
This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!
Hi friends! Today, my friends at Simon Says Stamp are celebrating the release of their new Out Of This World collection with a two-day blog hop! You should have arrived here from Cheiron Brandon, and your next stop is Miriam Prantner. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog. There’s something for everyone in this release, and of course, I am in love with the floral products, especially since I illustrated a new background stamp for this month’s release: Dogwood Bleeding Heart! I have two projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

I shared a Copic project using my new Dogwood Bleeding Heart design in THIS blog post, and in my quest to color it with all of the mediums, I decided to pull out my Caran D’Ache colored pencils and do some no-line coloring on colored cardstock. When working with colored pencils and colored cardstock, I like to stamp the image first using white pigment ink. I find that this white ink blends more seamlessly into the colored pencil coloring. I stamped the Dogwood Bleeding Heart on some Briar Rose cardstock from Concord & 9th with white pigment ink, orienting the image so that it was gracefully dripping down the top and right sides of the A2 card front.

Depending on the colored cardstock that I’ve selected, I occasionally will add a layer of white pencil before adding the colored pencil. This helps the colors blend a bit more easily, especially if the colors are very different than my colored cardstock base. On this card, I used a white base layer for the green leaves, which allowed me to maintain those light highlights on the curves of the foliages while also making sure that I could blend the different greens seamlessly. Keeping a sharp point on my pencils is also extremely important for keeping those lines nice and crisp. As with all no-line coloring, keeping the edges between the overlapping images crisp and distinct is key for keeping the overall shape of the image, and a sharp pencil point helps tremendously to keep the edges crisp. I accented the centers of the flowers with some white gel pen, which works a treat over the top of the colored pencil work.

After I had finished coloring, I used the Here For You die from CZ Design, cutting the outline layer with some heavyweight vellum and the detail layer with Simon Says Stamp’s Midnight Green cardstock, which I thought coordinated beautifully with the deep greens in the foliage! I also die cut a small rectangular frame using some white glitter cardstock and the A2 Thin Frames dies from Simon Says Stamp. This super thin frame highlights the sentiment die cut without overpowering the colored image behind it. I adhered the greeting with some clear dimensional adhesive, then added a few iridescent white pearls to fill in some of the blank spaces around the greeting.

My second card features my newest obsession: alcohol marker coloring on 3D embossed images. I shared a post HERE earlier this month, and it inspired me to use the same technique on this new Anemone Cluster Embossing Folder! I ran a full size A2 panel of Hammermill paper through my machine using the Anemone Cluster Embossing Folder, then cut the three dies that are included with the folder from another piece of cardstock. I placed the die cuts directly over the coordinating spot on the folder, then ran that through my die cutting machine.

Once I had completed all of the embossing and cutting for the flowers, I used my Copic markers to add vibrant coral and green to the embossed images. Between the detailed coloring and the extra tangible texture and dimension from the embossing, these colored flowers are so lifelike! Once I had finished coloring, I lightly blended some Pawsitively Saturated Heather ink around the edges of the card base, creating a halo around the colorful flowers and creating a subtle “sky” background. I popped up the colored die cuts in the proper spot on the embossed background using foam adhesive.

Once I had completed the floral embossed background, I die cut the beautiful Fancy Thanks die three times from Hammermill cardstock, layering them together with liquid adhesive to create a dimensional die cut greeting. The final touch was to add a few Opal gems to add some sparkle!
Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:
Each stop on the hop will give away a $25 coupon to Simon Says Stamp. The winners will be drawn from the comment sections of each blog, so be sure to leave a comment on each stop on the hop for maximum chances to win! Winners will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 28th of June. The winners can email Simon Says Stamp to claim his/her prize
Simon Says Stamp is also running a free gift with purchase to celebrate the new Out Of This World release. Simply search tsck81180 in the search bar, add the product to your cart, and add code GALAXY at checkout to receive the free Distress Crayons with your order! This gift with purchase will expire 6/25 at 11:59 pm EDT
Here’s the full hop list in case you get lost:
Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
