big botanicals

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! It’s the 14th of the month, and that means that the new Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month is now available for your viewing and purchasing pleasure! This month’s kit is absolutely jam-packed with goodies, including gorgeous patterned papers, a fabulous stamp and die set (yes, dies too!), rub ons, sequins, cardstock… everything you need to make tons of gorgeous cards! Here’s a sneak peek at the new Captured Joy Kit:

I wasn’t kidding when I said jam-packed, right?? Look at that color palette and all of those amazing crafty goodies!! I have created two projects to share with you today using elements from the kit and a few goodies from my stash, so let’s get started with the details!

*I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

The aqua, lilac, and bubblegum pink color palette in this month’s kit is absolutely stunning, and so I decided to just run with it, taking my cues from the colorful patterned papers included with the kit. I created this pair of coordinating cards by pulling imagery and sentiments from the patterned papers, which kept the color palette consistent enough to coordinate while also creating very unique cards with their own card designs!

My first card takes advantage of the gorgeous coordinating sequins that are included in the kid. Whenever there are sequins, you know I have to create a shaker card, right? I wanted to create a floating shaker frame, so I used my trimmer to trim down one of the gorgeous Artist Trading Card-sized panels of patterned paper and mounted it in the center of the included panel of acetate to create the card front for my shaker. I also used my sharp scissors to fussy cut some of the delicate butterflies from another panel of patterned paper, folding the wings up slightly for dimension and mounting them on the card front with liquid adhesive.

To create the frame for my card, I used a holographic rainbow frame die cut, cut using Simon Says Stamp’s Nesting A2 Rectangle Frame dies and some holographic mirror cardstock. I adhered the frame to the outer edge of my embellished panel of acetate, then adhered the included foam strips behind the solid frame die cut as well as around the edges of the rectangular ATC patterned piece in the center of the card. This created my floating shaker frame, which I filled with the sequins from the Captured Joy Kit. Adding that extra frame of foam adhesive around the edges of the center keeps the sequins inside the frame and prevents it from hiding behind the rectangle of patterned paper! I adhered the card front to an A2 panel of Audrey Blue cardstock, included with the kit. So much color and dimension on this project, perfect for sending to a little girl for a birthday or other special occasion!

My second project is a “use up your scraps” project, using leftovers from THIS pair of cards that I had lying on my desk! I trimmed down another of the beautiful ATC from the printed papers in the kit, then highlighted the printed sentiment with a leftover pearlescent white scalloped oval die cut from the Daisy Oval Frame die set.

The gorgeous aqua cardstock matched beautifully with Sea Glass cardstock from Simon Says Stamp, and I just happened to have an extra iridescent embossed hyacinth image from the Big Botanicals stamp set, so I popped the floral image up in the corner of an A2 panel of cardstock, trimming off the overhang, then layered the ATC directly over the top. I added a trio of fussy cut butterflies, created using my sharp scissors and the patterned paper, over the top of the framed piece, again lightly folding up the wings so that they were a bit more dimensional. Finally, I added a few Bubblegum Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle and shine!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! This kit is so full of amazing products and even more amazing value; the stamps and dies alone having a higher individual value than the kit’s price! The Simon Says Stamp Card Kits are such an incredible value; the value of the individual elements of each kit equals far more than the $44.99 price tag, so you’re getting incredible bang for your buck. If you are consistently interested in the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month, you can sign up HERE to become a subscriber for an even bigger discount on these carefully curated products. As always, Simon also makes each individual element of the kits available a la carte, so that you can pick and choose what you would like to purchase if buying the entire kit isn’t really your thing. Who can say no to such incredible value though, right?

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! It’s a new week, so we have some new inspiration to talk about here on my blog. I love, love, love the detailed images in the new Big Botanicals stamp set from the You Are My Favorite Release from Simon Says Stamp. Sets like this are wonderful for people who maybe don’t love coloring; the size and the level of detail in the images means that you don’t have to color the images to make a huge impact on your card! I used some specialty embossing powder to create this pair of semi-simple “thanks” cards, so let’s get started with the details on my projects!

To begin, I stamped the large tulip and hyacinth images from the new Big Botanicals using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink on Concord and 9th’s Blueberry and Juniper cardstock, then added Hero Arts’s Iridescent Blue embossing powder over the top. The iridescent shine on the embossing powder adds incredible shimmer, while the semi-translucence still allows the colorful cardstock background to shine through, creating a somewhat monochromatic effect! I die cut the images with their coordinating dies to create large focal points for my A2 card set.

For both cards, I die cut the gorgeous Daisy Oval Frame from some iridescent white mirror cardstock. The coated cardstock cuts like a dream with these super intricate dies! I adhered each frame in the center of my coordinating A2 colored cardstock card front using liquid adhesive, then popped up the heat embossed flower die cut in the center of each frame using foam adhesive squares. To add a little extra interest to the card front, I used the little bracket stamp from Big Botanicals with Juniper ink from Concord and 9th and Night ink from Simon Says Stamp in each corner.

After I had finished the overall card design, it was time to add a sentiment. I used some white glitter cardstock to die cut the older Thanks Frame die cut, which is super elegant and such a generous size; it’s proportions work perfectly with the large botanical embossed images! I backed the glittery die cut sentiment frames with a darker shade of the card front so that it would stand out from the color-saturated background. I popped the greeting die cuts up over the stems of the blooms with a double layer of foam adhesive to give them even more prominence, then added some Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems to adorn each bracket in the corners of the card front. These cards each have so many elements of shimmer and shine that are difficult to pick up in a still photo, but they practically glow in real life!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I love being able to create a pair of coordinating projects that still each have their own unique aesthetic and color palette. The Big Botanicals stamp set adds incredible imagery to your stash, great for colorists and non-colorists alike! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit of the Month: Captured Joy!

Thanks Two-fer with Simon Says Stamp!