Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! The fantastic Kelly Latevola is BACK as a special guest on our blog today and I’m just LOVING the amazing one layer wonder she created to feature on our blog! Some of the star ingredients used are: Hydrangea Petals, Tropical Leaves, Painted Kindness, and Uplifting Thoughts!

Don’t forget to watch the video, and enjoy!

Watch the video:

SUPPLIES:

Hey there friends, welcome back to a brand new Studio Monday video tutorial! Gold has been so popular as of late so I thought I would share a fun way to stretch some of your gold watercolor sets to create beautiful accents on colored backgrounds!

Today I will be using Hero Arts stencils (Large Flower, Tropical Background and Triangle Patterned), as well as their Luggage Tag Alphas stamp set. The stencils are so much fun to use as backgrounds, but you could also use them for a variety of other techniques… one of my other favorite ways to use them is to add texture and patterns to die cuts!

However, today I’ve used the stencils to add gold accents to my distress ink backgrounds. In the video below, I will be sharing how I created each background, as well as tips and tricks on getting the gold watercolors (from Finetec) applied through the stencils.

Applying the gold watercolors onto the background is really easy! I used a mini round blending tool (the same ones used for ink blending) and wet the watercolor pans just a bit (too much water makes the blending tool sponge become too wet for the blending technique). After getting the pans wet, I pick up the ink with the blending tool and then sponge it directly onto the stencil-covered background.

Again, this is a really easy technique that is great for getting more use out of your supplies… And if you do not have gold watercolors, bear in mind that you could even do this technique using a gold ink pad!

To see how I created these gorgeous backgrounds, be sure to check out the video below! If you enjoy, please give the video a “thumbs up” and subscribe to our Youtube channel for more weekly inspiration!

WATCH THE VIDEO

SUPPLIES

It’s time for another edition of Spotted here on the Simon Says Stamp Blog! Seeing all of the amazing cards and projects featuring the Simon Say Stamp brand that are created by you, our awesome customers, is super fun for us! We love seeing what you are creating. ‘Spotted!’ is a monthly feature on this blog that highlights the talents of all of you! Thank your for bringing our products to life with your creativity and energy! It’s really a treat to share your projects!

Today we are happy to introduce you to 5 designers who shared their work and caught our eye for the July 2016 edition of our ‘Spotted’ post!  We send each of them a little something special for being “spotted.” Be sure to use the hashtag #simonsayssstamp on your social media accounts so we can spot YOU! We find cards on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr, in our Simon Galleries, and craft blogs.

First up is this gorgeous and graphic card by Andreea that we spotted on her Instagram page. This card is so fresh and right on trend! We love the big bold stripes paired with the gorgeously soft pastel colors. A real stunner! Andreea used our Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Wide Stripes Background stamp for her card. Please visit Andreea at her Instagram page or her blog.

Next is another pretty floral creation made by Tamara! This clean and simple layout paired with pretty Summer ink colors caught our eye right away on Instagram. Tamara used our Simon Says Stamp exclusive Many Thanks stamp set. You can see more of her work on her Facebook page or her Instagram feed.

Wow is all we could say when we spotted this pretty card made by Marine. We really love how she stamped on vellum for a light and ethereal look to this card. Anyone would love to receive this in the mail! Marine used our Simon Says Stamp exclusive Sketch Ranunculus stamp set. Check out Marine’s cards on her Instagram page or at her blog.

We found this beautiful card by Karen in the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Page. These flowers are so stunning in the bright vivid colors and the card layout is perfection! Karen used the Simon Says Stamp exclusive Tattered Poppy Die and the Sending Wafer Die. To see more of her work, please visit Karen’s pretty blog.

We spotted this watercolor beauty made by Michele and loved it right away. The bold rainbow water colored stripes are perfect! Michele used our Simon Says Stamp exclusive Hand Lettered Encouragement stamp set to make this great card. Please visit Michele’s Instagram page or her blog to see more!

Wasn’t that spectacular!? Would you like to be SPOTTED using Simon Says Stamp product? Post your creations to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (with hashtag #simonsaysstamp), your blog and/or the Simon Says Stamp online galleries (in the sidebar) and we’ll choose cards or projects to feature each month! We also have a Simon Says Stamp Flickr group here and we would love for you to join us! So many ways for you to play along with us. We can’t wait to see what you are creating!!

SUPPLIES USED IN THESE SPOTTED PROJECTS!