Simon Says Stamp - Joy for You Release Blog Hop, Day 2

3 hours ago

6 min read

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Hi Lovelies!

Welcome to Day 2 of Simon Says Stamp’s Joy for You Blog Hop! Today I have a peaceful little dove, some festive greenery, and a sparkly reminder that a crafty mishap doesn’t have to be the end of a card.

I love the control that stencils give me over coloring. Pair them with an embossing folder, like the Tranquil Dove set, and I get the added bonus of dimension! Those raised leaves and delicate feather details make this little winter scene feel almost real.

Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. A little extra ink-blending, a little shimmer…and one rather enthusiastic blob of color later, this card had a story to tell. Thankfully, I was prepared to embellish my way to a happy ending!

Festive holiday card with white bird and greenery, reading Seasons Greetings and Wishing Christmas Joy, on wrapped gift background — *A peaceful winter scene—with a little sparkle and a very successful change of plans!*

JOY FOR YOU BLOG HOP CARD SUPPLIES

Today’s project for theJoy For You Blog Hop pairs the Tranquil Dove Embossing Folder and Die with the coordinating Tranquil Dove Stencils and a bold greeting from Big Scripty Greetings Holiday Stamp and Die Sets.

You can explore the entire Joy for You collection here. You’ll find the featured products and additional supplies at the end of this post.

Colorful handmade greeting cards under Every Happiness, with thank-you, birthday, bee, love and flower designs; shop SimonSaysStamp.com — Click to SHOP THE RELEASE!

Today's GIF!

Me, reaching for the glitter after that splatter decided to become a puddle:

“We can still make this fabulous.”

Like this card and my corny GIFs?

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TRANQUIL DOVE HOLIDAY CARD

Project Snapshot

Project: A dimensional holiday card with a dove nestled among wintry greenery.
Techniques: Embossing, stencil coloring, ink-blending, shimmer accents, glitter embellishment, and stamping.
Standout details: Sculpted feathers, a soft blue sky, snowy branches, and a bold red greeting.
My favorite part: Turning an unexpected blotch into an excuse for extra sparkle and upgrading the sentiment!

Holiday card with a white dove and greenery on blue, reading Seasons Greetings and Wishing Christmas Joy, on red envelopes. — *A peaceful winter scene—with a little sparkle and a very successful change of plans!*

Key Supplies

Tranquil Dove Embossing Folder and Die
Tranquil Dove Stencils
Big Scripty Greetings Holiday Stamp Set and coordinating dies
White cardstock and a white card base
Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated Inks: Rhubarb, Cranberry, Brick, Honey, Sprout, Field, Pine, and Shark
Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Blending brushes
Tim Holtz Distress Spritz - Picket Fence
Tim Holtz Rock Candy Chunky Glitter
Tim Holtz Distress Collage Glue
Die-cutting and embossing machine

COLOR PALETTE

Cool blues and leafy greens set the scene, while little touches of red make it feel festive. I also blended a warmer yellow-green beneath the foliage to fill out the background and give those branches something lovely to sit against.

For this card, I used Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated Inks in Cranberry, Honey, Sprout, Field, Pine, and Shark. This palette brings together festive reds, fresh and deep greens, a touch of golden warmth, and a soft gray.

Ink	Color in the palette
Cranberry	Bright festive red for the berries
Honey	Golden yellow for the warm glow
Sprout	Bright yellow-green for the rounded leaves
Field	Leafy green or the rounded leaves
Pine	Deep evergreen for the long and spiky leaves
Shark	Soft gray for the dove
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink	Soft aqua-blue for the wintry sky

PROJECT TUTORIAL

1. Bring on the Dimension

The Tranquil Dove embossing folder gives this scene such a lovely foundation. The foliage frames the dove beautifully, and those feather details are exactly the sort of texture that makes me want to run my fingers over a finished card.

Emboss the scene on your cardstock, following the sandwich recommended for your machine and folder. That raised design gives the coloring a wonderful place to shine.

2. Let the Stencils Get Things Started

I used the coordinating Tranquil Dove stencils to color the main elements of the scene. I love being able to build color in specific areas without worrying quite so much about wandering into the neighboring leaves!

My Pawsitively Saturated palette included Sprout, Field, and Pine for a lovely range of greens; Rhubarb, Cranberry, and Brickfor the festive red family; plus Honey and Shark for golden warmth and soft gray. Having that range of light and deep colors gave me plenty to play with as I built up the scene.

The greenery and berries bring in the holiday color, while the softly shaded dove keeps the scene feeling peaceful. The combination of controlled coloring and embossed texture does so much of the work for you.

3. Fill In the Winter Sky

Once the stenciling was finished, I wanted to bring more color into the open areas that the stencils hadn’t covered.

I blended Tumbled Glass Distress Ink into that empty space to create a soft blue sky, then added more color beneath the foliage. Those extra touches helped connect the individual elements and made the whole panel feel like a complete little scene.

I especially love the way the cooler sky meets the warmer color near the bottom. It gives all that greenery a beautiful backdrop!

4. Add Shimmer…and an Unexpected Plot Twist

It’s not winter if it doesn’t sparkle, right?

I reached for some of the new Picket Fence Distress Spritz to add shimmer, but accidentally dropped a huge blob of color onto the right side of the card.

Well. That was not on the supply list.

I had already fallen for my peaceful little dove, and I was absolutely not ready to give up on this scene. It was time to see what a little embellishing could do.

5. Embellish Your Way Out

A strategically placed Reverse EZ Strip Sentiment and some Tim Holtz Rock Candy Fine Glitter came to the rescue! I added it to the leafy branches to suggest sparkling snow beginning to melt on the greenery. That extra texture helped disguise my mishap and gave the scene another layer of wintry interest. What started as a rescue became one of my favorite details on the card. Apparently, this forecast called for a little more snow than originally planned. Layering the sentiment strips added to a heartfelt message and brought the card together.

6. Finish with a Bold Greeting

For the finishing touch, I added Season’s Greetings in bold red using Simon Says Stamp’s Big Scripty Greetings Holiday stamp set.

The flowing script makes such a lovely statement against the blue sky. Its white border helps it stand out, and the red ties in beautifully with the berries tucked among the leaves.

With the scene mounted on a white card base, that narrow white edge gives all the color and texture a crisp finish.

A Handy Crafty Rescue Tip

Before you give up on an inky mishap, take another look at the scene you’re creating. Is there a detail you can add that belongs there naturally?

For this card, snowy glitter on the branches and extending the sentiment made sense . It helped me work with the unexpected mark while adding something I genuinely loved to the finished design.

UP CLOSE AND CRAFTY

Detail of an ink-blended die-cut snowman beside falling-snow texture and a background edge softened with white pigment ink. — The embossing elevates the little details, and inking through the stencil brings the scene to life.

Decorated Christmas cookies reading Sending a little cheer, with red, black, and white icing on a tan polka-dot background. — A little frosty texture, a little shimmer, and a big red greeting. There’s plenty to enjoy when you take a closer look at this little winter scene.

LAST LOOK!

Sometimes I’m impatient to finish a card because I’m so excited to see it all come together. Other times, like this one, I find myself enjoying the process—mistakes and all.

I love that a few stencils, some embossed texture, and a willingness to keep going can become something special and unique for someone I love. The sentiment and glitter rescue was a bonus!

Colorful handmade card with a hummingbird, pink flowers, and vines; text reads Always find the sunshine.

MORE JOY FOR YOU: INSPIRATION, A GIVEAWAY & A FREE GIFT!

I want to make sure you get the most out of today’s blog hop, Lovelies:

Keep the inspiration going! Visit the Joy for You release gallery to see more ideas, and add your own projects when you create with the collection. Simon’s galleries are a wonderful place to share your makes and find your next spark of inspiration.
Catch Day 1, too! This is the second day of the hop, so head back to the Simon Says Stamp Blog for the previous day’s projects and even more creative ideas.
Leave a comment for a chance to win! Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon at every stop on the hop, with winners selected from the blog comments. Simon will choose the winners and announce them on the Simon Says Stamp Blog, along with instructions for redeeming their prizes.
Enjoy a free gift with purchase! The exclusive, not-yet-released The Joy of Snow 3×4 stamp set will be automatically added to your cart when it contains any purchase from the Joy for You collection. The offer ends November 8 at 11:59 p.m. EST, or while supplies last. One promotion per order.

BONUS FOR YOU - DOWNLOAD THE 1 PAGE CARD TUTORIAL

Thanks so much for stopping by! Now hop over to the amazing Amy Rysavy to see what she has created for you!

HOP ORDER

SUPPLIES:

I’ve listed the products I used below. Please note that these are compensated affiliate links used at no cost to you. I really appreciate your support. Joy For You Release products were provided as part of my Design Team package from Simon Says Stamp. Click on the icons below each product picture to shop with SimonSaysStamp.com.