CSS Group Project! It's Seasonal!!!

Hello!  The CSS Design Team and I have another group project to share.  This time it's an inspiration challenge.  Check out the photos below, they are all seasonal.  What is your favorite season?

My favorite season is Fall.  I love the cooler weather, wearing tee shirts and jeans, sipping apple cider, making chili, what's not to love?!  

I created a Fall card to share today.  As soon as I saw the new Leaflets stamps and dies, I couldn't picture stamping them in any other colors than fall ones.  As you can see here, I stamped each leaf with three colors: Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous, and Say Yellow to All Your Fans.

The sentiment "thank you" comes from the newly release set Well Preserved.  I am in love with that font!!!

Those woodgrain squares are from a previously set that I just adore called Mini Squares.   One of these days I am going to photograph my cards before I erase all the pencil lines.  Every card I make pretty much has pencil lines made using a ruler to make sure sentiments are straight and items are centered if needed.  

Please join me in checking out all of my fellow designers creations:

• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Tracy Schultz
• Laurie Willison
• Lori Tecler
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Elena Roussakis
• Laura Bassen
• Audrey Tokach (guest designer)

• Clear & Simple Stamps Blog

Please stay safe if you are in the path of hurricane Sandy, you are all in my thoughts.  Have a great day!

{Thank You}

Stamps: Leaflets, Well Preserved, Mini Squares (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous, Say Yellow to All Your Fans (CSS)

Dies:  Leaflets (CSS)

Accessories: Foam Dots

Read more...

A {Pick of the Patch} Card...

Happy Friday!!!  So glad for the weekend to get here.  I had such a busy week (more than usual) because my husband was on a business trip.  I'm so thankful I was able to pick him up from the airport this morning.

I have a happy and cheery card to share with you today.  The base of the card has a woodgrain impression.  It's hard to see in the above photo, but you can really so it well in the photo below.  I used the new Rounded Squares Quad Die to create the "window" for my pumpkins.  I stamped the pumpkins using the solid pumpkin image from Perfect Harvest Too.  I used a brown watercolor pencil to color in the stem.  

As you can see, the woodgrain panel is popped up on foam dots.  The sentiment "pick of the patch" comes from an older set, Icons Sentiments.  As a finishing touch, I adhered a leaf that I die cut and stamped and tied it with an orange bow.

I hope you have a lovely autumn weekend!!!

{Pick of the Patch}

Stamps: Perfect Harvest Too, Leaflets, Icons Sentiments (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, Brown Leather Satchel, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Orange You Fabulous, Glamazon Green, Dish All the Dirt Brown (CSS)

Dies: Rounded Squares Quad, Leaflets, Woodgrain/Fall Frenzy Impression Plate (CSS) 

Accessories: Foam Dots, Orange Floss, Watercolor Pencils

Read more...

Blogher Book Club Review...

Hello!  This month's Blogher Book Club selection is a bit of a departure from most of the books I've reviewed here on the blog.  This book is called "Diary of a Submissive".  For those of you familiar with the "50 Shades of Grey" books, this is a memoir written by someone that was actually a submissive in real life.  As you can correctly assume, this book is pretty interesting.  It is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure!

The first discussion going on over at Blogher Book Club is about being a confident woman.  What that means to you and how you get there.  Please join us!

Have a great day!

Read more...

CSS Group Project!

Hello there!   I have a fun Halloween project to share with you today.  The CSS Design Team and I are all sharing Halloween projects on our blogs today.  

Since last Halloween I've been keeping my eyes open for a healthy candy alternative to give out this year.  There are only about 5 kids on our street and I always make them something special.  I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spiced Popcorn on Pinterest a little while ago and thought it would be perfect to package individually to give out as Halloween Treats.  I played with the recipe a little and found the perfect ratio of popcorn to spices.  I'll share the recipe below after we talk about all the crafty goodness on the tags.  

Let's start with this small tag.  Both tags use dies from this Tags 1 set.  See the solid and dotted brown image?  That's from a larger stamp that is a label.  I feel kinda sneaky not using the whole image.  The label comes from this set, Label Frames 1.  The word "pumpkin" is from Perfect Harvest Sentiments  and the word "pie" comes from Perfect Harvest Fillers.  

The pumpkin is from Perfect Harvest Too.  The pumpkin shape was die cut using Mini Produce and then the solid pumpkin image was stamped in orange and then the outline was stamped in brown.  The pumpkin is popped up on foam dots.

The sentiment "trick-or-treat" and "a sweet treat" are both from Trinket Sentiments.  Did you notice the embossing on the tag?  That was done using the new Woodgrain/Fall Frenzy Impression Plate.  I love how the impression is deep, but you can still stamp on it!
----------------------------
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Popcorn
1/2 C. Popcorn Kernels
3 T. Brown Sugar
2 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 t. Salt
3 T. Butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread, which is vegan)

Mix dry ingredients, set aside.  Melt butter, set aside.  Air pop the popcorn and put in a brown paper bag.  Drizzle popcorn with butter and shake to coat the popcorn.  Sprinkle on dry spice mix, shake to evenly coat.  Enjoy!
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I can't wait to see what the other designers are sharing today!  I hope you'll join me in visiting their blogs.  

• Lori Tecler
• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Tracy Schultz
• Laurie Willison
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Elena Roussakis
• Laura Bassen
• Audrey Tokach <---- guest designer!
• Amber Kemp-Gerstel
• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{A Sweet Treat}

Stamps:  Perfect Harvest Too, Trinket Sentiments, Perfect Harvest Fillers, Perfect Harvest Sentiments, Label Frames 1 (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Orange You Fabulous (CSS)

Dies: Woodgrain/Fall Frenzy Impression Plate, Mini Produce, Tags 1 (CSS) 

Accessories: Foam Dots, Hemp Twine

Read more...

A {With Sympathy} Card...

Hey guys!  Happy Friday!!!  Another busy week here, but that seems to be the norm these days.  I have a simple looking card share today.  The over all look is simple, but the design took a lot of pencil marks, a ruler and a good eraser.  

The rectangle image comes from the new set Well Preserved Jars: Extra.  It's designed to be stamped as a jar label, but I loved the simplicity of it and used it to build a background.  I stamped the rectangles in a light color so I could stamp the leaves and sentiment over top.  One more thing worth noting, the sentiment is two words that originally are next to each other on one stamp, I cut the words apart so I could stamp the sentiment with the words stacked.  I just love how versatile clear stamps are!

Well, that's all for me!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

{With Sympathy}

Stamps: All Occasions 1, Leaflets, Well Preserved Jars: Extra (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: A Blanc Check (CSS)

Ink: Brown Leather Satchel, Orange You Fabulous, Dish All the Dirt Brown (CSS)

Read more...

CSS Release Recap & A New Card...

Hey guys!  It's been quite a release week, hasn't it?  I personally think it's our best one yet, but I think I say that every time.  Clear & Simple Stamps impresses me more and more with every release.  I don't know how they will top this release, but I'm sure they will.

I have new card to share with you today and then I'm going to do a little recap of the cards I made so far for this release.  

First of all, my card looks a little bright (a lot bright really!).  Trust me, it's really not that bright in person.  The sun must have been shining directly on my card, how appropriate!

I embossed the yellow card stock using a new CSS impression plate, Clouds/Sunburst.  On one side it's a sunburst and the other side it's clouds.  I applied that to my card base first and then added my two cloud panels.

In the Clouds Combo set, which is stamps with coordinating dies,  there is an edger die that I used to create these clouds, I guess you could call it a border.  I just love how easy it is to use, and then to line up an accent stamp, it's just really cool.  

And here's a recap of a few cards/projects made earlier in this release:

Well Preserved, Well Preserved: Extras, Well Preserved Jars: Medium

 Perfect Harvest, Distressed Linen, Label Frames 1, Well Preserved

Rounded Squares Combo, Perfect Harvest

You can see all the new products together in one place by clicking here: COLLECTION 5

Here are some of my DT friends that are also recapping this release.  Check 'em out!

• Tracy Schultz
• Elena Roussakis
• Laura Bassen
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Laurie Willison
• Denise January
• Jaclyn Miller
• Audrey Tokach <---guest designer!!!
• Clear & Simple Stamps

One last thing...

Happy Birthday Nicki!!!

I hope you've enjoyed this release as much as I have!  Have a great day!

{Sending You Sunshine}

Stamps: Cloudy Days Sentiments, Clouds Combo (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Say Yellow to All Your Friends, Your Style Blue Me Away, A Blanc Check (CSS)

Ink: White

Dies:  Clouds Combo, Clouds/Sunburst Impression Plate (CSS)

Read more...

CSS Release Day: Well Preserved

Hey guys!  Another exciting day of releases from Clear & Simple Stamps here!!!  Today CSS is releasing Well Preserved, a collection of jar stamps and coordinating images, sentiments and dies.  When I first saw this set, this was the card I envisioned!  I just love those flowers and the simplicity of the jar.  

I started by stamping the sentiment first, masking it off and then stamping the jar and then the flowers, all in Perfect Little Black Dress ink.  I colored the flowers with watercolor pencils and an aqua-painter.

I peeled the original label off the candle and replaced it with my own label.  I chose an image from Label Frames 1 and used both Say Yellow to All Your Fans and Creamsicle Cardigan ink to create a color of ink to match the flowers on the card.  I cut out the label and left tails on both sides that wrap around the candle.  I added some gems to kick it up a notch.

• Kim Duran
• Stephany Zerbe
• Elena Roussakis
• Denise January
• Laura Bassen
• Laurie Willison
• Lori Tecler
• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{A Well Preserved Friendship}

Stamps: Label Frames 1, Well Preserved Jars: Extra, Well Preserved, Well Preserved Jars: Medium (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Perfect Little Black Dress, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Creamsicle Cardigan (CSS)

Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Aqua-Painter, Gems

Read more...

CSS Release Day: Perfect Harvest

Today Clear & Simple Stamps is releasing some super yummy sets!  The collection is called Perfect Harvest and includes lots of fruits, veggies, sentiments, and coordinating dies.  As you can see from my project above, I really had fun with all those fruit images.  I made a card and tag combo!

Here's my card!  I used a new background stamp called Distressed Linen.  I die cut all the fruit before I stamped the images on them.  Most of these stamps are two or three step stamping, which allows you to add more color to your image easily.  For example, the pineapple is three stamps. Each color is a different stamp.  I love that!

Once all the fruit was cut and stamped, I arranged them on the card base using varying heights of foam dots.  The "platter" is a Word Window die.  The words "Organic Thanks" comes from two different sets (Trendy Tags 2 (older set) and Well Preserved (more details on that tomorrow).  The sentiment is stamped on a die cut circle that I cut in half.

I didn't want the tag to be match-matchy with the card, but I did want them to have similar elements.  I used the larger Labels 5 die to create the tag base, just cut two shapes and adhered the two at the top.  I used the same Distressed Linen background stamp.  I pulled the purple color from the grapes and the red inked sentiment from the apple of the card.  I also used a full circle, instead of the half circle on the original card.

 This is such a fun release day, I can't wait to see what my fellow designers created!  I hope you'll check them out too!

• Stephany Zerbe
• Kim Duran
• Elena Roussakis
• Laurie Willison
• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{Organic Thanks}

Stamps: Perfect Harvest, Trendy Tags 2, Label Frames 1, Distressed Linen, Well Preserved (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream, Dish All the Dirt Brown, VIP Purple (CSS)

Ink: Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Creamsicle Cardigan, Orange You Fabulous, VIP Purple, Green With Envy, Glamazon Green, Dish All the Dirt Brown, Dare to Be a Diva Red (CSS)

Dies: Mini Fruit, Word Window, Shapes: Circles, Labels 5 (CSS) 

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, Foam Dots

Read more...

Release Day: Collection 5!!!

The day is finally here!!!  I get to share with you the awesomeness that is Collection 5 from Clear & Simple Stamps!!!  Today I'm sharing one of the newest additions to CSS's shapes collection.  It's rounded squares!  You can see my project below using all kinds of rounded squares.  

Such a cute gift to give someone you love!  I paired my card with a small jar of apple jelly.  I didn't forget about a coordinating tag.

For my card, I started with a card base of Glamazon Green.  I used the new Rounded Squares Trio die to cut 3 rounded squares equally spaced on my card.  I attached a piece of On the Catwalk Cream card stock behind the three openings. Rounded Squares Combo is a set of all different sizes of rounded square dies with coordinating dashed line stamps.  I used those dashed line stamps on the perimeter of the cream squares using Dare to Be a Diva Red ink.  Then I took some Green With Envy card stock and die cut 3 small rounded squares and attached them to the cream squares using foam dots.  

CSS has another new set that you'll see later this week that includes these apples and a coordinating apple die.  I cut and stamped the apples and attached them to the light green squares.  

The sentiment "love you to the core" comes from an older CSS stamp set called "Icon Sentiments".  I punched a small hole on both sides of my card and tied some Red/White/Green Twine.  

For the tag on my jar I simply cut an extra of all the dies but adhered them together a little differently and punched a hole to make it a tag.

You won't want to miss what these designers have in store for you!

• Laurie Willison
• Kim Duran
• Stephany Zerbe
• Jaclyn Miller
• Denise January
• Laura Bassen
• Tracy Schultz
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Lori Tecler
• Amber Kemp-Gerstel
• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{Love you to the core...}

Stamps: Icon Sentiments, Rounded Squares Combo, Perfect Harvest (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Glamazon Green, On the Catwalk Cream, Green With Envy (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Glamazon Green, Dare to Be a Diva Red (CSS), White

Dies: Mini Fruit, Rounded Squares Combo, Rounded Squares Trio (CSS) 

Accessories: Red/White/Green Twine, Foam Dots, Mini Hole Punch

Read more...

CSS's Simple Cuts & WCMD!

Hello there!  Hope you are having a great Saturday!  In celebration of World Card Making Day, Clear & Simple Stamps has just released some new dies that coordinate with some popular older sets.  Today I'm sharing a card I made using the newly released dies for A Guy Thing.

First, I took the blue panel, a ruler, and pencil and marked where I wanted the ties.  The panel is 4" so I made a mark at 1", 2", and 3".  That's how I was able to line up the tie die up so perfectly.  When you need to use a die in an exact place, I always use masking tape to hold the die right where I need it as it goes through my Cuttlebug.  

Now for the fun part!  I had so much fun with these ties.  I used a "kissing" technique for the designs on the ties.  If you are not familiar with this technique, I'll try to explain.  First, start off with a solid image stamp like the solid tie from A Guy Thing.  Next, pull out some stamps that have fun patterns on them, in this case I chose some designs you might actually find on a tie.  What you do is ink up your solid image stamp (tie), then press it against the patterned stamp (kiss them together!), this will cause the ink to be removed from the solid stamp, leaving the patterned design on the solid stamp.  Then stamp on your project.   

I hope you were able to follow that!

Check out the Clear & Simple Stamps Blog to check out the other dies that are being released and links to projects from the other design team members.  

Be sure to stay tuned next week for the official Collection 5 release kicking off October 10th!!!

Have a great day!

{Happy Birthday}

Stamps: A Guy Thing, Trendy Tags 2, Designer Lines (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Trendsetter Blue, Kraft Like a Rockstar, Your Style Blue Me Away (CSS)

Ink: Your Style Blue Me Away (CSS), White

Dies: A Guy Thing (CSS) 

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, Foam Dots

Read more...

A {Gratitude} Card...

Hey guys!  I have a fun one layer card to share with you today.  Don't be deceived, this card looks simple, but it was a lot of work.  

I started with a kraft card base measuring 3.5" x 5 (my new favorite card size).  I used a t-square ruler and a pencil to make a grid of squares that were 3/4".  That was really the most time consuming.  

From there I stamped the large and small flowers and then stamped the flower centers.  The flowers are from Papertrey's Iconic Images set and the flower centers come from CSS's Background Basics 2.  

Here's to a great weekend!!! 

{Grateful for You}

Stamps: Signature Greetings, Iconic Images (Papertrey Ink), Background Basics 2 (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Glamazon Green, Simply Blue-tiful (CSS)

Read more...

A Confetti {Congrats} Card...

I've been seeing these "confetti" cards popping up all over the blog-o-sphere!  I thought I would finally take a stab at it.  It was unintentional, but my card turned out pretty masculine looking.

Once I had all the circles punched, I simply smeared a little glue over a one wide strip of the card.  I sprinkled the larger circles first and then the smaller ones.  I saved the small black ones for last since they were a sort of accent.  

The sentiment is popped up on foam dots.  Now we wait and see if all the confetti holds up, fingers crossed!

Have a great day!

{Congratulations}

Stamps: Circles Plus, All Occasions 1 (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Such a Gray-cious Host, Orange You Fabulous, Perfect Little Black Dress, Say Yellow to All Your Fans (CSS)

Ink: Perfect Little Black Dress (CSS)

Accessories: Circle Punches, Corner Rounder Punch, Foam Dots

Read more...

A {Welcome Fall} Card...

Welcome Fall!!!  I'm so glad fall is finally here, I even made some pumpkin muffins the other day to go with my pumpkin flavored coffee.  It's pretty safe to say that I love fall!

For my card today I pulled out an older Papertrey Ink set, Wreath For All Seasons.  It was one of those sets that I just had to have then didn't use it nearly as much as I thought I would.  One thing to note on this card is that the yellow bow looks a lot brighter in the photos than it does in person.  

I started off by stamping the wreath in the center of the card using a dark brown ink, then stamped the wreath again in a light brown ink all over the card's background.  I the stamped berries onto the wreath using red, yellow, and orange ink.

I used pieces of glue dots to hold the tails of the bow in place as well as the bow itself.  I like how they look like they are blowing in the wind.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope there is something pumpkin-y in your future!!!

Have a great day!

{Welcome Fall}

Stamps: Wreath For All Seasons (Papertrey Ink)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar (CSS)

Ink: Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Dish All the Dirt Brown, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous, Brown Leather Satchel (CSS)

Accessories: Gold Embroidery Floss, Glue Dots

Read more...