Painted Wreath

I used the new Simon Says Stamp Painted Christmas Wreath Cling stamp from 

their Cozy Hugs release, to make a Christmas card...

I knew this wreath stamp was too large to fit on a card, but that about 1/2 would fit.  I was inspired by Shari Carroll's beautiful card using this stamp, Here!  Given the name of the stamp, I got out some old markers, and "painted" them on the stamp.  I knew they would dry out before I was able to put color on all the flowers and leaves, so I decided to go totally old school, and product, and pulled out my Ink Potion 9, which is an ink blending solution, and sprayed it on the colored stamp.  This solution wets the ink, and the result is a kind of painted look... I thought it looked cool!!...

I then versamarked the sentiment stamp portion of the cling stamp, and black embossed it.  Love the shine...I know I say that alot, but I do love black embossed shine!!...

I sprinkled some dark green ink from the marker I used to paint the leaves, with some water.  I don't usually do that, but kind of fun, and liked the reults!  And here's yet another close up...

Tomorrow is NOVEMBER...I know I say this alot, but I am really shocked at how fast this year is going by!!  Hope you have had a great start to your week!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Merry in Dots

A quick post today, sharing a card I made with the new Simon Says Stamp Layered Dots stencil, CZ Design Merry Word die, and a sentiment strip from the Simon Reverse Christmas Wishes sentiment strips, all from the Cozy Hugs release...

There are four stencils in this cool set, and I chose to use Simon Cherry ink on one, Watermelon on another , and Pearfection for the green.  I used Versamark and a tiny blending brush for the hearts and embossed with gold embossing powder.    I cut down the panel and popped up on card.  I added a layered "merry" and a popped up sentiment strip below and done!  I thought...I could add more sparkle, glitter, stenciled circles...but I thought it was sweet, just as it was.  Super simple(as long as you can stencil well...something I am still trying to perfect), here's a close up...

Hope you are doing well....hope you are having a great week...I am always shocked by how the time is flying!!  Take care of yourself...happiness!  

Thanks for taking a quick look today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Peace at Christmas

I have made a Christmas card with a new Simon Says Stamp die set and stencil, from their new  Cozy Hugs release, along with a CZ Design sentiment die set from a previous release...

 I had had the berry branch and leaves made for a while, but I just couldn't figure out how to use them on a card.  My heart is broken for, but though broken, so with the people of Ukraine...peace for them is all I can think of, so I chose peace as my sentiment, and the rest followed.  I die cut the branch and leaves from white cardstock and colored with markers.  I used red cardstock berries, and used tonic drops on each berry.  I slightly bent each of the leaves for dimension.  After a number of attempts to use the berries on a bunch of cards with a bunch of different layouts, I had the thought for what you see above.  I used white embossing paste on the Snowfall and Banks stencil, embossing the stencil twice to have enough snowed cardstock to go behind the sentiment panel as well as above and below it.  The stencil has the "banks" on one end of the stencil, so it is not a total 6" of snow stencil.  Hope that makes sense?!  I die cut the "peace" outline part of the die from a white panel, die cut a layered the actual sentiment, and popped up on the snow panels, having silver borders on the top and bottom.  I adhered the berries to the right of the sentiment.  Here is a close up...

I hope you are having a great week...I don't know about you, but I love the weekends, and only two more days til the weekend...can't wait!!

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

Leaves and Hearts Around a Sentiment

I have made three cards to share with you today, that started with my love of the new Simon Says Stamp Picnic Floral Sentiments stamp set, from their new Cozy Hugs release! I fell in love with this set when it was a freebie last month on my blog for the STAMPtember® blog hop...never thinking it would be released with this new release,  I have so many thanks I now have it...which brings me to the first card... 

I used the pretty new Fiddly Leaf die to surround the first sentiment I used.  I have to admit, that this die didn't really impress me so much...until I die cut it!!!  I am used to details in the leaves, and this one didn't have any detail.  I die cut the first one, and truly fell in love...so pretty and delicate...I started die cutting in a whole bunch of Fall kind of colors...and when I positioned them in a partial wreath, well, that was IT...this die is so so pretty!  Stamped the sentiment with versamark and black embossed.  Here's a close up...

The first one I die cut colored cardstock...this second one, I painted die cut watercolor cardstock...

I used a leaf die set from the STAMPtember® release, I die cut, painted, and adhered the leaves, falling down the panel, and around the sentiment.  I added three jewel tonic drops down the panel and popped up on card.  Here's a close up...

The third one, I made a more Christmas themed card...this time made with glitter cardstock...

I LOVE cards with love, so I chose to use the "Sending love" sentiment from the set, and thought... it HAD to have hearts, and why not Christmas hearts?!  Simon has some really cool and fun glitter cardstock, so I used the red and green and an older Simon heart die to die cut the hearts.  I used two layers of white cardstock underneath each glitter heart, and after positioning and stamping the sentiment, adhered the hearts around the sentiment and across the card.  Here's a close up...

Such...wonderful...fun!!  I loved making each of these...they make me happy!  Hope you have a great weekend!  Windows open at my house, enjoying the wonderful Fall weather here in Virginia!

Thanks for making me a part of your day!! Hugs!! Lisa

Merry Christmas Tree

I have used the wonderful new Simon Says Stamp Merry Christmas Tree die, from their new Cozy Hugs release, to make a Christmas card...

I die cut two of the treeson random scrapes of cardstock, and adhered the die cut trees together.  I then die cut a third tree on a full card panel and adhered the other two underneath the top panel.  I cut a strip off of each side of the panel.  I used cut strips of traditional Christmas colors  that were just almost 3/4"wide, and adhered  horizontally underneath each "line" of the tree.  I then glued all the little middles to the "R, A and O" letters, and adhered in place.   It does take a little finesse to glue the layers. the letter middle pieces, and get the strips just right, but such fun when it all comes together!!  Here's a close up...

Hope you are having a great day, and start to this second week in October...yikes, this month is flying by already!!  

Thanks for stopping by, today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Cozy Hugs Blog Hop!

How exciting to be a part of today's Simon Says Stamp's  Blog Hop, celebrating Simon's Cozy Hugs release on the Simon Blog!  I have used the beautiful new Budding Branches dies to make both my cards I am sharing with you today, along with the new Peace on Earth Script sentiment die on the first card!...

I die cut the branches from white cardstock and colored with markers.  I die cut the sentiment and layered.  I adhered both the branches and sentiment onto a panel that I had embossed snowflakes(a very old cuttlebug folder).  Super simple!  I had tried the sentiment in silver, as well, but LOVED the white on white, making the colors of the branches and berries really stand out!  Here's a close up...

The second one, the same die a little diffeerent look...

I colored with green and red markers again.  I had the idea of using a sentiment with love at Christmas, so went looking through all my stamps for something that would "go" with my idea and the branches.  I found the Simon Heart of Christmas stamp set...perfect!  All I had to do was dot the berries to make them glossy/shiny.  I have found that using Tonic drops will sometimes change the red ink that I color the berries with...maybe it's a "red" thing?!.  So....I decided to try touching up the berries with a red marker OVER the finished berries.  I thought it might take away the shine, but it DIDN'T!!  Here's a picture, below, of 1/2 the berries colored with one of my colored markers, ane the ones on the right still has only the initial color under the tonic drops...the originals of these berries weren't as light as I've had them in the past, I actually like both of these, but just wanted to show you that you CAN darken a glossy surface with a marker without losing the shine...

I had the thought of embossing or stamping the heart panel of the card, but I just loved it plain white...simplicity...my favorite!  Here's a close up of the card...

I had SO much fun making my cards...now it's your turn for some fun!  

Simon is generously giving a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop from our comment sections, so the more hop blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win!  Winners will be chosen and posted on the Simon Blog on Wednesday, October 12th, so make sure you check the Simon Blog on the 12th, to see if you are a winner!!  If you are a winner, you can email Simon to claim your prize.

The list of participants in today's hop are listed below...

Simon Says Stamp Blog 

Nina-Marie Trapani

Caly Person

Nichol Spohr

Cathy Zielske

Amy Rysavy

Suzy Plantamura

Keisha Charles

Yana Smakula

Sidnie Des Jardins

Heather Ruwe

Bibi Cameron

Cheiron Brandon

Anna-Karin Evaldsson

                                 Lisa Addesa<-----You are HERE!

Lea Lawson

Barb Engler

 A couple things before I go...don't forget the offer in the banner at the top of my post! Simon is offering a Giant Hugs Card Wrap die free with any $75 purchase!  Simply use the code COZY when checking out, to get this gift!  Just remember, the offer is only good until the end of the day on October 9th,  OR until supplies last!Second...there is another blog hop tomorrow!  So please visit the Simon Blog tomorrow, for another day of celebration and inspiration!

Thank you so much for stopping by, and keep on hopping!! 

Hugs!! Lisa

Cozy Hugs Release!

NOTE: This post has been rewritten and posted, as the coding in the original post somehow caused problems to my blog.

There is a new release at Simon Says Stamp today...Cozy Hugs!!  I can't think of a better time, with cooler weather upon most of us, for cozy hugs!  I have made a couple cards with a beautiful new embossing folder/die set, Leafy Greens, and one of the new sentiment dies, most aptly named, Big Hugs... 

I had such fun making both these cards...simple coloring, but such a beautiful effect with the embossing!  I embossed the cardstock, and colored with a light blue marker for the background, three yellows for the leaves and a light brown for the stems.  I was watching tv and coloring...such a wonderfully relaxing time!  I cut the panel down on the top and bottom, popped up on the card, and added the die cut and layered Big Hugs sentiment, simply in white.  This card makes me happy!!  Here's a close up...

The second one, I used the die that comes with the embossing folder to make a very clean and simple card...

I love this folder, but think, if it's possible, I love the die even more!  The detail and dimension of the leaves that embossing gives them...I think it's striking!  I die cut, then colored before removing from the die cut paper, if possible, color, THEN taking out of the surrounding cardstock, and embossed. I really am in love!  I used a much loved CZ Design sentiment die and a small Simon set for the sentiments.  I doubled my tape and popped it up a little more than usual.  Here's a close up...

I hope you will check out this new release, I have a link below...it's amazing!  There will be two days of blog hops over at the Simon Blog on tomorrow and Saturday...hope you will join in and find some wonderful inspiration!  Big and Cozy Hugs to you!  

Thank you for coming by!  Lisa

Pepperberry Bundles

Happy World Card Making Day!!  I couldn't resist celebrating this day, as I LOVE to make cards, so I pulled out the beautiful Simon Says Stamp Pepperberry Bundles Embossing Folder/die set, from the STAMPtember® release, and made a couple cards...

I have to say, from the moment I took this embossing folder/die out of it's packaging and started playing, I have been in love!!  The berry stems this set makes, die cut, colored and embossed, are so beautiful...solo like this first one, with simply a sentiment, or like the second, where I used the embossing folder and a die cut sentiment!  Either way...I think these berry stems are just lovely, and can be used for Christmas, or everyday!  I die cut the stems from white cardstock, colored with markers, then ran them through my Big Shot, in the embossing folder...LOVE!!  I used a new Simon Christmas sentiment in versamark and gold embossing, and popped up the panel on the card.  Here's a close up...

The second one, like the first, I die cut, colored and embossed the berry stems...

Then, after embossing, I adhered the stems to a panel with the embossing folder embossed on it! I find that coloring BEFORE you emboss gives the images a sharper and more defined look!   I used a sentiment from the new Simon Black Eyed Susans stamp/die set(another loved set!), stamped with versamark and black embossed.  I had tried silver and gold embossed sentiments, but found black to "go" best!  Here's a close up...

Hope all is well in your part of the world...I had clean up in my yard after Ian went through here in South East Virginia...some downed branches from my trees, that needed sawing and bagging...but nothing compared to Florida...thoughts and prayers!  Have a great rest of your weekend...hope you get to have some creative card time, to celebrate this day!

Thanks for coming by my blog today!! Hugs!! Lisa