Lots of fun today with the start of one of my favourite crafty months of the year! Diecember from Simon Says Stamp celebrates all things die cutting and to kick off the month there’s a release of new dies!

SSS HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dies SSS WINTER SNOW Dies SSS PAINTED CONGRATS Die SSS PAINTED HUGS Die SSS FAMILY AND FRIENDS Dies SSS PAINTED THANKS Die SSS SINGLE ROSES Dies SSS STACKED HEARTS Dies SSS HEART OF ROSES Die SSS BIRD OF ROSES Die SSS HEART DUET Dies SSS SEND MY LOVE Dies SSS SIMPLE POINSETTIA CUTOUTS Die SSS FLORET FRAME Die SSS STITCHED WHIRL BACKGROUND Die SSS SKETCH FRAME Die SSS STITCHED DRESS UP TAGS Dies

Lots to tempt you; a couple of seasonal dies but mainly looking to year round crafting with flowers, birds and hearts. Not to mention that tag die; you would think I’d have jumped at that one with my love of tags but it was the Stacked Hearts die that first drew my attention. The random layout of the hearts reminded me of a favourite technique of mine – swiping embossing paste through a stencil to give an area of background interest. The advantage of a die cut though is that it can be cut from so many materials and as I’ve done can be hung off the edge to give a different look too.

Having adhered the Stacked Hearts die cut from white card to a white panel I then die cut the Single Roses dies from Canson card I’d watercolored with Winsor & Newton tube paints. I used both the positive and negative part of the flowers; glittering the negative portion with Rock Candy Distress Glitter and adhering over the positive die cut with a slight rotation to give depth to the roses. The flowers are attached with lots of little pieces of clear foam adhesive to give dimension and the leaves are tucked in and glued in place. I love layering diecuts like this to give lots of interest for the eye to take in.

For the sentiment I cut the Painted Hugs die from more of the watercolored card and to make it stand out from the flowers I added a coat of Glossy Accents. The accompanying wording is from the Best Hugs stamp set white heat embossed on Slate card and trimmed out. For a final flourish I added a visual triangle of sequins. In fact there are lots of triangles and groups of three going on in this card – three pops of blue, three flowers, three spots of sequins – it is always worth keeping in mind good design principles :D

Limited Edition Card Kit

Dies are not the only new item out today; the Limited Edition Holiday Card kit is too! This kit is jam-packed with product; stamp set, ink pad, papers, die cuts, stickers, gift bags, twine, card bases, card stock, washi ….. Oh I wish I had it in my hands to show you more but unfortunately the postal system must be struggling under the volume of Holiday and Black Friday mail :( As soon as it arrives though you can be assured I will be delving right in there :D

Virginia’s View Challenge

We’ve all loved Virginia’s View Challenge since it started almost 2 years ago. Well, after a job well done, Virginia is stepping back for a bit but is going out with a bang or should that be bling LOL with a challenge all about glitter :D I’m going to link todays card with it’s subtle glitter flowers. Let’s make this last challenge one to remember and glitter anything that stays still on our desks long enough!! You can find out more about the challenge and prizes here.

SUPPLIES

You can find links to the supplies I’ve used below; click on the picture or wording to get taken directly to the product. Where available I use affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support.

SSS SINGLE ROSES Dies SSS STACKED HEARTS Dies SSS PAINTED HUGS Die SSS BEST HUGS SSS SLATE Card Bazzill MARSHMALLOW Card Canson XL WATERCOLOR PAPER USA Winsor & Newton Professional Water Color Tubes UK Winsor & Newton Professional Water Color Tubes Versamark WATERMARK INK Tim Holtz Distress Stickles Dry Glitter ROCK CANDY Kool Tak Clear Foam Adhesive 3M DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Ranger MULTI MEDIUM MATTE Ranger GLOSSY ACCENTS EK Success POWDER TOOL SSS WHITE Embossing Powder PPP 4mm SPARKLING CLEAR Sequins Little Things From Lucy’s Cards FLAMINGO Sequin Mix Martha Stewart MINI SCORING BOARD Milwaukee Heat Tool Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE