Best Year Yet | Simon Says Stamp

HEY FRIENDS! I’m back today with a project featuring the Best Year Yet stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. This stamp was part of the May 2023 card kit which will probably sell out shortly, but the individual elements are available for sale on the Simon Says Stamp website. So don’t panic if the card kit is sold out – you can still buy this stamp set on its own.

I liked this stamp because the sentiments and images are basic and I can easily put together a birthday card when I need one. It seems like I never have a birthday card when I need one so this stamp set filled that need. As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Best Year Yet by Simon Says Stamp

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Step by Step Instructions for Best Year Yet

Now wasn’t that easy? Hope you enjoyed today’s project. See you again soon.

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

COPICS: BG01, BG02, B00, RV13, RV14, RV17 (big present); Y35, Y38, YG03, YG07, G09 (small present); RV10, RV14, Y35, Y38, B02 (cake, candle & plate)

Rowhouse Greetings | Best Year Yet by Simon Says Stamp | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Happy Hello | Simon Says Stamp

HEY FRIENDS! I don’t usually subscribe to monthly card kits, but I have been buying the Simon Says Stamp Card Kits for several months now and I’ve been impressed by the quality of the products and the value of the kits. The new March 2023 card kit features the folk-art inspired Happy Hello stamp set perfect for almost any occasion. I looked at the beautiful cards made by other designers, but decided that I wanted to do something a little different. The heart design was so reminiscent of Pennsylvania Dutch patterns that I decided that I wanted to do it in color.

At first, I tried coloring the image with Copic Markers – what made me think I could color fine detail with a brush nib? Eventually, I came to my senses and pulled out my Polychromos Pencils and had some fun!

As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s Project

Rowhouse Greetings | Happy Hello by Simon Says Stamp

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I stamped the image on Stonehenge Drawing Paper using Ink on 3’s Fade Out Ink for no line coloring. I colored the image using Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils as follows:

  • Reds: 121 Pale Geranium Lake, 223 Deep Red, 225 Dark Red
  • Blues: 152 Middle Phthalo Blue, 144 Colbalt Blue-Greenish, 151 Helioblue-Reddish
  • Greens: 266 Permanent Green, 167 Permanent Green Olive
  • Yellows: 107 Cadmium Yellow, 108 Dark Cadmium Yellow

When choosing colors, I pretty much just picked colors that I thought would blend together for each combination by looking at the pencils. Not terribly scientific, but it was fun to just grab pencils and color. If you want to be a little more selective, Sandy Allnock’s Hex Chart for Polychromos Pencils is a great tool. I would have used it myself if I was working on a more complicated image.

Rowhouse Greetings | Happy Hello by Simon Says Stamp

After I finished coloring the image, I trimmed the panel to 4″ x 5.25″ and added foam tape to the back. I cut an A2 cardbase from Neenah Classic Crest and an A2 panel of Wild Cherry cardstock from My Favorite Things. Then I assembled the layers as shown.

Hope you enjoyed today’s project! See you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Corbel Collage Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp

HEY FRIENDS! Today I have something a little different – a card with absolutely no Copic coloring! I pulled some dies and paper out of my stash, including the Corbel Collage Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp. I love the beautiful tree design and while it would also be lovely as an inlaid design, I decided to keep it quick and simple with some ink blending. As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Corbel Collage Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp

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Using the Chunky A2 Scalloped Rectangle Dies, I trimmed a piece of Hammermill cardstock and then used the Corbel Collage Wafer Die to cut the design from the middle. I stamped the sentiment from the Bitty Holiday Wishes using Versafine ink. I added foam tape to the back and set it aside.

Next, I cut a scrap of Hammermill cardstock and ink blended it using Distress inks in Rustic Wilderness, Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron (I don’t remember the exact dimensions, but it was sized slightly larger than the size of the Corbel die).

I cut an A2 card base from Neenah Classic Crest and adhered a piece of design paper cut to size from the Cheerful Plaid 6×6 paper pad by My Favorite Things. I die cut a piece of Hammermill smooth cardstock using the Folk Edge Rectangles Die Set and assembled the layers as shown.

That’s all for today!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Gnome by Simon Says Stamp

HEY GNOMIES! Have you mailed your holiday cards yet? No? Well, neither have I. That’s this week’s task. I probably have enough cards in my stash, but it’s hard to say. Every year I ask my husband how many cards he wants to send out to his friends and family and he always tells me “five, maybe six.” And then when it’s time, he suddenly needs 20 cards. So needless to say, I’m still making cards just in case.

Today I have another card where I used a die as the main focus. Here, I used the Gnome wafer die by Simon Says Stamp. As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Gnome by Simon Says Stamp

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I used the Gnome die to cut the pieces and the solid background from Hammermill smooth cardstock and colored the pieces using Copic markers (see list below). Once the pieces were colored, I assembled them by gluing each piece in place on the solid background using Multi Medium Matte glue.

I cut a piece of Hammermill cardstock to 2-1/8 x 5-3/8 inches and stamped one of the sentiments from the Joy to You and Yours stamp set using Versafine ink. I covered the ink with clear embossing powder and heat set it. Next I cut a piece of gold Idea-ology Metallic Kraft Paper to 2-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches and glued it to the back of the sentiment layer.

I cut an A2 cardbase from Neenah Classic Crest, topped it with a piece of design paper, and assembled the layers as shown.

Hope you enjoyed today’s project! See you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

COPICS: R29, R39, R46 (hat); E000, E00 (nose); YG03, YG17, YG67 (shirt)

Rowhouse Greetings | Gnome Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Santa Claus by Simon Says Stamp

HEY FRIENDS! Got something a little different today. Although I love coloring images, it can be time consuming, especially if you need to make a bunch of cards. And let’s face it, Copic coloring can feel intimidating when you first start out. So I looked through my stash and pulled out a couple of die sets where I could use my Copics as accents rather than the central focus. Today’s card features the Santa Claus wafer die set from Simon Says Stamp. As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Santa Claus Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp


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Santa Claus is the main feature on this card so I’ll start with him! I used the Santa Claus Wafer Die to cut the pieces and the solid background from Hammermill cardstock. I used my Copic markers to color the hat, face, eyes, and nose. Once the pieces were colored, I assembled them by gluing each piece in place on the solid background using Multi Medium Matte Glue. After a few false starts, I found that the pieces went together best if I started with the beard and worked my way up to the pom-pom.

To add some dimension, I cut the pom-pom, trim and mustache a second time from scrap white cardstock and glued them into place. I decided that I wanted the stars to be gold, so I initially tried coloring them with a gold gel pen, but in the end, I cut them out again from a scrap piece of gold metallic cardstock from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metallic Kraft 8×8 Paper Pad. I added foam adhesive squares to the back and set it aside to work on the background.

For the background, I used one of the Blanket Stitch Rectangle Dies to trim a piece of Hammermill cardstock. I selected a sentiment from the Joy to You and Yours stamp set and stamped it along the bottom using Versafine ink. I applied foam tape to the back for dimension.

Next I used Red Spellbinders Glimmer Foil and the Plaid Tidings Glimmer Foil Plate to foil a piece of black cardstock trimmed to 4 x 5.25 inches. I cut a piece of red cardstock and adhered it to an A2 cardbase cut from Neenah cardstock. I assembled the layers as shown.

That’s all for today! See you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

COPICS: R20, E000, E00 (skin); R20 (nose); R29, R46, R39 (hat); 100 (eyes)

Rowhouse Greetings | Santa Claus Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]