This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!
Hi friends! I am hopping along with my friends at Simon Says Stamp to celebrate their newest release: Moments in Time! You should have arrived here from Debby Hughes and your next stop is Yana Smakula. You can also start back at the beginning at the Simon Says Stamp Blog in case you get lost. I am always over the moon excited when one of my illustrations are released, and this one is extra special to me. My husband and I got married 16 years ago this June, and one of the cards that we received with a wedding gift had the sentiment “May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.” It made such an impact on me that I still remember it (so many) years later, and so when I was designing Orange Blossom Blessings, I absolutely had to include it with the sentiments for this wedding-themed set. We are past the wedding phase of our mid-20’s now, but we do have a wedding coming up this summer for a friend of my husband’s, so I took the opportunity to use Orange Blossom Blessings to create a wedding gift and card. 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!*
I’ve been doing some organizing and cleaning in my craft room closet; my mom was living in my craft house for six months while she recuperated from a nasty car accident, so while I was helping to care for her, my office organization was sorely neglected. She went home a couple of weeks ago, so as I have been slowly trying to get my office back under control, and I found these papier machê ornaments that I purchased long ago to embellish. I thought they’d look gorgeous with orange blossoms painted on to create a keepsake ornament for the bride and groom, and of course I had to make a coordinating card!
I stamped one of the floral swags directly onto the papier machê ornament using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink Pad and pulled out my acrylic paints in shades of peach, buttery yellow, and muted teal to add some color to the ornament. I have not really worked with acrylic paints before, though I have a fairly extensive collection (ha) so it was a bit of a learning experience for me, but I am thrilled with the results. I can’t wait to play with them even more! I kept the colors light and bright, creating a lovely contrast between the mid-brown background from the pastel blooms. After I had finished painting the flowers, I used a white paint pen to add a “Mr. & Mrs.” to commemorate the bride and groom’s special day! Once I had completed the ornament, I added a white bow to the top with my glue gun. I hope the happy couple love it!
To create the coordinating card, I stamped some more of the blooms from Orange Blossom Blessings onto an A7 panel of Kraft Cardstock using the Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink Pad. I love working with colored pencils on colorful (even brown) cardstock; I think that the seamless pop of color on the background is so unique and lovely! I stamped the orange blossom swag in one corner, then rotated my cardstock in my MISTI to stamp the same swag in the opposite corner. I also stamped a few individual blooms and foliage on a separate panel of Kraft cardstock. I used my colored pencils to add vibrant color to each of the images, die cutting the individual images once colored. I also used the Simon Says Stamp T-square Ruler to create a frame around the edges of the card front, drawing the eye to the center of the card. I love using this trick to create a bit smaller visual canvas for my focal point!
After I had finished coloring and die cutting the floral images, I used white pigment ink with embossing powder to stamp my favorite sentiment from Orange Blossom Blessings on some more Kraft cardstock. I used the coordinating die to cut the greeting out, then adhered it to the card front with foam adhesive. I tucked the individual flowers next to the die cut sentiment with some thin foam adhesive squares. I tied a double twine bow and adhered it beneath the floral accents, finally adding a few Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for some sparkle!
Well, that’s all for my projects today. Now for some fun giveaway and freebie information!
Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop, selected from each blog comment section. Winners will be selected and posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday the 4th of June. All winners can email Simon Says Stamp to claim his/her prize!
Simon Says Stamp is also offering a sweet freebie for blog hoppers! Simply make any purchase from the Moments in Time collection to receive the to-be-released Best Fishes stamp set totally free!
Your next stop on the hop is Yana Smakula. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
