Tags for Christmas

I have made some tags for Christmas with the fun new CZ Design Let's Make a Tag stamp/die set, from the Simon Says Stamp's Holly Jolly release!...

I had a lot of fun making these tags...with all the stamps in this set, the possibilities are endless!  I stamped, embossed, die cut, colored(my wonderful daughter Emma colored the tree snow globes for me:)!!), and layered the globes.  The others are pretty easy stamp and emboss tags.  The middle "ho" on the "ho ho ho" tag was embossed with an old green embossing powder, but it looks yellow...but know my intent was to green emboss!  The CZ Design tag dies are really cool, too....there are SO many sizes of tags, the tags I made today, use three of the five tag sizes.  Below are close ups of the tags, as well as the backs of the tags in the last pic.  

...and the backs of the tags...

Such great fun!!  Next stop, Christmas...wow...it's just a little over THREE WEEKS AWAY!!  Hope you are doing well...take care!!

Thanks so very much for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

A Rainbow Christmas

I have used the fun and cool new CZ Design Chunky Trees and Holly die set from the Simon Says Stamp Holly Jolly release, to make a rainbow flavored Christmas card...

I die cut and layered the trees, putting in a different colored piece of patterned paper into each of the tree's openings.  I used Sunny Studio paper for the colored paper, and turned the striped paper in different directions when cutting.  I used some Tonic Jewel drops to give a little bling to each tree,  the sentiment is from the CZ Design Good Cheer stamp set.  I popped up the panel on either side of the trees.  Here's a close up of the trees...

I love Christmas and love rainbows...so much fun getting to put the two of them together!  

Thanks so much for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Embossing Folders with a Brayer

I have made a couple cards, using a couple of the new Simon Says Stamp embossing folders and sentiment die from the new Holly Jolly release, and my very old brayer...

The technique I used for both these cards is one that I have used on cards before, HERE and explained in a bit more detail HERE.  I used Cloudy Sky Simon Ink on my brayer.  I only brayered the trees, and left the space below the trees white to look like snowy land.  I LOVE this technique...not a perfect cover every time, but pretty cool and love the effect it gives.  I will say, unlike the first time I did this, I did run a bit of adhesive behind the card stock to keep the paper in place in between running it through my Big Shot...just to make certain it kept in place.  I did another one, and it gave the look a bit of a "double vision" thing as when it was embossed a second time, the positioning was a tiny off.  I used the new CZ Design Peace die, layered, for the sentiment.  Here's close up...

Okay...this second one, I got a bit of a different idea with my brayer.  I used versamark and gold embossed the inked sections...

I will say, the final product was not perfect (and that's hard for me!), but a fun attempt to try something a little different. I used my magic embossing bag to rub over the card stock before beginning.   I have a versamark marker, and  after running the folder and cardstock through and gold embossing the first and only time,  I was able to use my marker to fill in the spots that were missing and then gold emboss them.  I used a layered CZ Design Thankful die for the sentiment.  Here's a close up...

I won't be posting until after Thanksgiving, so I want to take this moment to express to all of you, my readers and followers, how so very thankful I am for all of you!  Thank you for taking the time to visit and follow my blog, comment on my posts, and purchase from my links!  I love making cards, and am so incredibly happy to think that I might encourage, inspire, or bring happiness to others by this craft that I love so much!!  YOU bring me so much happiness, thank you so much...you truly make my heart so happy!!  For those of you here in the states, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving...no matter what it may look like...please stay safe!!  I will miss my family this year, but I am hopeful that next year will be very different...and I want to be around to enjoy that!!  

Much love to you all...Huge Hugs!!  Lisa💗

Warm Hugs at Christmas

I used the new Simon Says Stamp Christmas Kitties stamp/die set from their new Holly Jolly release, along with the Simon Warm Hugs die from the Make Merry release, to make a Christmas card...

The kitties in this set are so cute!!  I stamped, embossed, die cut and colored the one with the sweater, then layered him.  I sat him on top of a die cut and layered sentiment that I had colored with the same ink that I had used for the sweater.  I then adhered them to a panel that I had embossed snowflakes on, from the Simon Large Falling Snow Slimline stencil.  Here's a close up...

I then stamped the inside with two of the sentiment stamps from the Christmas Kitties set...thought it perfect with the outside of the card!...

What a fun card with such an adorable set of stamps!!  Hope this post finds you well and happy, whereever you may be!!

Thank you so much for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Purse for Isla

I know I'm late to the party, but I finally made a purse with the Concord and 9th Everyday Purse die set and coordinating stamps...

I must admit, I purchased this set A WHILE ago, but haven't had a chance or immediate need to use it...until last week.  My grandbaby, Isla, just turned three and LOVES the purse I gave her a year or more ago.  She carries it with her everywhere.  So, for her birthday "card",  I pulled out the sets that had been waiting to be used, and made her a purse!  I think this purse is adorable!!  Since making this, I've already had a request for one from my other daughter, for a friend!  I made this with a two-sided piece of patterned paper, so you can see the ladybugs peeking out of the inside, but I thought this paper looked cute, and yet classy, so the love bugs on the inside are ok.  The purse was pretty easy to put together...once I knew what I was doing.  There are a lot of pieces to this purse.  The first thing you should do, if you get this amazing set, is print out the instructions under the product picture on the Concord and 9th's website, that shows you where all the pieces go.  Then, watch the video.  I had to redo the purse once, as well as the handles, as I wasn't clear on the jump rings (the silver cardstock pieces adhered to the purse and holding the straps).  I was actually on different websites, trying to PURCHASE jump rings, not knowing that they were actually a die and part of the set, made with paper, and not metal(this is how REAL this purse looks to me!)! I think I'm pretty good with putting things together, but directions with this die set would be really nice, as this is a real assembly.  I guesstimated where to put the handles and how to make the purse latch (made with a silver adhesive enamel dot),  and where to adhere the latch's strap, but I think it looks good!  Here's a close up of all the cute tags I made to hang from the purse, made with more of the dies in the set, the sentiment from the coordinating stamp set....

Okay...so much fun...really cool die set, and I will be making more purses in the near future!  

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Daisy Filled Birthday

I used the beautiful new Simon Says Stamp Floral Field Embossing Folder from their new Holly Jolly release to make a birthday card...

I know we are all gearing up for Christmas, but birthdays are happening all the time.  The new embossing folders in this release are so fun!!  I used the new embossing folder and an old tool and technique that I used a number of months ago.  I used my brayer and inked one side of the inside of the embossing folder with black ink.  I embossed the side with the indents and flat spaces, not the raised side.  I then closed the folder and ran it through my Big Shot.  The result is what you see...the outlines and subtle details of the daisies are in black.  I used a yellow marker and colored in the centers, and added a layered CZ Design Happy Birthday die cut.  I popped it up a bit on the card.  Super simple, but love how it turned out!  Here's a close up...

Oh, so much fun...and I really love daisies, so this card makes me happy!!

Thanks so much for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Stamp, Color, Emboss

I used the cool new Simon Says Stamp Outline Merry Christmas Background stamp from their latest Holly Jolly release to make a fun Christmas card...

I used my MISTI for today's card.  I put the stamp in my MISTI, taking the black pad out of the MISTI.  I stamped the sentiment images onto cardstock with Simon Smoke ink.  I took the card stock out the MISTI and colored the sentiments...red for the "merry", green for the "christmas", and gray for everything else.  I then put the piece of card stock back into the MISTI, rubbed my magic embossing bag over the entire piece of paper, then using versamark, stamp the sentiments again, and heat after sprinkling with gold embossing powder.  I finished the card by adding drops of Tonic Morning Dew all ove the letters for some fun bling!  Here's a close up...

I LOVE this technique...it's truly like opening a Christmas present when you get done...such a great surprise!  Hope you are having a great day, thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog today!!

Holly Jolly Blog Hop

I am thrilled to be joining a star studded group of artists to celebrate Simon Says Stamp's newest release, HOLLY JOLLY, on the Simon Blog, today!  I don't know about you, but I love the Christmas season! This new release from Simon is filled with all kinds of products to help get you in a holly jolly mood and get you started with the Christmas festivities for card and gift giving!!  I have chosen to showcase two of the wonderful new sentiment dies as well a set of new dies, for the hop, today, having two cards to share with you...

I took strips of what are my current favorite Christmas colors, and adhered them to a thin piece of cardstock.  I used the fun and pretty new CZ Design Chunky Merry die for my colored strips, and die cut the sentiment from them.  I then layered the die cut sentiment with several layers of white die cuts.  I enclosed the sentiment with holly leaves from the new CZ Design Chunky Trees and Holly die set.  I used Tonic Morning Dew drops to fill in the berries of the holly leaves.  I used 1/2" strips of white cardstock and adhered them diagonally over another piece of cardstock(I LOVE diangonal stripes at Christmas) and framed that with gold  cardstock.  Here's a close up...

The second one, I used the pretty new CZ Design Peace die ...

I opted to keep the peace sentiments white and give the color to their backgrounds.  I also chose to use more pastel colors for the backgrounds...and the colors were done with...paint chips.  Yes, I love to use paint chips.  I layered the sentiments as well as their backgrounds, and then adhered them to a gray background that I had stamped and white embossed with snow flakes, using the different circle stamps from the Simon Holiday Sparkle Greetings stamp set.  I think of peace when I see gentle falling snow, and the gray cardstock gave it more of nighttime feel for me. I used a sentiment from the older CZ Design Clean Line Christmas...thought it went perfectly with all my "Peace"s.  I then dotted random sentiments with Tonic jewel drops.  Here's a close up...

I have had so much fun!!  Your fun is yet to come!!  Simon Says Stamp will be generously giving away a $25 coupon to each stop on the hop from the comment section of our blogs, so if you leave a comment on each blog of the hop, you will have LOTS of chances to win!!  The winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 11th on the Simon Blog, so make sure you check the Simon Blog to see if you are a winner!  Here's a list of all the participants:

Simon Says Stamp Blog   

Jennifer McGuire

Cathy Zielske

Nina-Marie Trapani

Laura Bassen

Debby Hughes

Caly Person

Nichol Spohr

Amy Rysavy

Amanda Korotkova

Yana Smakula

                                   Lisa Addesa<----YOU ARE HERE

Yoonsun Hur

Heather Ruwe

Suzy Plantamura

Sidnie Des Jardins

One last thing...don't forget the offer in the banner at the top...use the code on the banner to get a free exclusive mini Speckled Egg Distress Ink pad...good with any purchase, but only good until the end of the day tomorrow, or until supplies last, so don't wait!  

Thanks so much for visiting my blog, today, hope you have a great day!!

Joy Joy Joy

Today is release day for Simon Says Stamp's newest release, Holly Jolly!!  I have made a card with one of the wonderful new dies, by CZ Design, Chunky Joy!...

I die cut, then layered the sentiment.  I used three shades of paint chips for my colors...wanting something kind of regal and classic for my "JOY"s.  I used a Simon Frame that I also layered, the top layer, as with the sentiments, being shiny gold.  I adhered to an embossed piece of cardstock.  Here's a close up...

Tomorrow there will be a blog hop at the Simon Blog, starting at 8am...hope you will join me and a whole lot of amazing artists that will showcase and inspire, using new products from this wonderful new release!!  

Stay safe...thanks so much for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Hanging Snowflake Hugs

I have used the pretty new Simon Says Stamp Daphine Snowflake die and Warm Hugs die, from their Make Merry release, to make a card...

I used strips of paint chips adhered together, to die cut the sentiment.  I then layered the sentiment with several layers of die cuts.  I die cut and adhered several snowflakes together, and hung the snowflake from the sentiment with a jewelry ring that I had had in a drawer,  I adhered both the sentiment and flake onto a card with card panel that I had embossed with snowflakes, using a Simon stencil.  Here's a close up,..

  

Warm hugs to you all...no matter where you are...

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me today!! Hugs!! Lisa