A Blog Hop - And Everything Nice!

Nov 8

Welcome to Day 2 of the And Everything Nice Blog Hop! I am so excited to join in sharing this amazing release.

Read below to see a couple of my cards using the release, follow along to the other blog hop stops below, and then you can take a look at the complete And Everything Nice release from Simon Says Stamp HERE!

As a special bonus, our not-yet-released Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Christmas Candle 3x4 stamp set is automatically added to your cart that contains any purchase of And Everything Nice collection! This gift with purchase will expire 11/9 at 11:59 pm EST or while supplies last.

Also, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop! Leave a comment in the blog comment section below to be eligible. Winners will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, November 12.

Now, check out my two cards, and then go see what else is in the hop:

card 1 - Retro Wreath

Techniques:

This card showcases the Retro Wreath stamps and stencil.
I love the retro modern design of the wreath, and decided to build on that theme for the design. I used an arch die that is close to A2 card size to cut my card base, and stenciled the wreath on that. (It actually reminds me of a shaped door on some older homes - do you see that too?)
To do the stenciling, I chose a vintage color palette also, with a rusty warm red, a couple of yellow-greens, and a teal-ish blue.
- Using an aqua colored base allowed all those colors to still show, and adds to the vintage vibe of the colors and design.
- The stencil is in layers, so that makes it easy to do in different colors. The layers all line up perfectly with the stamped outline, but for this card I intentionally offset them to play off the vintage silkscreen style.
To accentuate the red bow (a classic holiday statement) I stamped that outline on a coordinating warm red cardstock, and added it with foam squares for dimension.
A sprinking of Prism Pawsitively Dazzling Gems added a touch of bling, while the Prism finish gives them a bit of a vintage look that fit the theme.

card 2 - wreath as pattern

Techniques:

While this card uses the same Retro Wreath stencil, it isn’t about a wreath. It is kind of a deconstructed wreath, and focuses more on the pattern than the specific object. Whether you see these as fireworks, sun rays, flowers, or just fun celebration shapes, this design has an energy with a lot of movement and interest.
Creating this patter with just some of the stencils for each of the color bursts keeps it interesting and means each is unique. I chose an analogous color palette so that the design wasn't; busy. Each of the bursts includes a few tints/shades of a single warm color - pink, coral, or red.
I added sparkly Astro Paste to one of the bursts to create a focal point for the sentiment.
This one only uses the stamps for the sentiment, and does not include the wreath outline. By embossing the sentiment in white, it repeats the white frame around the card and helps unify the design.