Happy Friday, crafty friends! It's always a happy day when we are celebrating a brand new release from Simon Says stamp, right?! What is even better is that Simon has been able to resume shipping with extra safety precautions to keep their staff and customers as safe from COVID-19 as possible. Keep in mind that they have a lot to catch up on and shipping is just slower in general these days. But we are just so happy that one of our favorite craft stores is able to get back to work!

Their latest collection is called Sunny Days Ahead, and is full of gorgeous mother's day and graduation products! SSS is also giving a free intense black ink pad with any purchase purchase using the code sssink. This is valid until Sunday, 04/26 at 11:59pm or while supplies last.

This is day 1 of the Sunny Days Ahead Blog Hop, and we've got quite the lineup for you! I will put all of the blog hop details at the end of my post, but how about we get to my card first? Today I've created a rainbow stamped grad card using some of the newest products! I really feel for grads this year, especially those leaving high school. I remember all the fun I had during my final days of high school, and it is very sad that they are having to miss out on all of that. It is more important than ever that we celebrate the grads in our life as much as we can this year, and make sure they know how much they are loved!

"Congrats on a Job Well Done" grad card features:

• Grad Party stamp set
• 2020 outline die
• Pinkfresh Studio premium dye inks

I would love for you to watch my card come together today. You can view my video below, or HERE in HD.
I hope you enjoyed my video for today. I would love for you to give it a thumbs up if you did, and subscribe to my channel if you don't already!

If videos aren't your thing, here is a little info on how I created this card! I started by stamping the largest grad cap from the Grad Party stamp set in a rainbow gradient using Pinkfresh Studio premium dye inks. I am MISTI reliant, but if you are good with a clear block then you could stamp it that way too! All of the colors I've used are in the link list at the end of my post. When I finished the stamping, I diecut the panel with the largest Essentials: Stitched Rectangles die, then mounted a full panel of foam adhesive to the back. I have found the most cost effective way to create these is by using a block of white fun foam and backing each side with 5 inch Scor Tape. I added white splatters to the front with Amsterdam acrylic ink in titanium white, then set it aside to dry.

Next I stamped the sentiment from Grad Party to white cardstock in onyx black Versafine. I used my Mini MISTI so that I could lightly stamp the sentiment three times. This letters in this sentiment are fairly small and thin, and pressing too hard while stamping could cause them to squish and halo. I have found that I get better results using a lighter touch on these smaller sentiments! I diecut it with one of the smaller Essentials: Basic Label Frames, then trimmed the left side off.
 Next I diecut the 2020 outline die four times: once from glitter paper and three times from white cardstock. I used a gold/champagne toned glitter paper that is in my crafty stash, but you could definitely substitute it with many options from this SSS glitter cardstock assortment. I adhered and stacked the four layers together with a Zig glue pen.

At this point it was time to assemble the card to the front of a black A2 card base. I mounted the stamped panel to the front, then glued the 2020 diecut with mixed media adhesive. I adhered the sentiment label with foam tape, then finished by accenting the card with the Essentials: Crystals Mix. I used my new Studio Katia embellishment wand, which works great!

That is everything I have for you today! If you have any questions about my card, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will be sure to reply.
How about we get to all the fun blog hop info now?

Be sure to hop along and leave comments along the way for your best chance to win one of the prizes!

Happy Monday, friends! Today I am excited to share that our second release of Essentials went live in the Pinkfresh Studio store. This release includes 6 new diecut sets, 1 set of flat backed jewels and 1 set of shaker crystals, with 12 colors in each set. 
 The diecut sets includes label frames, edgers, a tag, and so much more. In true Pinkfresh fashion, we've worked very hard to make these Essentials versatile, unique and we think you will love adding them to your crafting studio!

Here is a look at all of the new products:

There is so much to go over, but first - why don't I share the awesome shopping promos we have going on! First up is this free die with ANY purchase from the Pinkfresh Studio store. It will automatically load into your cart!
We are also offering FREE shipping in the USA on orders $50+, or discounted shipping for our International friends! Just use the code: 

This promo is valid until Sunday, May 26th at 11:59pm. The code will deduct $5.50 from your order, which is the equivalent of free U.S. shipping, or discounted International shipping.

Now, I will put the rest of the blog hop & GIVEAWAY info down at the bottom of my post, but how about we get to my projects for today? I've channeled my inner Cathy Z. in my cards today, as I needed some grad cards this year too. However, I didn't personalize them and went with WTG, meaning "Way to Go!". I focused my cards around the brand new Pretty Frames 2 die, and combined it with the highly popular (and just re-stocked) Adore Alpha die set, Stitched Rectangles diecut set from our 1st Essentials release, and sentiments from Through the Trees and Abstract Builder. And finally, I have accented each card with our brand new Jewel mix.

I did do a video for today, including an introduction to all of the new items and my card process. You can check that out below - I'm still getting over all the germs our foster daughter would bring home from daycare, so my voice is a bit gravely & scratchy.

I know that not everyone loves to watch videos, so I will still write out the process too! I started by diecutting the Pretty Frames 2 die from heavyweight white cardstock 3 times. Then I diecut the Adore Alpha letters 4 times: once from gold glitter paper, and three times from white cardstock. Then I stacked & adhered all the white layers together with a Zig glue pen. Finally, I diecut the Stitched Rectangle from Bazzill Jellybean cardstock. At this point, all the diecutting was complete.

Next I stamped the sentiments to white cardstock in onyx black Versafine, then trimmed into thin strips. I added banner edges to the sentiment strip for the purple card.

Then I put together the purple version of the card by layering all the elements to the front of a white A2 cardbase, popping some of the items up with foam adhesive. This gave the card great dimension, and also made it very sturdy. Finally, I added our new flat backed jewels to the front of the card with mixed media glue and my new Crystal Katana jewel picker. My friend, Heather Hoffman, told me about this tool and I finally broke down & ordered one. Let me tell you this - I shouldn't have waited so long. This is the best jewel picker I have EVER used - it actually works correctly!

The blue card was put together almost exactly as the purple card above, with the exception of one added step at the beginning. I splattered the navy cardstock panel with Gansai Tambi gold paint and watered down titanium white acrylic paint. Once dry, I put it together in the same fashion as the card above.

 I really hope that you liked my fun set of grad cards today! I really love how they turned out!

Those are the projects that I have for you today, so how about we get to the rest of the info you need?

You have the chance to win a $25 gift card sponsored by Pinkfresh Studio from my blog {and all the other posts on the blog hop too!} - all you have to do is leave a comment!
 You can also win the full Essentials release on the Pinkfresh Studio blog and Instagram feed. You have until Sunday, May 26th at 11:59pm CST to leave a comment. Winners will be posted on the Pinkfresh Studio GIVEAWAY PAGE on Monday. You must check this page & claim your prize within 2 weeks.

I will get all the blog hop info to you below, but how about we get to my card first? Today we are showcasing this cute new stamp & die set called Graduation & the Congrats word die. I threw it back a little, and picked the colors of my high school for this card, and you could easily customize it for any school colors! Speaking of high school - I found out the other day that the daughter of my high school best friend just made the cheer squad at our alma mater. We were cheerleaders all 4 years together, and it is just crazy to think that she has a daughter old enough to be starting on her own high school cheerleading journey. It has made me completely nostalgic!

I kept my card relatively simple, and just did a lot of diecutting and simple stamping & heat embossing. I popped the tag layers up with foam adhesive to give the card some dimension.

This card is super easy to create, and could be made in larger quantities if you happened to have a lot of graduates in your life this season! I know I need to make one more in purple this year!

Well, that is a wrap on Sweet Peek Week! Here is another look at all of my projects from the week featuring the new products. And don't forget that everything goes on sale tonight! What is on your wish list?

Welcome to day 1 of this month's Lil' Inker Designs April release!  We've got some fantastic stamps, dies & papers to share with you this month.  They will all be linked below for easy access to viewing & purchasing all of the new items!

For my first card I created an elegant mother's day card in black, gold & white.  I added ribbon to my card, which I haven't done in ages!


For my second card I stuck with a metallic color palette, and made a graduation shaker card.  I paired some of the new items with the previously released "Go Confidently" stamp set.



For your shopping convenience, I have provided a link list with all of the newly released products on it.  I will only be linking Lil' Inker Designs product for today's post, but if you have questions about anything else that I used...please leave them in the comments & I will reply.

Lil' Inker Designs April 2016 Product Release



As is the case every month, this is a blog hop. Here is today's order so you don't miss a thing!  There are three $15 gift certificates up for grabs...just be sure to leave comments on each blog to up your chances!

LID Blog http://www.shoplilinker.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/
Angel Rivera http://angelsworld94.blogspot.com/
Amy Kolling http://stamp-n-paradise.blogspot.com/
Chrissy Larson http://chrissycards.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Gold http://goldensimplicity.com/
Sarah Jay http://www.criminalgrace.com/
Jennifer Carter http://jensinkspot.blogspot.com/
Lisa Henke http://mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com/
Lea Lawson http://www.lealawsoncreates.com/
Heather Hoffman http://housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com
Joy Taylor http://www.simplebydesignblog.com/
Link to Store http://lilinkerdesigns.com/

I will be back tomorrow for Day 2 of the release!

Until later,
~L.

Hey there, blog friends!  Welcome to day 2 sharing projects using some new stamps & dies from Lil' Inker Designs!!  Yesterday was the start of lots of inspiring projects, and today is going to be no different!

Today I've created another baby card, but this time for a baby boy!  And I've also created a really fun graduation card.  Up first is the baby card!
I created a super fun shaker card using the new alphabet cover plate...I think it turned out super cute!  How fun would this be to give at a baby shower...and it could easily be switched out for a girl, or gender neutral!





Up next is the graduation card!
This is definitely geared more towards a girl, but you could easily make it more masculine by just changing the colors!



Be sure to check out what the rest of the designers have created for today!

LID Blog http://www.shoplilinker.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Carter http://jensinkspot.blogspot.com/
Lisa Henke http://mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/
Sarah Jay http://www.criminalgrace.com/
Lea Lawson http://www.lealawsoncreates.com/
Chrissy Larson http://chrissycards.blogspot.com/
Laura Williams http://lauralooloo.blogspot.com/
Amy Kolling http://stamp-n-paradise.blogspot.com/
Amy Tsuruta (Guest) http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/
Heather Hoffman http://housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com
Maureen Merritt http://www.mamamostamps.com/
Link to Store http://lilinkerdesigns.com/#_a_llawson

I hope that you have a great Tuesday!  Have fun hopping along!

Until later,
~L.

If you would like to purchase any of the newly released items this month, feel free to click on the links below.  I have included everything that is new for your convenience!