Hi readers! Happy Monday! We’re very excited to welcome special guest Rita Barakat to our blog who has made an adorable mixed media project in our honor using a variety of Faber-Castell products! Check it out!

As a guest post for Simon Says Stamp I thought it might be fun to include a little dog in my mixed media project! I drew this especially for the occasion!

After finishing my drawing, I add a very thin layer of Gesso, this provides a predictable surface to accept Gelatos or paint or whatever medium I choose as well as preserves my drawing underneath. Gelatos are fun to use, coloring right on the surface or using a small wet paint brush and dipping it into the Gelato.

After I painting my images I work on the background. (For me, if the image doesn’t turn out the background is unimportant so I do the image first.) I use a spatula to spread a layer of Whipped Spackle and Cement Texture Luxe. Both mediums can be mixed with Gelatos but I spread them onto the surface, allow them to dry, then I add color. For this project I used Squid Ink and Silver Gelatos.

Supplies:

Happy Sunday! (I almost said Happy Saturday!) It’s time for the latest edition of “Weekender with Wanda” here on the Simon Says Stamp blog! I’m happy to see you today! Hope you are having a great weekend. Today I’m featuring beautiful new stamps and dies from one of our favorite companies – Hero Arts! I started stamping in 1994 and all of my first stamps were from Hero Arts. Such fond memories of shopping at the local stamp store by where I used to live and waiting with baited breath for the new HA catalog every year! Truly a soft spot in my stamping heart for Hero Arts. I also have great memories of a trip to Hawaii that the hubs and I took a few years ago and I love all things tropical! So, today I’m combining my love of tropical things with my love for Hero Arts! Maybe this card will whisk you away to the islands……

I used the gorgeous Hibiscus Layering Stamp Set and matching dies to make the pretty flowers. I also used the awesome Layering Pineapple die for my focal point. I just thought these two things went together perfectly. The sentiment is from the Layering Daisies Stamp Set.

In my mind, this card started out with a color palette…. Bright lime green and hot pink and vivid yellow! In this close up you can see how beautiful the layered stamps are on the hibiscus flowers and the leaves. The matching dies cut them out like a dream. I stamped the sentiment onto vellum so as to allow the color to shine through. One of my favorite paper colors of all time is Juicy Pear from Bazzill – and that is what I used for my bottom layer.

I tried a few different shades for the centers of my flowers. I ended up really liking the pop of deep black with the hot pink. Don’t be afraid to try out different colors when you stamp these! I could make these flowers for days! My vellum piece is wrapped around my card and taped on the back of the white layer.

Let’s talk about this pineapple die! Ooh la la. The die cut partially cuts out the pieces so you can raise them up off the paper for dimension. Very pretty and very fun! After I die cut the pineapple, I used a small sponge dauber and ink pads to place the colors onto it. Then I raised up the pieces. Really simple and easy to get this great effect.

I left the center of the pineapple with some white space. And I didn’t raise up all the pieces. This photo will show you how that works!

Wishing you sunny days and laughter my friends! Maybe you will try some of these fun Layering Stamps and Dies from Hero Arts?! So much fun to experiment. They are all clear stamps too which makes the matching a breeze!

SUPPLIES: 

Hi friends! Happy Saturday! Aren’t these Spring Plush Springtime shaped cards from Laura Bassen just delightful? This sweet little duo sure made me smile and I hope it makes you smile, too! Laura used the Party Bunny , and the Springtime Chicken to make these fun cards with a pop of felt to dress them up with the Perfect Bow! Don’t forget the googly eyes! Be sure to watch the video, and enjoy!

Watch the video:

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