Hello DieCember

Hi my friends, it's the first day of December and the DieCember party over at Simon Says Stamp has begun, a month long celebration of dies, one of our favourite craft products and you can check out all the dies in the release HERE.

I created a simple card using the Be Kind and Simple Stems dies, the All Leaves background stamp from the STAMPtember release, sharing an important message that could not be  more appropriate for our crazy world right now. 

I began by trimming Distress White HeavyStock to 5.1/4" square, stamped the Simon Says All Leaves Cling Background Stamp inked with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ranger Superfine White Embossing Powder. I spritzed the card with Rustic Wilderness and Barn Door Distress Spray Stains, Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide Spray, dried, spritzed lightly with water and dried again.

I buffed gently with a soft cloth to remove the sprays from the embossing

I die-cut the shadow section of the Be Kind die twice from Simon Says Vellum, the words 4 times from Distress White HeavyStock, the little heart from a scrap of card spritzed with Barn Door Distress Spray Stain and layered together with Distress Collage Medium Matte to create dimension.

I die-cut the Simple Stem die twice from Distress White HeavyStock, trimmed to fit under Be Kind and fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte.

To finish I matted the panel on to a top folding 5.1/2" square white card blank.

This has been one crazy year for sure and it's hard to believe that Christmas is only 3 and a bit weeks away, a Christmas that may not be like the ones we are used to but it's a situation, over which we have little control so let's make the best of it, pray for happier times in 2021 and above all, be kind to each other. Kindness costs us nothing and goes such a long way, a little gesture to show appreciation for the people who are striving to retain some kind of normality in these strange times, whether it be the checkout operator in your local supermarket, the postman or the man who empties your bins, a kind word and a smile will absolutely make their day. And it's equally as important to be kind to yourself, a message I have no problem embracing, indulging myself with, much more than normal, yummy treats from the supplier of all things temptingly delicious, my local M&S. I'm happy, my waistline would probably not agree but hey ho, I'm not beating myself up, the cubbyhole uniform has gone from jeans that no longer button up to absolutely, much more comfortable, elastic waisted joggers and the excess inches issue will be dealt with when life gets back to normal. So you do what makes you happy.

I'll be back tomorrow to share a project I made with Tim Holtz/Sizzix Chapter 4 dies, in the meantime, be happy, be kind and stay safe.

Hugs Kath xxx