Life Is Better with Friends

Hi Bloggers!!  Happy Sunday to you! I hope your weekend is going great! I'm thrilled to be welcoming back guest designer Kelly Rasmussen for a beautiful and inspiring card made with SSS exclusives and new BasicGrey products! Enjoy!

From the designer:
Hello, Simon friends! I'm thrilled to be on the blog today sharing a card with you using some yummy BasicGrey papers from the Mint Julep collection.
 
I love so many of the papers in this collection, but especially love them when they are all used together! The tiny patterns in the 6x6 pad work great for a technique like I used on my card.

To create the hexagons I die cut a bunch of different papers using the Hero Arts Geometric Shapes Die and then I just laid them out around my sentiment to make them flow down the card. I used the hexagon frames on a few of the spaces and then popped up some tiny hearts in the openings that were die cut using the Simon Says Stamp Mini Hearts Die.

The mixed font sentiment from the Hero Arts/BasicGrey You & Me clear stamp set is my favorite from this collection! And the Hero Arts Ruby Dye Ink is a perfect match to the reds in the Mint Julep collection. I finished off the card with some pink BasicGrey Candy Buttons and covered the tiny hearts with some Glossy Accents. I think those small finishing touches you add to a card are what really make it complete.

I hope you enjoy the card!

Shop the supplies:


  

     
   

   

Thanks for reading today and thanks so much to Kelly for being a guest today!

Blog Candy Alert! Join our following and comment on this post for a chance to win a special blog candy!

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Mondays in May with May

While I'm not a big fan of the drink, the line Mint Julep by BasicGrey is by far one of my favorites from them in a long time! Even better? Unlike the cocktail version it is totally calorie free!

Welcome to another installment of Mondays with May! I'm excited to be here, and I'm ready to share
a new layout I created just for the Simon Says Stamp blog. First, here's a look at this layout as it was in-process.

Once I had chosen a photo to scrapbook, I knew I wanted to build a number of paper layers so I could utilize some of these fantastic patterns. One of the things I find so appealing about Mint Julep is that the patterns for the most part are smaller scale, and they are fairly muted colors. The pops of color come from the solid side of the papers and the embellishments, and I love how that compliments my photos so well.

For this page I used:
1x10 (blue paper), 6x10 (cream), and 7x3 (blue floral), as well as a 4x6 photo

Here is the finished page. You can see I added a doily, but everything else is from the BasicGrey line. To have a playful time and add a lot of small accents without overwhelming my photo and taking over the whole page, I confined myself to playing along the right side of the photo, and just a few accents below and to the left.

The finishing touch for my page was stamping with Hero Arts shadow ink in Navy. That touch of darkness added the contrast I needed, and I love the results!

This dear line from BasicGrey is wonderful for more than scrapbooking little girls though! With minty green, soft blues, and plenty of yellow it could be perfect for any spring, outdoors, or just because layout that you might want to make. Not a scrapbooker? That's ok too! I am loving it for cards - in fact today on my blog I'll be posting one if you'd like to see it.

Have a beautiful week- I wish you very happy crafting!

May
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Be sure to pop on over to May's blog for a SPECIAL coupon code to Simon Says Stamp that you'll only find there!!!

Blog Candy Alert! Join our following and comment on this post for a chance to win a special blog candy!

Congrats weekend blog candy winners!
From: : Happy Mom's Day: Dana!
From: : Hooray for New Lawn Fawn: Carol Perry!
From: : The Journey Begins with Shari Carroll: Crafty Math Chick!

Please email (Steph@SimonSaysStamp.com) with your mailing address and the name of the blog you won from to claim your prize!

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Let's Make a Cool Card with Lisa Spangler!

Happy Saturday, bloggers! We have a very special treat for you today! Our friend, Lisa Spangler, has made a special exclusive card for our blog today! Get in the festive spirit of the upcoming holiday and follow along with Lisa's inspiration and step by step instructions on how you can create this card too! Enjoy!

I just couldn't wait to play with some new goodies from Hero Arts and BasicGrey! I wanted to incorporate some trends that I've been seeing everywhere, too: ombre, gray mixed with bright colors, and pops of metallic! This card is for Valentine's Day, but you could easily change out the inside message and the color scheme to make a card for other occasions.

 

Instructions:

• Stamp the Arrow Background with white pigment ink on white cardstock and heat emboss in white. 
• Use the Large Tag Frame Cut to cut out a tag shape.
• Starting with spun sugar, use a foam ink applicator tool to apply ink to the top portion of the tag, following the diagonal lines that the arrows make. Next add worn lipstick, then go back over where the two meet with more spun sugar to blend. Add picked raspberry to the bottom portion, then blend with worn lipstick.

 

• Cut out a partial heart from the side using the medium sized heart. (see photo).

• Place the scallop and medium sized hearts on white cardstock and cut out together (see photo).

 

• Ink the heart with antique linen and tea dye inks, being careful not to tear the paper -- a pouncing motion works best!
• Ink the BasicGrey Woodgrain Background with tea dye ink, mist, and stamp on the heart. Adhere the heart to the tag.
• Make a card 4 1/4 square card from Hero Arts Charcoal layering paper. I love this paper since it's white on the inside, so you can do some stamping or write on it without having to line it first!
• Use silver pigment ink to stamp the BasicGrey Heart Background on the left side of the card, then again on the right side of the inside of the card.

Stamp "Happy Valentine's Day" with picked raspberry on the inside of the card.
 

• Position the tag on the card but don't glue it down yet!  Use a hole punch to punch a hole through the tag and the card base. Adhere the card with foam dots and tie a ribbon through the hole.
• Add a wood veneer arrow to the heart -- love how these woodgrain arrows coordinate with the stamped background!

• Stamp the message on a white strip and trim the ends, then adhere with foam tape.
• Color some silver metallic decor with a Copic marker and add them to the card  -- this is a great way to get custom colors!

Shop the ingredients:



Thanks for reading today, and special thanks to Lisa, for this special exclusive!

Blog Candy Alert! Join our following and comment on this blog for a special surprise candy!

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Kelly Rasmussen Wows With BasicGrey!

Good day to you!  

Today we have some lovely cards by Kelly Rasmussen, featuring BasicGrey.  Kelly has a fun, fresh style and a really great eye for just the right layout! 

Just look at this beautiful card Kelly made using BasicGrey's Soleil.  I like how she layered with the wheels and petals.  The arrow stamps are from the Paradise set and the letters alphabet stickers can be found in here!

InLinkz.com

I love the teal with the yellow on this card!  Also, I think it's a cool idea to tie twine around the flag piece!  Those gems are a neat touch too!  Kelly made this card with Sew Perfect and Delicate Flower stamps from the Lucille Collection by BasicGrey.

InLinkz.com

The vintage buttons on this card make a cool border and coordinate perfectly with the pretty Lucille papers!  I like how Kelly rounded the corners on the card and mirrors it on the floral paper.  The half circle peaking from behind the floral paper mirrors the buttons. I love this technique!  Plus she mixed and matched all three clear Lucille stamp sets: Be Silly, Fancy Schmancy, and Sew Perfect.  This is such a put-together layout!!

InLinkz.com

Serenade is one of those collections that I can't get enough of.  The papers are slightly distressed which lends to the classic, romantic feel of the collection.  On this card, Kelly used Serenade Layered Stickers & alphabet stickers to top the cardstock that she enhanced with butterfly and flower stamps from the Pocket Watch set.

 

InLinkz.com

We'd like to say a BIG thank you to Kelly Rasmussen for letting us showcase these fabulous cards!  Make sure to stop by her blog for more inspiration!  : )  Maybe she'll have some inspiration from the new True Love Collection, which is available now at Simon Says Stamp!

InLinkz.com

 

Blog Candy Alert:  Join our following and leave a comment for a sampling of BasicGrey papers like the ones found in this blog! 

 

Blog Candy Winner from the What's New from Graphic 45 & Spellbinders blog is: Kim H!  Please email Steph@SimonSaysStamp.com with your name, address, and the title of the blog from which you won to claim your prize.

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