Merry Christmas In July from Kathy Racoosin!

Winter Whites

July is almost upon us and you know what that means!?!? Christmas in July! The FABULOUS Kathy Racoosin created the festive card above with a Penny Black Holiday Stamp, Winter Whites!


Bakers Twine

Check out the detail that Kathy added with We R Memory Keepers Bakers Twine on top of the INCREDIBLE Copic coloring :) If you're up for SOMETHING NEW Kathy Racoosin also suggests Tombow Brush Pens!


Jelly Bean


Retro

And guess what!?!?! They are NOW AVAILABLE at Simon Says Stamp! Don't wait until December to break into your holiday stamps! Start off the season now and be inspired this July!

Merry Christmas!
:) Fran

Stamping Watercolor Backgrounds With Hero Arts' Shari Carroll!

Large Lotus Background

Who knew you could mix Hero Arts Stamps, Tim Holtz Ink Stains and Ranger Mini Misters and get a delicate background like in the card above!??! Thanks to Hero Arts' Shari Carroll we now know what a washed-out look is.


My Favorite Things Daisy Die Cut

To make your card POP try My Favorite Things Die-Namics!



Hero Arts NEW Summer Release has FABULOUS Framed Message Stamps to try!




I hope Shari Carroll's creation has inspired you to think outside the box :)


WHO WANTS BLOG CANDY!?!?!?



Join our following, and share something fun you're going to do this summer and one lucky winner can win this Hero Arts Stamp Set! I will announce the winner by random draw next week! Good luck crafters ; )

Stay Crafty!
:) Fran

Smash Books = Smashing!

Now that I've gotten the pun out of the way in the title, it's time to really tell you a little bit about SMASH BOOKS Folios : )

What are they? Easy-to-update scrap journals by K & Company.

*Please note: these are extremely hot items and sell out quickly! We've been ordering them daily to try to keep them available for you, so check back if one is out of stock. You can use the WISH LIST feature to remind yourself to keep checking. Sorry for the trouble, but these babies are selling like hotcakes!

The formula:

Book

+

Scraps, pictures, mementos

+

Organizational Items

+

Journaling Parts

+

Adhesives

=

Smash Book!

Here's a little Smash Book video for your viewing pleasure:

Great as a gift, on-going project, or sit & scrap creation! See the individual listings for more inspiration!

Pretty cool, huh? We, here at Simon Says Stamp, think so! Tell us what you think and you could win a Faber-Castell Blue Big Brush Pen - a great item to use for your Smash Book!

-Sarah

Sarah@SimonSaysStamp.com

PS - The WINNER of the blog candy (a bag of Prima Wildflowers) from yesterday's blog, Simon Says Stamp & Show: A Word, is.....VALERIE FROM COLORADO! Please email Fran@SimonSaysStamp.com with your address to claim your flowers : )

Simon Says Stamp & Show: A Word!

If there was any time that was good to join in the Simon Says Stamp & Show - it's now! The theme this week is Stamp & Show a Word - how easy is that since most of us use sentiments and sayings anyway?

Here is what the Simon Says Stamp & Show Design Team made:

Made by Dan! Dan used Classic Teal paint by Claudine Hellmuth - easily one of my favorite colors! He also used the Winged Things 2 and Steampunk Stamp sets by Tim Holtz!

Made by Lynne Forsythe! Lynne used the Mini Bird Cage Die from Tim Holtz Sizzix. She also used the Fabulous Flourish stamp by Hero Arts.

Made by Candy Colwell! Candy used awesome Ideaology pieces by Tim Holtz - Film Strip Ribbon and Game Spinners, to name two. She used Lille papers by 7 Gypsies, too!

Made by Nancy Crissinger! Nancy's piece has such pretty colors, don't you think? She created this using an 8 x 8 canvas, Lille Tags and Mini Vintage Ephemera by 7 Gypsies. A tip for warming the colors of any piece you're working on - blend on some Mustard Seed Distress Ink!

Made by Sarah Engels-Greer! Sarah used Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts - in particular: Dress Forms and Leaves. She used the Celestial Art Stamp set (also by Wendy Vecchi). For more about what she used, click her name to visit her blog!

Made by Nancy Wethington! Nancy used papers from Pink Paislee's Daily Junque pack - gorgeous! Like the postmarks in the bottom right corner? They're from the Curtain Call 2 stamp set by Graphic 45.

Made by Lori Hassler! Lori's tag is so fun and bright! She used the Hope die by Tim Holtz Sizzix. She also used Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts - Flower & Stem. Need ribbon or lace?

Made by Terry! Terry used lace by Hero Arts, Curio papers by Basic Grey, and the Fleur de Lis Punch by EK Success! Love how she colored this? She used Distress Inks by Tim Holtz!

Made by Linda Coughlin! Linda made this cool patriotic piece using: the Lost & Found Paper Stash, Journaling Tickets, Kraft Glassine Paper by Tim Holtz. Need glittery chipboard stars? Try these shapes by Melissa Frances!

Made by Linda Elbourne! Linda made a gorgeous box book! She used Wendy Vecchi stamps, the Gold Paint Dabber, and Red Pearls.

Thank you to the Design Team for your amazing work, once again! I'm sure everyone feels inspired now, but just as an extra boost - don't forget that if you enter the Challenge, you could win a $50.00 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp!

Want to win some blog candy? Comment about what your favorite word is and you could be a winner of a bag of pretty Prima Wildflowers!! A winner will be drawn at random tomorrow - comment now! : )

Happy Monday!
Sarah
Sarah@SimonSaysStamp.com

Gorgeous Unity Stamp Inspiration!

Time for Travel by Brook Lien

Happy Sunday, Bloggers! Only 2 days from now, we will already officially be one week into Summer! My goodness, how quickly time passes, I can hardly believe it! Today I'm very happy to spotlight and give some love to a beautiful brand of unmounted stamps, Unity Stamps! They are not only beautiful and unique in their own right, and by their own designers, but have combined forces with brand and artist power houses such as Donna Downey, Cosmo Cricket, Echo Park, and Webster's Pages...just to name a few. I hope you enjoy this inspiration, and if you're hesitant to purchase an entire set, check out the collection of Itty Bittys! Perfect for a Unity Stamp beginner.


Imagine It by Natalie Dever

A new released set that I'm really loving for it's versatility.... (great stamps and fabulous sentiments!!) This set is great for everyday cards, backgrounds, borders, and much more!

Delight in Beauty

***Blog Candy Alert! I want YOU to love Unity Stamps as much as I do! How would you like the chance to win some? (Pictured Below) Join our following, comment on this blog, and you could win! I will announce a winner later in the week, good luck!


***Congratulations to Blog Candy WINNER, Karen! You won the Lawn Fawn inspiration catalog! Please email fellow team mate Fran, at Fran@SimonSaysStamp.com, and she will mail it to you!

Have a GREAT week!

Steph

Summer Card Camp WINNER!

AND THE WINNER IS....
Going to receive a SPOT in the most amazing card camp class of the summer! Class starts Monday and it's not too late to sign up! You can even do it in your jammies. CLICK HERE For details. TOTALLY WORTH IT!

AND THANK YOU Jennifer Mcguire and Kristina Werner for giving away this spot to your class!

NOW THE WINNER.....

THE WINNER IS: RUFUS! Rufus, please email Heidi@SimonSaysStamp.com. CONGRATS!

Rufus said...

Jennifer always has great ideas, this should be a fantastic class. Thanks for the chance to win a spot, that would be really cool!
R/
June 24, 2011 10:30PM

Sticky Back Canvas Resist by Jennifer McGuire!

Happy Saturday! Enjoying your weekend? Need a little something to do? Here is a fantastic project by Jennifer McGuire for Sticky Back Canvas:
Did you know that you don't need to cut Sticky Back Canvas with scissors to get a straight line? All you have to do is snip & rip. You can get it to fray by pulling some of the strings out after ripping to get the cool effect featured above.

You can use Big & Bossy Embossing Ink with a circular design stamp, like Starburst by Hero Arts, add some White Embossing Powder and Heat set it.

Ink the Sticky Back Canvas with Distress Inks -try Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Wild Honey, and Brushed Corduroy.

Spray the sticky back canvas with a Mister Bottle containing a mixture of Perfect Pearls and water. Jen McGuire says it will look awful but your white embossed Starburst Design image will come out once it's dried.

Browse through some or Basic Grey's Bloomers for a flower you like...here are just a few:

*Basic Grey BLOOMERS Fabric Flowers WANDER 3008 Price: $5.49

*Basic Grey BLOOMERS HELLO LUSCIOUS 3263 Fabric Flowers Price: $5.49

*Basic Grey OUT OF PRINT BLOOMERS Fabric Flowers 3348 Price: $5.49

then change it up a little bit! Jennifer McGuire used pearls and twine.

Other supplies used for this card:
-Craft Scissors
-White Card
-Fabulous Flourishes Stamp Set
-Chrome Yellow Archival Ink
-Distress Inks
-Big & Bossy Pad
-Ink Blending Tool & Refill Foam
-Pearls
-Twine
-Glues & Adhesives
-Grenadine Layering Paper

Thanks to Jennifer McGuire and Ranger for this project!
-Sarah
Sarah@SimonSaysStamp.com