America The Beautiful

I'm proud and blessed to be an American, and I'm so incredibly grateful for all those who serve and have served our country. My own personal military hero is my Dad.  He's 92 and is a Retired Colonel in the United States Air Force.  So, he's a pretty big deal.  Whenever we'd walk around on base with the Colonel, everyone (with so few exceptions) had to salute him as a (much) Sr. Officer.  While he still has flying privileges and is current on all his licenses, etc., he has made the (very wise) decision to be done flying.  In fact, he got a call the other night while I was there visiting, and they were asking him to go out as the co-pilot on a Search & Rescue flight; and he declined.  I respect that so much because I know that he would love to be up in the clouds flying.  My Dad is struggling now, and I'd really appreciate your prayers for him.  He's a true American HERO.  Today I'm sharing a card that features several awesome stamp sets from Stamp Simply that help me celebrate my military hero.

I started with basic black cardstock that I layered with a cute patterned paper from Carta Bella's 4th of July 6x6 Paper Pad.  Next, I used the Tim Holtz Postage Die to cut a piece of cream cardstock onto which I stamped lots of patriotic words.  I used the Liberty Bell Stamp Set, Patriotic Background Stamp Set, Patriotic Sentiments and The American Eagle Stamp Set to get all the different words onto my background.  I wish you could see that whole piece because of all the encouraging patriotic words it holds.

I also used the Patriotic Background Stamp Set to stamp the cool background shield image.  I colored it with my Copics. The finishing touches were some Baker's Twine that I wrapped around my card, and then I topped it with a Red Paper Flower.  There are lots of great products waiting for you at Stamp Simply and we hope that you'll stop by to look around.  Whether you're looking for Patriotic Stamps, Christian/Scripture Stamps, or pretty much any category of Stamps; you're almost certain to find it at Stamp Simply

Thanks so much for visiting me here today.  I'm also hoping that you'll stop by my Instagram Page to Follow and say hello.  I'd really appreciate it.  You can find lots of great inspiration on the Stamp Simply Blog, too.  I'll see you out there in blogland and on social media, friends.  Stay creative.

Blessings,

Karen

America The Beautiful w/Stamp Simply

I recently had the pleasure of taking a trip with my (86 and 92-year-old) parents to Ohio.  While I was there, I was hoping to see lots of wildlife.  Because I live in the desert and there's little to no wildlife here, it was a very welcome sight to see the things I experienced on this trip.  One of the first things my friend pointed out on the way to her (very remote) county home was a HUGE eagle's nest.  On our next and subsequent trips passed this huge nest, I had the delight of seeing several very large, very beautiful eagles.  They were impressive, and they inspired my card today using products from Stamp Simply.

I started with black cardstock and layered that with a golden yellow piece of paper from the Craft Consortium's 6x6 Beach Hut Paper Pad.  The top layer is white cardstock that I stamped using the Patriotic Background Stamp.  I colored the background using my Copics, and I adhered that to my card base.  Each layer is raised up just a bit with the 3-D Foam Tabs.

I used The American Eagle Stamp Set to stamp my beautiful eagle.  Once again, I colored the eagle with my Copics and cut it out using the coordinating American Eagle Dies.  I placed the eagle on my using some 3-D Foam Tabs to give it some dimension.  The sentiment that I stamped at the bottom of the card can be found in the Patriotic Sentiments Stamp Set.  Because all stamps from Stamp Simply accommodate each other so well, the sentiments from the Patriotic Sentiments Stamp Set fit perfectly into the opening on the Patriotic Background Stamp as do several other sentiments from various stamp sets.

You can always find lots of great inspiration on the Stamp Simply Blog as well as on the Stamp Simply IG Page.  I'm always delighted to have you visit and Follow me on My Instagram Page.  Thank you very much for visiting me today.  I'm always super grateful for your stops here, and I hope you're having a great week.

Here are the challenges where I'll be sharing my patriotic card:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Things With Wings"

Cardz 4 Gals - Challenge #250 - Things With Wings - While this card could be for a gal or a guy, it's still one that I wanted to share here.

The Paper Players - Challenge #738 - CAS Challenge w/Things That Fly - My card is fairly simple, indeed.

Dream Valley Challenges - Challenge #337 - Hand Colored Images - I colored the shield background as well as the American Eagle.

Blessings,

Karen

New Patriotic Background at Stamp Simply

It's time for more of the New Release at Stamp Simply and you won't want to miss this one.  Today I'm showcasing the AWESOME new Patriotic Background Stamp.  Because this is a fabulous New Release stamp set, I wanted to really feature it on this card.  You can easily use this fabulous new Patriotic Background Stamp on its own, or when combined with other sets from Stamp Simply.

I used pieces of red and navy cardstock for my first layer.  Next, I used kraft cardstock to stamp the Patriotic Background image twice.  I fussy cut the shield/stripes portion of the stamp and used 3-D foam tabs to raise it above the first layer for dimension.  I used both navy and black ink to stamp the two layers.

You can see the raised portion a little bit better in this photo.  I did some coloring with my Copics, and I used tiny flower prills in the center of the star of the shield.  I also used the Patriotic Stars & Stripes Dies to cut the various stars which I also covered with yellow, red and navy flower prills for texture, while still leaving the new Patriotic Background Stamp as the primary focus.

You'll find loads of great inspiration every day on the Stamp Simply Blog and you can find this FAB new set at Stamp Simply along with so many other great stamp sets, dies, papers and more.  Thanks for visiting me today, and please stop by again soon.  It's always a treat to have you say hello.

I'm sharing my patriotic card in these FUN challenges that I love and enjoy:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Masculine"

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Simon Says "Let the Music Play" - I'm referring to the Song My Country Tis of Thee where the last line is...."Let Freedom Ring".

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge - Challenge #2423 - Anything Goes (fingers crossed.....I love Penguin Palace SO much).

Blessings,

Karen