Happy, Happy, Happy

I really like the newest stamp and die set that I ordered online not long ago.  It is called Happy Days from CZ Design although I purchased it through my current favorite supplier, Simon Says Stamp.  I tried an idea I found on a blog using this stamp set and am very pleased with the results.  I needed to make a couple of birthday cards and this set was perfect. 

See what I mean?  I hunted down shades of card stock that I had that would work together.  I had only four shades of the right kinds of purple so there are only the four steps of "happy" on that card, but I had five shades of yellow and orange so it has one extra panel.  All I had to do was emboss the word in white and cut the panels so the words would follow the right alignment, then glue them onto another piece of card stock, which I then popped up on the card front with foam tape.  The little "birthday" is also embossed in white and attached with foam tape.  A couple of sequins and a stripe of metallic edging later and the card was done.  Simple, but I think quite effective.

Cheer and Joy stamps

I have a new all-time favorite set of stamps that I've been using this year for Christmas cards.  I have been "captured" by one in particular from the set.  I liked it so much I almost could not stop making cards with it! 

These two cards are samples of what I have done with the "Merry" surrounded by ivy and holly.  Different background papers make a huge difference in the looks of the stamp, as does how I stamp it.  On the red and gold background card I embossed the stamp with gold embossing powder.  I also mounted the message on metallic gold card stock which added to the elegance of the card, I think. The green background was stamped with black.  To be quite honest, I can't decide which one I like better!

Let me show you and you can decide for yourself!

You are a blessing

Today I made a card for a friend using a really old wooden block stamp from Hampton Art that I've had for ages (since 2012!) as the focal point for my card. 

I stamped it on black card stock and heat embossed it using pearl embossing powder.  I wanted to image to 1) stand out and 2) match the pretty background paper I'd chosen.  The paper started out with purple and pink at the bottom fading into a light yellow at the top.  (Makes me think of a sunset!)

After embossing the image, I cut it out using deckle scissors to add some interest to the image, and added fushia dazzle stickers to the centers of the flowers.

I like the simplicity of the card, but I think it is quite striking by have such a contrast between the pink/purple of the background and the black on the image.

I am going to submit it to the Retro Rubber Challenge blog for their "anything goes" challenge this week.