LilyBean Paperie

Simon Says Stamp Let's Connect Release...

Morning!  I've got a little something to share with you as part of Simon Says Stamp's new release, Let's Connect!  Such a fun, playful, and versatile release.  I have used (what I think is my most favorite floral background stamp ever) the Spring Flowers Cling Stamp.  

I stamped it on yellow cardstock using watermark ink and then heat embossed it using white embossing powder.  I then sponged ink over my embossed images using pinks,  yellows, and peaches, and then spritzed water over my background.  Since I wasn't quite ready to quit, I used Tonic watercolor pencils as well, needing the bit of detailed coloring in certain spots such as the centers of my flowers.  I then used the Border Bling:  Postage die from Ink to Paper to create a frame from my stamped background.

I added a second frame in white using the Ink to Paper Border Bling:  Skinny Diagonals die around the opening.  I added a sentiment to the center of my card from Ink to Paper's Many Anenomes stamp set along with sweet florals using the Nature's Background stamp set.

Thanks for visiting!  Hugs and love to you all.

Melissa

always and forever...

Hello and Happy New Year's Eve Eve!  My card today uses the new Always and Forever stamp set from Simon Says Stamp's You Are Loved release.  This sentiment just has my heart in every sense of the word...makes me think of my sweet guy.

Along with the fun sentiment, I used Banner in Bloom for my florals from Reverse Confetti, stamping them in watermark ink and heat embossing them using white embossing powder.  I then sponged color over my images and added water and watercolor markers.

In the background, I used more florals from the Elegant Florals stamp set from Reverse Confetti along with patterned paper and vellum to soften the colors.

Happy 2019, friends!

Melis

dieCember from simon says stamp...

Hello!  Just sharing a sweet card created with the new Bixby Background die from Simon Says Stamp DieCember collection.  I heart it!

I die cut it from the center of a die cut Spellbinders Eau de Lavende die...it's the precious, detailed floral in the center.  At the top and bottom, I added stamped and die cut flowers using the Elegant Florals stamp set from Reverse Confetti.

I then stamped my sentiment on a die cut banner and added it to the center of my card, followed by a die cut heart, cut using the XOXO Hearts Die.

All of the supplies used can be found at the end of my post.  Happy last few days of DieCember!

Melis

12 days of holiday giving...

Hello!  I just had to stop in and tell you all about the 12 Days of Holiday Giving taking place at the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog.  This is such a fun event and I'm happy to be taking part in it.  My project was created for the event and you can find all of the details there.

I've used the darling Charming Cottage Box Etched Die from Spellbinders.  It's my newest gift-packaging crush :).   I created my little cottage using Crate Paper and My Mind's Eye supplies.

The fun, metallic puffy stickers are also from Crate paper...gotta have these in my stash at all times, they're so cute.  My tag was created using the Scalloped Tag Die and Gift Card Cozy Sentiments stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

Visit the SCT blog for more details and enter to win some fun holiday giveaways!

Melis

 

spellbinders christmas greetings...

Good morning!  Today I'm sharing a new love of mine, the Spellbinders Amazing Paper Grace Die of the Month Club.  My card was created using the November Kit and it is so beautiful!  I love the story book feel and intricate detailed dies.  It's just completely enchanting.

I wanted to keep the colors soft so as not to detract from the beautiful dies, so I created an ombre pink background and accented with glittered pink cardstock, gold foil cardstock, soft black, and white. 

The kit comes with lots of options as far as the tiny dies that help build your scene, and I've just used a small portion of them here.  I loved the look of the church set up on a hill on a silent, snowy night.  

I added some snowflakes using the Amazing Paper Grace Yuletide Snowflake Dies from Spellbinders....I can't quite get enough of these either :).  My snowy background was stamped using the Winter Window stamp set from Papertrey Ink.  

spellbinders & fun stampers journey...

Have you heard the exciting news? Fun Stampers Journey and Spellbinders are coming together beginning today,  November 1^st 2018!

My card today uses products from these amazing companies.  I chose to use the beautiful, new Adore Him stamp set and coordinating dies from FSJ.  

The wise men, palm trees, and Star of Bethlehem are among my most favorite Christmas symbols and this stunning set combines them all so beautifully, not to mention the touching sentiments.  I framed in my gold embossed wiseman on his camel by using the Spellbinders Corset Label dies.  

The bottom layer was cut from gold metallic cardstock with the top layer cut from Stormy Sea cardstock.  I heat embossed my Star of Bethlehem in gold and my palms in white and then layered on my wiseman, using dimensional adhesive in order to add depth.

I then framed in my images using intricate and detailed dies from the Anabelle's Trousseau and Filigree Veil collections.  To finish, I added rhinestones from the Holiday Sparkles package by FSJ.  

I carried my sentiment to the inside of my card adding it to another die cut Corset Label.  I created a second scene using more wisemen, trees, city, and star from the Adore Him stamp set.  Such a special group of products!

Supplies are listed for you below.  Be sure to visit the Spellbinders + FSJ blog for more inspiration!

Enjoy your weekend!

Melis

 

flurries!...

Hello!  It's been a busy October!  My favorite month is flying by and I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute of it :).  My card today is one way in which I have been enjoying my October....by having some creative time.  I have some beautiful, new Spellbinders products to share with you that I've incorporated on my card.  

The gorgeous, lacy, frilly, elegant, and intricate snowflakes!  Yep, they're from the A Charming Christmas Collection by Becca Feeken.  I will without a doubt, love them forever :).  I cut them from white glittered cardstock and layered them over a little window scene, stamped and die cut using the Winter Window stamp set and dies from Papertrey Ink.  

I used the Spellbinders Botanical Frame Cut and Emboss Folder for my background, die cutting it from Stormy Sea cardstock.  I wanted the beautiful embossing to show, so I ran my embossed cardstock over watermark ink and then coated it with Shabby Green Embossing Enamel and then heat it up.  I love how it looks...soft and swirled, just like snow.  I then sponged on white ink to further the soft look and feel.  Lastly, I added my ribbon and sentiment, which is from the Penned Elegance:  Christmas stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

Thanks so much for visiting.  Hope to be back soon with more!

Melis

it's STAMPtember!...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  The STAMPtember event from Simon Says Stamp is here and I am so excited to play along and have created a little something to kick off this special time of year.

I have used the new Simon Says Stamp Spiritual Sentiments stamp set, created just for STAMPtember.  It is so beautiful and full of the loveliest of sentiments.

Not only are there beautiful sentiments included in this set, but sweet, little flourishes and images that you can easily use to accent your sentiment.


Be sure to stop by the Simon Says Stamp blog to read more about this PARTY and find your way through dozens of blogs, all with cards created just for STAMPtember!   And Simon Says Stamp will be celebrating all month long with prizes and loads of inspiration.

Happy September!

Melis

friendly frolic...

Morning!  It's hot and slightly miserable around here lately and I suppose I'm jumping the gun a bit, but I feel like crafting for Fall!  I used supplies from Simon Says Stamp's new Friendly Frolic release on my card today...such a fun release!

The new Friendly Frolic Diamond Pattern Wafer Die is beautiful and you can see it here, used as my background.  I cut it from scarlet cardstock, layering it over cream cardstock.  I added melted enamel splatters using Shabby Green Embossing Enamel from Stampendous.

Over my background, I added fun toppings using patterned paper and stamps from Carta Bella's new Fall Break collection.  Oh how I love this sweet new line....makes me happy!  To create a patterned paper border in coordinating colors, I used Fall Break paper along with the Spellbinders Lily Pearl Flat Fold die.  

I brought in texture and dimension by die cutting leaves from corrugated and glittered cardstock, two of my favorite elements.  Next, I stamped my sentiment from the Fall Break stamp set on a tag cut using the Round Top Tag from Reverse Confetti and then added a few enamel dots to finish.

Supplies listed for you below and lots for you to enjoy on the Simon Says Stamp blog.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Melis

countdown to confetti - day 1...

Happy 5th of July!  Hope you all had a very special 4th :).  It's day 1 of the July Reverse Confetti Countdown and today we are introducing two gorgeous new sets....I love them both!

I used the new Elegant Florals to create my sweet border of flowers around my sentiment.  I stamped images from the Elegant Florals stamp set on a die cut Stitched Squares Confetti Cut.  I stamped in watermark ink and heat embossed using white embossing powder.  Once the powder was set, I sponged on ink in soft aqua, pink, yellow, and green.  I then added a spritz of water and added a big of color using my Zig Clean Color Markers.

I then cut a block of cardstock to fit the center of my square and stamped my sentiment from the new The Most Beauty stamp set.  This set is full of the most beautiful and thoughtful sentiments.  My card base was also stamped using lovely images from the new Elegant Florals stamp set.

To celebrate the July release, Reverse Confetti is giving away one $15 gift certificate to one blog commenter and one $15 gift certificate to one Facebook commenter, so leave comments on the designer's blogs as well as on the Reverse Confetti FB page.

All new products will be available on July 8th!

Thanks for your visit.

Melis

New Reverse Confetti Products Used:
 

sending sunshine...

Hello friends!  The end of the school year is always so busy, and we're right in the thick of it here :).  Thank you for hanging in there with as I'm absent on occasion.  My first card today was created for Simon Says Stamp and uses the fun, new Four Seasons dies from the Sending Sunshine release...they're delightful!

I selected the "spring" die to use on this card, combining it with the Sweet Friend stamp set from Altenew.  The gorgeous Romancing the Swirl Etched Tags Dies from Spellbinders were used to mat my sentiment and to embellish my focal point a bit.  I also used the Romancing the Swirl Ringlet Round Etched Die, also by Spellbinders to add more frills.  

In the background, I used the Flower Arrangement stamp set from Altenew and stamped several images on watercolor cardstock, using watermark ink.  I then heat embossed my images using white embossing powder.  I sponged ink on in soft pastels to bring in color and highlight the embossed flowers.  Next, I used the Spellbinders Eau de Lavande die and cut my watercolor block of  embossed flowers...I love the look.  I also used the tiny flowers from this same die set to create more layers of flowers and frills, sponging on a bit of color and using Copics as well.  Supplies used on this project can be found below.

 

And, a bonus card before I go, using the same technique with stamps, watermark ink, and ink blending on cardstock.  I created this using the new Text & Texture:  Roses stamp set for my background, sponging on Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, and Hibiscus Burst ink.  

I used the Pinked A2 Vertical Die to create my sweet, pinked edge around my watercolor cardstock.  I then stamped a frame on vellum using the Stitch in Time Borders stamp set and heat embossed it using white powder.

My stamped frame and flower were created using the new Forest Floor:  Summer stamp set.

And, my sentiment comes from the Gathered Garden stamp set...just the right size to fit inside this frame.

Supplies used on this card are listed for you below.

Enjoy your day and thank you for visiting!
Melissa 

 

spellbinders april blog hop and giveaway...

Welcome to the April Spellbinders Blog Hop! You're in for a delightful treat today as there are so many gorgeous Spellbinders dies being showcased.  

You may have found your way here via the talented Sharyn Sowell's blog...doesn't she create beautiful things for us to create with?:)

My card was created using the darling Little Loves collection from Sharyn Sowell....talk about irresistibly sweet!  I have always loved silhouettes and creating with them in mind is such a treat.  I've used the Me and Teddy Etched Little Loves die.  

I'll explain a bit about how I created my card.    

I LOVE my Spellbinders Platinum 6 Die Cut Machine...it cuts through all different types of mediums flawlessly, from paper, to chipboard, to fabric, etc.  For this card, I just needed to die cut through  my patterned paper and selected a soft, pink polka dot.  

Not show in the above photo, is a second cut using this die combined with pink glittered cardstock.  

I then selected another Spellbinders die in order to create a frame to highlight my Little Loves die cut.  I used the Anabelle's Trousseau Layering Frame.  I die cut the outer layer from patterned paper that resembles a sewing pattern, with my inner layer cut from Kraft cardstock, and then a white glitter cardstock outer layer.

Next came the fun part...adding my die cuts, layers and embellishments.  At the last minute, I decided to add a layer behind my silhouette using the pink glittered cardstock (shown below).

This was such a fun card to create.  The Little Loves dies are so creative and inspiring...can't wait to use them again.

To celebrate this release, Spellbinders is giving away a $50 gift certificate to a lucky winner. Please leave a comment on Spellbinders blog by Sunday, April 22nd 11:59 pm EDT for a chance to win. The winner will be announced in the blog hop post on Spellbinders blog the following day. Winner is responsible for shipping cost, duties and taxes. 

AND...If you comment on my blog by Sunday, April 22nd 11:59 pm EDT, you'll have another chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Spellbinders!

Your next stop of the hop is Susie Lessard's wonderful blog...love her work!

Below is a complete list of blog hop participants...enjoy!

Spellbinders

Debby Hughes

Kay Miller

Julia Altermann

Laurie Willison

Miriam Prantner

Yana Smakula

Nichol Spohr

Sharyn Sowell

Melissa Phillips

Susie Lessard

Virginia Lu

Nina-Marie Trapani

May Sukyong Park

Erum Tasneem

Rubeena Ianigro

Zsoka Marko

Helen Salo

Sandra Nagel

Janette Kausen

Kittie Caracciolo

Olga Direktorenko

Svitlana Shayevich

Mayline Jung

 

 

best.mom.ever...

I love making Mother's Day cards...anyone else?  I know this can be a hard occasion to create for and a hard to for many to celebrate.  My heart goes out to you, if you're in this category....I am as well :).  Infertility has not been a kind and gentle disease for me, it takes its toll every, single day... but I have to step back and remind myself of all I have instead of thinking about what I'm missing.  One day my arms will be full and my Sierra will have siblings to love and enjoy.

I created  my card today using the new Best Mom stamp set from the Fluttering By Simon Says Stamp release.  What a beautiful stamp set to create with, especially if you love to color!  I stamped my image on watercolor cardstock using watermark ink and then heat embossed using white embossing powder.  I then sponged on my ink colors and spritzed my cardstock with water to activate the colors.  Love this effect.  

Next, I added a bit of color using my Zig Clean color makers.  I cut my floral image from the cardstock base it was stamped on and layered it over my card base.  I added stamped flowers to my background and a sentiment across the bottom, from the Tweet Wishes stamp set.  

Just want you to know I'm thinking of you sweet women in my life today, whether we've met before or not, whether you're my family or my friend, someone who feels forgotten or alone, someone fighting a silent battle each day...you are loved more than you'll ever know!

Melis

simon says stamp fluttering by blog hop...

Hello! I am so happy to get to join Simon Says Stamp in celebration of their new Fluttering By release!

For my project, I've used the new Stitching Butterflies Wafer Dies from the Fluttering By release.  I am in love with these cuties!  They are so intricate, delicate, and dainty :)...so much fun to get creative with!

I die cut my Stitching Butterflies from Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock.   I then sponged on soft pastels, using a couple of different shades of the same color on each butterfly.  

Next, I  spritzed my butterflies with a bit of water and used my heat tool to help speed up the drying process.  Once dry, I added white paint splatters and embossing enamel to create some soft splatters.  The tiny bodies of each butterfly were colored with my Copic markers in coordinating colors.

These lovely Stitching Butterflies are just begging to be used with patterned paper next :).  Mixing and matching  patterns is one of my favorite things to do with dies, and these three-piece dies are perfect for just that, so stay tuned!

You can find all of the Fluttering By Release products HERE at Simon Says Stamp.  AND, Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $25 gift certificate from every blog on the hop, so be sure to stop in and comment on each blog to be eligible to win!  Visit the Simon Says Stamp blog next Wednesday to see if you're one of the lucky winners.

Now, get hopping and enjoy!

Simon Says Stamp Blog 

Kristina Werner

Cathy Zielske

Nina-Marie Trapani

Nichol Spohr

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Kelly Latevola

Suzy Plantamura

Heather Hoffman

Melissa Phillips

Lin Brandyberry

Kathy Racoosin

 

sweet elephants...

Am I the only one who loves plaid?  I have loved plaid for as long as I can remember and to this day, can't get enough :).  Especially in my paper-crafting.  My card today was created for Simon Says Stamp and uses the Sweet Elephants Wafer Dies from their new Best Days release.

I used a variety of patterned paper to piece together my tiny elephants...the biggest reason I love these dies, is because they lend themselves so perfectly to mixing and matching patterns and colors.  

Along with the sweet elephant dies, I used the Wonky Stitched Squares, Sunny Skies, Stitched Sentiments, and Cloud 9 Die-namics from My Favorite Things.  The darling Happy Together stamp set was used for the flowers behind my elephants and for my sentiment.   Across the bottom, I used the Stitched Scallop Basic Edges 2 Die-namic...everything looks better with a few scallops and stitching...and plaid :).

Supplies are linked for you below.

Thank you for visiting!

Melis