Color Wash Stripes

Happy hump day! 

I couldn't wait to play along with this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and came up with this little ditty. The challenge is to use color wash or color mists + stamping and I decided to do a little color washing for my background. I got so darn excited about my color washed stripes that I forgot to add stamping to them, but I did do a little stamping on the shaker window. ;-)

In the supplies listed below, you'll notice Post-It Masking Tape. I tore long strips of the tape in half and used them to mask my background layer into stripes and hold my paper in place. Then I pressed distress ink onto my craft mat, spritzed it with water and painted (color washed) the stripes. Before pulling the masking tape and while the paper was still wet, I sprinkled gold embossing powder here and there, heat set it and then pulled the tape off to reveal this really cool background.

I noticed that I just happened to have some shaker card ingredients that matched my color wash stripes, so I die cut a circle into the background layer and added a shaker pouch behind. I have so many wonderful friends who I dearly wish lived closer to me, so I really should mass produce this one!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a chance to check out the Simon Says Monday Challenge following the link below.
~Amy

SUPPLIES:

InLinkz.com

Challenge Me {hi}

I've got a clean and simple card featuring a technique-y feather sitting front and center. Today's card hits on a few current challenges going on that you definitely should consider participating in:

 Paper Smooches Sparks | Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge | Sweet Sunday Sketch 274

I've used stamps and dies from Paper Smooches for their current Anything Goes Challenge and combined it with my favorite technique (ink smooshing) for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

I usually use the ink smooshing technique to create one of a kind backgrounds but used it to create an interesting focal point instead. To create the feather, I smooshed  hot pink dye ink onto a piece of watercolor paper, then clear embossed a polka dot background on top and finished with another layer of smooshed hot pink ink to get the two shades of pink you see. 

Make a little time for yourself this week to play along with these challenges, you'll be glad you did!
~Amy

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - For the Love of Plants

Welcome! I have a shabby-chic card for your today that I'll be linking up with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog - For the Love of Plants challenge. 

I used a few different techniques to create the base layer, including ink smooshing, Damask stencil + texture paste and a little sprinkle of gold embossing powder here and there. The rolled flowers are the small, medium and large royal roses dies from My Favorite Things, and the fine print sentiment is from the Sending and Wishing stamp set from Simon Says Stamp, one of my favorites!

Hope you're having a nice weekend and look forward to sharing a few more challenges with you this week!
~Amy

Thanks Teacher

End of the school year calls for a little teacher thanks, so I got three birds stoned and came up with today's card. You can check out each of the fun challenges I combined below, just click on the graphic to take you directly to each challenge.

Smarty Pants

 Curtain Call | Inspiration

 Paper Smooches SPARKS | Anything Goes

 Sweet Sunday Sketch | #272

I hope to dabble in challenges on a more regular basis now that I have little more free time during the summer. Thanks for stopping by today and come back soon!

~Amy

Life's Simple Pleasures

Happy Friday!

I have a simple card to share with you today featuring a few products from Your Next Stamp. 

I love the sentiment and its reminder to enjoy the little things in life. 

Tree Trio | Heartfelt Sentiments

I'll send you off for a great weekend with a few of my favorite 'less is more' type quotes:

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
~ Socrates

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
~ Hans Hofmann

 Have a simply wonderful weekend.

~Amy

Wishing You Happy Birthday

A warm Wednesday welcome, folks!  I have a smooshy inky birthday card to share with you today that I'm linking up with the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Masculine. My card uses my all time favorite SSS products which are linked directly below the picture and my current favorite technique - ink smooshing!

sending and wishing | wishing die

Thanks for stopping and have great day!
Amy