gosh I love your cards. The colouring is amazing 💜💜💜🇨🇦
Beautiful as always and yet even more so.
Beautiful no line coloring! So talented!
The colors are stunning!
The Caring Thoughts stamp set is just super adorable! Loved your second card! The floral looks so real!
Very nice coloring. Looks so realistic
Really lovely ideas.
You are so talented! The artwork on the stamps is amazing and your coloring is exquisite!
I absolutely love how you colored and arranged both of these cards!!
Wow!!!! These are Amazing!!!! I love your card designs!!!
WOW!! Just Beautiful!
All three of your cards are gorgeous!!! Simply gorgeous! Thank you for the inspiration today.
Lovely card and those dies are a must
Your cards are a present in themselves. Beautiful
Love, love, love your cards. They are vibrant and gorgeous
Just beautiful, truly beautiful!
Wow – your cards are beautiful! Amazing job with the colouring – the blossoms are so realistic!
Love your cards! The bunny one was so sweet. The balloon card was fun. And the yellow flower card was so cheery.
Wow! You created a LOT! All very pretty!
Your blending is beautifully done.
Love the color blending and the bunny is to die for!
Beautiful designs; gorgeous coloring!
Super coloring!
These are all beautiful! Your coloring is spectacular!!
The card you watercolored with the pie crust oval is my favorite!
These cards were stunning. So creative and elegant. Using balloons and showcasing these wonderful bouquets really makes them stand out.
Your coloring on these gorgeous cards is beautiful. Tsf
Lovely cards and wow you are a coloring expert. All are dramatic, striking masterpieces. And then, to lighten it up, the adorable bunny with butterfly. : )
Gorgeous coloring! You are absolutely right when you said the glow! I LOVE your work!!
Wow your cards are beautiful. So stunning! I love the roses!
That no line coloring is beautiful! Thanks for the tip on ink choice for that. 🙂
😍 stunning creation
Beautiful cards! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely stunning! Each card is beautiful in its own right, the bunny just blows me away, can’t stop looking at it.
the shading on the flowers is lovely
Wonderful cards! Love the balloon-shaped one – so unique!
These are so bright and happy! I love them. I really like the embossed circle die cut.
OMG what a beautiful trio of cards – love how different they are – thanks for the ideas
Wow you definitely don’t skimp on the color. This card is stunning !
Love all of your cards, they are beautiful and so creative.
This is a beautiful little collection of cards!
You copic coloring is just amazing. Do you have a youtube channel where you demonstrate your technique?
Ok, I’m going to challenge myself too – to come up with one word to describe your cards. Hmmmm…….WOWZER!!!!!!!!! As I scrolled down to see your contributions today, I literally said that out loud and wanted to immediately touch your flowers! They really popped out at me and looked like velvet 3D flowers. Amazing job!!!
Stunning designs!
A beautiful set of flowers and your coloring is ever so lovely. It’s vibrant and makes you want to pick a flower.
So pretty! Love the bunny card, but those florals……wowzers
Great cards. I love how the flowers flow off the card.
Beautiful cards! Beautiful coloring.
Beautiful cards, all three! I need a wedding congratulations card and yours is quite the inspiration! 🥰
Awesome cards. Your coloring is amazing.
I love your layering and design. Very unique!
I love both cards, your coloring is exquisite..but the foliage on the Blissful Bouquet images just knocks me out! Beautiful!
The way you used the stamped images as part of your scene composition really elevated each final product. So inspiring!
Stunning! I am going to try the Hammermill cardstock.
Beautiful cards. The colors are so vibrant!
Beautiful! Love the design.
Your coloring is spectacular! This use of yellow and gray and beautiful!
Beautiful cards!
Wow! All of your cards are amazing. I can’t choose a favorite – it’s too much pressure!
I’m SPEECHLESS… Absolutely SPEECHLESS!!! These three cards are so different BUT each PERFECTLY PERFECT!!! I LOVE the way you did the sentiment on the embossed circle on the gorgeous yellow flower card (my favorite color BTW😉). Then I realized the second card was a balloon shaped card…SERIOUSLY?!?! The last card just shows your ability to color critters to make them lifelike. So pretty!!! I would be honored to receive any of these cards from you in the !ail.
Wonderful cards! Gorgeous floral designs (love that fabulous balloon shaped card!), and the bunny and butterfly image is just adorable!
Your cards are an inspiration…just beautiful!
My goodness, the colors are amazing! Love the cards.
Beautiful coloring!
Absolutely stunning! The coloring is outstanding!
Love, love, love your cards and the colors you chose for the flowers! Absolutely beautiful..
Love your coloring!
Very beautiful cards. Thanks for sharing.
That no line coloring looks wonderful.
Great inspiration and I loved the bunny!
I did not look at these elements and see what you saw. They are beautiful on their own but in the combinations you have made, I am in love!
Thank you!
Beautiful cards. I love the yellow and gray one because of all the details that you used. The embossed circle I thought really added something special to the composition!!
Oh Emily, I have no words other than WOW. Congrats on 2 lovely images come to life.
Thanks for sharing your lovely floral creations
Your no line coloring is stunning
Your cards are amazing! The color combinations are stellar!
Wow, gorgeous cards! I have that balloon die set and thought I would never use the largest die…you have inspired me to use it and ideas are already swimming in my brain. Thanks
Beautiful cards! I love the shape of your Birthday card. 🩷
Beautiful coloring. Thanks for all your hard work and sharing with us your ideas.
You’ve inspired me with your no line coloring!
Beautiful cards. I love the layout and the colors.
Love your cards. There are so many elements to look at and be amazed by.
Love the bold colors!
The flowers are amazing!
These are beautiful, I love how you put these together!
Beautiful cards as always.
The colouring is flawless….wish I had that talent!
That bunny is so sweet.
Love the balloon card.
Fantastic flower.
thanks for sharing.
Stunning cards Emily .. your colouring is awesome and the flowers really pop!! Thanks so much for the inspiration and chance to win
Pauline x
All so cute!
I love how beautiful and different your cards are.
Really really like something about the wedding sentiment font…tyou for sharing!
Emily, it is always a treat to see your lifelike floral card designs. I also love that cute card you made that incorporates a bunny, too. So fun! Lovely, amazing work!
Your shading is incredible. The flowers and leaves look WOW!!
Wow! Your cards and coloring are amazing! I love them all!
Omg these are so cute, I can’t decide on a favorite!
Bright and cheerful cards. Thanks for sharing!
So sweet! Need a set of your watercolor brushes!
Your florals and coloring is stunning! The bunny is adorable with the no line coloring.
Oh these cards are GORGEOUS!
Congratulations on the beautiful Blissful Bouquet set and the Peony Background stamp! They are so beautiful and definitely two of my favorites from this fantastic release!
Stunning cards.
Beautiful works of art! Thanks for sharing your talent!
OMG! Emily, I am so in love with your style. I have to start following everything you create!!!!
Very elegant and lovely.
I love the beautiful purple floral birthday card! Lovely!
What a gorgeous job coloring!
Your no line coloring is fabulous! Great color choices as well!
All the shading pops of colour with the no lines are spectacular.
Your coloring/watercoloring is superb! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I am blown away by your Copic coloring!!! The flowers are so lovely!!!! Filled with such detailed coloring.
Your flowers look like I could pick them right off the page! Gorgeous!
Gorgeous flowers and the bunny is adorable!
Thanks for the inspiration.
I love the yellow and orange flower, like you I lean towards purple and pinks. And the cuteness of the critter in your last card!
Fantastic shading! Love your cards.
Purple is my favorite color. Love the little rabbit.
Beautiful cards!
The flower cards are gorgeous, but the bunny card? I was not expecting that! SO CUTE 🙂
Beautiful cards !! Love the bright colors
I really love the Caring Thoughts stamp set.
These cards are so beautiful! Your coloring is amazing!
Your artwork is stunning!!
OMG – your cards are fabulous!!
Oh my gosh!! Your colouring is stunning!!! I love them all, especially that darling bunny!
Very, Very Pretty! Thank you for the inspiration!
Beautiful cards! Your coloring if gorgeous!
Your effortless design and pop of purple on the bunny card is stunning and my fav’!!! Gorgeous cards!!
What gorgeous coloring of your flowers, beautiful!
Great cards! I am so taken by the sweet bunny card-I just love the coloring the image in the oval, and then the flowers framing it are so so imaginative and lovely.
Your no-line coloring is perfect!
Your no-coloring line is so Amazing!! Beautiful cards!! Stunning job!
Beautiful cards!
Oh my goodness!! So pretty! Love the vibrant colors of the flowers! Amazing.
These are beautifully done. I love the dimension.
Nice color and design shares. I like the circle and oval element use.
Your flowers look so realistic, I can even smell them.
These are gorgeous! I love the bright flowers 🙂
These flowers really pop off the card! Amazing!
Such vibrant coloring, beautiful!
Love the coloring and design of your cards – stunning!