So Charming Valentines

Happy Valentine's Weekend.... my kids have had 4 snow days this week and are spending Saturday at school. Right now I imagine they are exchanging Valentines and having fun. 

We made some darling fairytale like Valentines using some new sets from Clear & Simple Stamps. I love the castle and little frog in Rag Doll: Castle but I used the frog with a crown on his head and sentiments from Rag Doll: Prince and Rag Doll Willa: Diva.

The castle is designed to fit in the Rag Doll House die.

DIY Stamped Fabric

I am a little obsessed with fabric these days. As a designer I am so anxious to design my own fabrics but printing your own fabric designs is so expensive. Then I realized I had everything I needed right here in my craft room!
1) light colored cotton fabric (found in JoAnn's Fabrics remnant bins for 50% off)
2) cute stamps (bonus: I designed them)
3) pigment craft ink (from Clear & Simple Stamps)

I used two stamp sets from Clear & Simple Stamps: Apothecary Sweets and Apothecary Holidays.

 Once I was finished stamping the fabric I scoured my Pinterest Sewing Board for a project. I thought this Fabric Tray Tutorial was perfect!

Thanks for stopping by,
steph

Valentine's Day Suckers

I am so excited that this Critter Collection came out from Clear & Simple Stamps just in time for Valentine's Day. I made 20 or so for my kiddo's classmates. I loved mixing and matching all of the papers and adding buttons here and there. My kiddo liked telling me which animal they were and couldn't wait to give one to everyone in his class and even one to the lunch lady. So cute.

 I designed the Kitty to not have any eyes. I think it looks cool like that.

 Foxy Lady.

 You're a Hoot. This one is my favorite!!

Bee Mine.

 You're Purr-fect.

 I made the bow from two bat teeth.

Love Bandit.

Love Bite. Or maybe this one is my favorite! lol.

Sucker for You.

I can't wait for Halloween now!!

Build-a-Critter Die Cuts

Owl/Kitty

Bat/Bee

Fox/Raccoon

Subway Print Inspired Card

Happy Heart Day Y'all! Today is a great day to check out Clear & Simple Stamps Design Team's blogs. As a group we are showcasing sentiment stamps used as a focal point!


Love Bitten. Bee Mine Foxy Lady!

{Let me first explain why my card is on the floor. LOL!} I dropped a dish full of buttons while trying to prepare for these photos. I thought it was a sign to just go with it. :)



I thought I'd share some in between photos, too.
I started by working in layers. After the first layer, I decided to arrange the sentiments right on my project. This way I could play around with different length sentiments and such.

In photo above, I bent the same heart doodle from Taglines: Critters that is on the right into a corner for the top left corner.

Then I carefully placed an acrylic block on top of the stamps. This way I could stamp them all at once. Add ink and let her rip!

I added the teeny tiny heart image from Taglines: Critters in the open areas. Then using my W1 Copics marker, I highlighted around each open letter. LOVE!

I used the same bent heart doodle here too. Isn't it darling!

Check out what the rest of the team has in store for you....

Lori / Laurie / Stephany (u r here) / Kim / Dana / Laura / Tracy

Clear & Simple Supplies:

     • stamps: Critters Sentiments, Taglines: Critters

     • ink: Perfect Little Black Dress

     • cardstock: Kraft Like A Rock Star Tan, A Blanc Check

     • other: Copic Marker W1

Moxie Fab Stamp of Approval

 

Have you heard? Clear and Simple Stamps is Moxie Fab! Paper Crafts Magazine’s Trends Editor, Cath Edvalson, featured a few fab pieces from the Critter Collection and gave them her Moxie Fab Stamp of Approval. Just in case you missed our Moxie Fab debut, we are having a little Moxie Fab showcase with the Design Team to highlight a few of the sets from Cath’s list. 

Leave a comment on any of the CSS team’s blogs and one lucky winner will win a Love Cupid stamp set – after all it is almost Valentine’s Day! Comments will be accepted up to midnight, Monday.  A winner will be announced, Tuesday, February 14th…

Here's a little inspiration.....

 A little Valentine gift filled with chocolate.

 I love that you can fit this sentiment right on this little label.

Be sure to stop by the participating Design Team member’s blogs. Leave a comment to enter yourself in a chance to win a Love Cupid stamp set {only one comment per blog}…

Stephany Zerbe (you are here)

Laura Bassen

Lori Tecler

Kim Duran

Tracy Schultz

Laurie Willison

Clear & SImple Supplies:

     • stamps: Taglines: Critters

     

     • dies: Party Favor I, Tags I, Build-a-Critter Owl/Kitty (heart)

     • ink: Perfect Little Black Dress

     • cardstock: A Blanc Check

     • other: Copic Markers

 

Sneak Peek

Sweet Love Bandit

Welcome to day 4 of Clear & Simple Stamps Release in Review. Today I have a few Valentine's Day cards to share using Alpha Duo. This alphabet stamp set comes with both solid and open letters.

I replaced the 'i' in MINE with the smallest raccoon critter from Taglines Critters.

 Using my fine point Copic Pen, I doodled around each letter for fun.

WANT TO SEE MORE? Visit with CSS design team members all week long for additional {Release in Review} inspiration from the current collection, starting with:
Stephany Zerbe (you are here)

Tracy Schultz

Clear & Simple Stamps

Supplies:

     • stamps: CSS Alpha Duo, Taglines Critters

    

     • ink: CSS haute red couture, golden tiara, purplicious, a clean slate, perfect little black dress

     • paper: CSS a blanc check


     • Copic Markers: Fine Point Pen, Warm Gray Trio 1, Blue Green Trio 2

Thaks for stopping by,

steph

Love Cupid

Welcome to Clear & Simple Stamps' Jan/Feb Release in Review . Today we wanted to show you just how to use Love Cupid. I went for a collage feel using several images in the set. I stamped off on scratch paper first before using the second generation to get this faded look. I stamped the Cupid image on a scrap piece of a manila office file folder. I stamped the lovely frame image on white paper and made it match by using my Y21 {buttecup yellow} Copic marker. I also colored this ribbon with the Copic marker to match my project. The ribbon was a sort of tan color. Close but not close enough until I altered it. Very easy.

WANT TO SEE MORE? Visit with CSS design team members all week long for additional {Release in Review} inspiration from the current collection, starting with:
Stephany Zerbe (you are here)
Lori Tecler
Dana Grothaus
Laurie Willison

Cupid Valentine's Day Bag:

     • stamps: CSS Love Cupid

    

     • ink: CSS haute red couture

     • ribbon and button: unknown

     • twine: CSS Yellow/White twine

     • die: CSS Party Favor 3

Thaks for stopping by,

steph

Valentine's Day Felt Bag

Valentine's Day is approaching! Are you making treat bags for your kiddos classes? For you girlfriends? For your Mom?

Today at Clear & Simple Stamps, the Design Team is showcasing projects with the theme "It's in the bag". Here is mine....

I designed this bag die to have changeable fronts. CSS has a ton of new dies in this Critters Collection. This little raccoon is just one of many 'Little Critters' that you can use to decorate this bag. You can find this super cute Build-A-Critter Raccoon die HERE. Be sure to get the 'base die' Build-A-Critter: Owl/Kitty. I used these dies to cut felt. Doesn't it look awesome?

Ok, so I added little notches in the bag die for you to add your own ribbon or whatever else you can think up. I used Clear & Simple Stamps Black Twill ribbon. I love the texture of this ribbon and it's the perfect width for the ribbon holes in the bag.

I kept the back side simple. One little felt heart will do. So cute!

I stitched together the side of the bag that you would normally add a strip of tape. I used CSS new line of, what I call 'candy cane' baker's twine. You may notice in the next photo that I cut the bag from chipboard as well and added it to the inside of the felt bag.

Inside is a little assortment of Little Critter cards. You can see all the details for these cards HERE and HERE. And for more felt Build-A-Critters check out this post, HERE.


Check out the rest of the team's 'It's in the bag'.....

Lori / Amber / Laurie / Steph / Kim / Dana / Laura / Tracy

Thanks for stopping by,
steph

Raccoon Valentine's Day Felt Bag:

     • dies: CSS Build-A-Critter Die Collection: Raccoon/Fox

     • ribbon: CSS Perfect Little Black Dress twill ribbon (designer mix)

     • twine: CSS Perfect Little Black Dress twine

     • other: walmart, creative cuts & more

Sneak Peeks Day 2: valentine cards

Day 2 of sneaks for Clear & Simple Stamps January line up is here.... I have 2 more little cards to share.

These sneaks are from the set called Taglines: Critters.

Well, that's it from me today. Now be sure to check out the other Clear & Simple Stamps Design Team blogs for more January sneak peek goodness...

Laura O’Donnell
Laura Bassen

Thanks for stopping by today!
Steph


Owl Miss You Card:

     • stamps: Taglines: Critters

     • ink: Perfect Little Black Dress

     • cardstock: A Blanc Check

     • other: Copic Markers




Love Bandit Card:
     • stamps: Taglines: Critters

     • ink: Perfect Little Black Dress

     • cardstock: A Blanc Check

     • other: Copic Markers