Simon Says Stamp Cozy Hugs Release

Hello, crafty friends! I am excited to be sharing a new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp that is part of their new Cozy Hugs Release! There are many great products in the release, so be sure to check out all the rest of the goodies, too.

My cards today feature the Simple Holiday Greetings stamp set. Considering the fact that I make a LOT of holiday cards, I am always looking for new greetings to use. But, I’m also always wanting that “go-to” set – the one that has all of your basic holiday sentiments in one place. And speaking of having them all in one place – take a look at my first card!

Card 1 Supplies

Simon Says Stamp – Simple Holiday Greetings Stamp Set

Simon Says Stamp – Large Joy Die 

Simon Says Stamp – Etched Berry Branch Die

Ranger – Clear Embossing Powder

Tim Holtz – Mica Spray Stains

Tim Holtz – Fired Brick Distress Oxide Ink

Tim Holtz – Distress White Heavystock Paper

Memory Box – Clear Fairy Drops

Spellbinders – Platinum 6

MISTI

Bearly Art Glue

Rabbit Hole Designs – Cottontail Embossing Powder Tool

Making the First Card

I started with a panel of Distress White Heavystock Paper, since I knew that I would be using Mica Sprays. I wanted to highlight all of the sentiments on this card, so I left the stamps on their original backing and just taped that into my MISTI. I had already cut my panel to be slightly larger than I needed. I stamped the sentiments with Fired Brick Distress Oxide and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I then trimmed down the panel as much as I could, while still keeping all the words. It ends up being a slightly odd-sized mini slimline. 

Next, I sprayed my panel with Mica Sprays. I actually used the set of Halloween sprays that I just recently purchased – I used the Wicked Elixir and the Decayed colors. The two of these together work really well for Christmas! Once I was happy with the blend, I heat set it to dry and wiped off any excess stain from my embossed words. 

I should note that this was my second version – I had originally stamped the words with VersaMark and then heat embossed with Platinum embossing powder. I liked it, but the words kind of got a little too lost once I added the sprays. Rather than throw out that panel, I used the Etched Berry Branch Die to cut the leaves and add to this card. I do not like throwing things out if I can avoid it. You can kind of make out some letters if you look closely at the leaves. I used the Large Joy Die to cut the word from red card stock. I layered three of these red die cuts together for dimension. I also sprayed some of the red card stock with the Decayed Mica Stain to use for the berries on the branches. I finished the card by adding it to a red card base and scattering a few clear drops around the leaves.

Card 2 Supplies

Simon Says Stamp – Simple Holiday Greetings Stamp Set

Simon Says Stamp – Large Joy Die 

Simon Says Stamp – Scandinavian Christmas Embossing Folder

Hero Arts – Gold Embossing Powder

 VersaMark Ink

Tim Holtz – Mica Spray Stains

Tim Holtz – Fired Brick Distress Oxide Ink

Tim Holtz – Distress White Heavystock Paper

Red Jewel Embellishments

 Simon Says Stamp – Detail Round Blending Brushes

Spellbinders – Platinum 6

MISTI

Bearly Art Glue

Rabbit Hole Designs – Cottontail Embossing Powder Tool

Making the Second Card

I have been in love with this Scandinavian Christmas Embossing Folder ever since I got it last year. There is something very old world about it, and I knew it would pair really well with the Mica Stains. I first took my Fired Brick Distress Oxide pad and swiped it over the inside of the embossing folder (on the side with the raised images). That way, when I ran my paper through my die cutting machine, the folder pressed the ink into the paper, leaving a red impression of all the shapes. It is not a perfect first impression, but that actually lends well to the overall look.

After letting the oxide ink dry a little bit, I then sprayed my panel with the Wicked Elixir and Decayed Mica stains. The green is not as evident in this card, especially in the picture, but it is definitely there. After spraying my panel until I was happy with the look, I felt like I had lost a little too much of the red. So, I popped the panel back into the embossing folder, inked it up again, and ran it through my Platinum 6 again. It’s easy to line the paper back into the embossing folder – the shapes kind of pop back into their spots. I also took a very small blending brush and ran some of the Fired Brick over some raised edges of the animals – you can see that mostly on the deer and fox.

I stamped the sentiment onto red card stock with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I trimmed the sentiment down and then I dipped the edges into some of the Decayed Mica stain that I had sprayed onto my glass mat. I also gently wiped some of the stain over the sentiment to make it look aged. I love how it looks with the card itself, especially layered over the gorgeous Large Joy Die. I finished by embellishing the card with some red jewels.

That’s it for my cards today. I really love how they turned out. I hope they put a smile on your face.  Thank you so much for visiting my blog today. 

Wishing you all a crafty day,

Allison

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