feel better soon

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

Hi friends! Man Card Monday is back this month featuring some minty green geometric inspiration using the new Intersecting Lines Background stamp from the STAMPtember release! Each month, I try to come up with a more masculine-friendly card amongst the plethora of feminine projects that are my natural habitat, and while last month’s card had a snarky Hawaiian shirt vibe, this month’s super graphic projects are just as guy-friendly!! Let’s get started with the details.

When I work with a large background stamp like the Intersecting Lines Background stamp, I like to try to maximize the use by creating at least two cards from one stamped image. I have really been loving creating my own “custom” embossing powder colors simply by stamping the image using regular, quick-drying dye ink, then using my MISTI to stamp directly over the colorful ink with sticky embossing ink and covering it with clear embossing powder. Today, I stamped the Intersecting Lines Background stamp on a panel of white cardstock using Pawsitively Saturated Ocean ink, then again with embossing ink using my MISTI to ensure perfect placement. I covered the stamped image with White Satin Pearl embossing powder, which created the loveliest shade of pearlescent teal!! I cut the embossed background into two different panels so that I could create two different cards.

For the first card using the larger Intersecting Lines panel, I blended Pawsitively Saturated Ocean ink, Pawsitively Saturated Tropic ink, and Pawsitively Saturated Spring ink to create this gorgeous minty turquoise blend. I love that the pearlescent embossed images stand out so nicely from the minty blended background, but the colors are all so similar that it looks almost monochromatic!

After I had finished blending, I die cut the Wish I Could Hug You die twice from Adriatic cardstock and adhered them together to add a little more height to the sentiment. The dark teal pops beautifully from the monochromatic background without adding any extra color, while the simple type font is perfect for a masculine card! I butted the embossed panel up against the side of the turquoise A2 card front, then added a thin strip of Marina Mist mirror cardstock to add another textural element and create some shine. I adhered the greeting die cut and then added some shining gems (I know, I can’t resist it.)

My second card uses the leftover Intersecting Lines strip, this time blended with only Pawsitively Saturated Ocean ink and Pawsitively Saturated Tropic ink. I used the darker Ocean ink to blend over the entire strip, then blended the lighter Tropic ink along the edges which created a fun reverse-ombré effect! I adhered the blended strip at an angle on an A2 panel of Mint Cardstock, then added some thin strips of Tonic Marina Mist mirror cardstock and Hero Arts Paradise cardstock on each edge, creating a crisp color blocked background.

For the greeting, I die cut the detail layer of the Feel Better Soon die from Adriatic cardstock, then used Lawn Fawn Pearlescent Vellum to die cut the background layer. I used some tiny dots of liquid adhesive behind the solid die cuts to hide the adhesive and added it to my diagonal striped card front. Finally, I added a few shimmering teal gems for one last hint of shine!

Well, that’s all for this month’s Man Card Monday. Keep checking back, because the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember party is happening all month, with tons of marvelous new releases and limited edition collaboration sets released! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Hi there! I’m excited to be joining my friends at Simon Says Stamp for day two of the Good Luck Charm blog hop! You should have arrived here from Tina Smith, and your next stop is Jennifer Kotas. You can also start back at the Simon Says Stamp Blog to find the entire list! This month is Simon Says Stamp’s 20th birthday… so exciting, right? As part of the celebration, Simon is adding the exclusive Birthday Cupcake stamp set to your packages when you add code YUM20 at checkout. I have two projects to share with you today using new goodies from the Good Luck Charm release, so let’s get started with the details!

My first project reminds me of a glowing church window on Easter. I began by die cutting two different sizes of the the new Nested Domed Arches dies from some plain white cardstock. I lightly spritzed some Pixie Spray on the back of the Off the Edge Daffodils stencil, then adhered it to corner of the smaller of the two arched die cuts. I used blending brushes to blend some Duckling and Clementine inks. I think the finished product looks like a glowing sunrise on a stained glass window!! (Side note-this is the first time I’ve used the Pixie Dust spray, and I was super impressed at how crisply the stenciled image came out! Definitely going to be using that again!)

Next, I worked on the card base. I wanted something subtle and simple so as not to detract from the stenciled background, but still wanted a bit of texture for added interest. I ran an A2 panel of white cardstock through my die cut machine with the Exotic Vines Embossing Folder.

For the greeting, I used grey pigment ink and pearlescent white embossing powder to emboss a sentiment from Well Wishes stamps+dies onto some heavyweight vellum cardstock. I used the coordinating die to die cut the greeting.

I adhered the two domed die cuts together using liquid adhesive, then added them to the embossed card base using foam adhesive. I added the sentiment using clear dimensional adhesive, hiding it behind the thick letters of the embossed greeting. The final touch was to add a few iridescent yellow gems.

My second project features some watercoloring using the new Spring Stems stamps and dies. I began by heat embossing several of the images from Spring Stems onto some Arches Cold Press watercolor paper using white pearl embossing powder. I used Karin watercolor markers to add lots of color to the images, keeping the color palette a bit muted while still being quite intense and colorful. I love how the colors from the Karin markers almost glow!

After I’d die cut the finished flowers, I die cut a greeting from some white cardstock using the new Feel Better Soon die. I used blending brushes to blend Duckling and Watermelon inks on an A2 panel of white cardstock to help enhance the glow of the watercolored flowers.

I used the negative piece from one of the die cut pieces from the first project as a frame for the background of the flowers. I popped it up using some foam adhesive, then arranged the watercolored daffodils so that they were climbing up the front of the card front. I added the white die cut greeting, finally adding a few iridescent gems for sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! To celebrate this release, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon for each stop on the hop! Simply leave your comments on each stop on the hop before February 22, and the winners will be announced on the Simon Says Stamp blog.

Your next stop on the hop is Jennifer Kotas. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!