Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Halloween Tag using Simon's Halloween Friends Stamps, Bottle Brush Tree Dies and Whimsy Stamps' Chunky Checkers Dies

Welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  The theme this week is TREES.  I decided to use Simon's Small Bottle Brush Trees die for Halloween instead of Christmas.

I started by cutting a deckled frame (courtesy of Mama Elephant) out of kraft cardstock.  I added some text paper in the background and finger-painted around it.  I also added some scirbbling with Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks, set 5.  While that dried, I cut a bottle brush tree (Simon's die set) out of black paper and added some purple ornaments.  I added a bat to the top that I cut out of Tim Holtz's Gate Keeper die set.  I also cut out a striped frame from Whimsy Stamps.

Next I stamped and die-cut this cute little Frankie guy from Simon's Halloween Friends.  I colored him and made him a pointy hat.

I put all my elements together and finished it off with a Happy Halloween sentiment from Tim Holtz's MM194 stamp set.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• Simon Says Stamp Small Bottle Brush Trees Dies
• Whimsy Stamps' Chunky Checkers Dies
• Simon Says Stamp Halloween Friends Stamp and Die Set
• Mama Elephant Deckled Frames Die Set
• Tim Holtz Gate Keeper Die Set
• Tim Holtz Stamp and Stencil Set MM194
• Strathmore Black Mixed Media Paper
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 5
• Dina Wakley Paint

We are excited to see how you incorporate trees into your projects this week.  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Beware of Hitchhiking Cats Tag using AALL & Create's Free Broom Rides and Dina Wakley's Circle Furbabies Stamp Sets

Welcome to Monday and to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  Our theme this week is to use a sentiment as a focal point.  As I looked through my stamp sets, the perfect sentiment from AALL & Create's Free Broom Rides set was the clear winner: "beware of hitchhiking cats."  Yes, it was tied into a Halloween theme, but I think that's a wise life lesson for any time of the year! 

I started as I usually do by making a scribbly messy collage on a piece of paper.  I used paint and Dylusions Colour Caykes and Sticks, though Distress Watercolor Pencils or Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks all have that same kind of vibe.  I dribbled some neon Hyper alcohol ink on there as well.

When that all dried, I tore it up and glued one section of it onto a tag cut out of Kraft Distress Heavystock.  I also tore some patterned paper out of Amy Tan's Paper Play Create 1 book and glued that to the bottom of the tag.  I wanted to add some lines, so I used Tim Holtz's Media Marks 2 stamp set and stamped a grid-type of pattern onto my tag background.  I used paint to blend around the edges.

I stamped a cat from Dina Wakley's Furbabies set and cut around it.  I also made a circle frame out of Dina's Ledger 2 paper.  I stamped the hitchhiking cat sentiment from AALL & Create and cut that out and grabbed one more scrap (the black and white polka dots) from the Paper Play Create book.

I glued everything together and then used my sewing machine to stitch around the edges of my tag with bright neon thread.  I added some black pen outline marks around the tag and it was done!

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• AALL & Create: Free Broom Rides Stamp Set
• Dina Wakley: Circle Furbabies Stamp Set
• Waffle Flower Nested Tags Die Set
• Kraft Distress Heavystock
• Dylusions Intense Colour Caykes and Sticks
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Neon Hyper Alcohol Ink
• Paper Play Create Book 1
• Tim Holtz Media Marks 2 Stamp Set
• Distress Ink: Mermaid Lagoon
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Ledger 2 Paper

We're eager to see what sentiments you choose to focus on this week.  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

And don't forget to check out all of the exciting happenings for STAMPtember!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Metal Tin using Sizzix's Rainbow Wheels Die Set

Happy new week and welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  This week's challenge is to add some metal.  I decorated a metal tin as a "Muse Meter."  I'm going to fill it up with quotes, scraps, and creative prompts so I could pick one out if my inspiration is running low.

I started with a metal tin.  I cut some shapes out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper using my Sizzix Big Shot and dies from Sizzix's Rainbow wheels set.  I wasn't sure which shapes I'd be using at this point.  I also pulled out a scrap of the collage paper I made in last week's post.

I cut the collage paper to fit on the lid of my tin box.  I used sandpaper to rough up the lid of my tin for better adhesion, then I glued the collage paper to my tin box lid.  I cut out a circle from Seth Apter's Roundabout die set, cut it up a little and painted all the components.

I glued the wheel parts together and also cut some wedge pieces for the wheel from the Sizzix set and painted them.  With a typewriter, I typed out the words "Low" and "High" to be on opposite sides of the wheel.

Using a brad, I put together the wheel so the arrow turns.  I glued the wheel to my tin and added on the "Low" and "High" words.

I stamped out the words "Muse Meter" using AALL & Create's Bits of Alpha stamp set and glued them below my wheel.

Hopefully the Muse Meter is always full and running on high, but sometimes the ideas just don't flow and that can be frustrating!  In any event, I'll have a tin of some fun phrases and prompts to help me out whenever the creative well has run dry.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Sanding Block
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Sizzix Rainbow Wheels Die Set
• Brads
• AALL & Create Bits of Alpha Stamp Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

We're excited to see how you incorporate metal into your projects this week.  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.

And don't forget to check out all the exciting happenings for this year's STAMPtember celebration!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Cassette Tape Notebook using Concord and 9th's Mix Tape Rewind Die Set

Happy Monday and welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is "Inspired by Music."  I made a cassette tape notebook utilizing a fantastic die set from Concord and 9th.

I started by cutting out the pieces I'd need using the die set, my Sizzix Big Shot and Strathmore Mixed Media paper.

I assembled the cassette, like so:

Next I made the pages for the inside of the notebook.  These were made with paint, Distress Watercolor Pencils, alcohol ink, and Distress Oxide sprays.  I even enlisted the help of my little kiddo to make one of the painty pages!

I cut the painted pages into the shape of the cassette using the dies, with a fold in the middle of each.

The pages were thick enough to warrant the need for a wider spine, so I cut the cassette shape in half and added a spine piece that I cut out of black paper.  This made it fold more like a binder instead of just in half.

I used my Crop-A-Dile to make holes in all the pages, then I strung them together and tied the pages to the cover.

To finish it off, I glued a quote to the front from Dina Wakley's Ledger 2 paper.  Now I have a cute little notebook with painty paper inside that I can tear out and use for collages.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• Concord & 9th Mix Tape Rewind Die Set
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, Black and White
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 4 and 6
• Alcohol Ink: Hyper, Sailboat Blue
• Distress Oxide Spray: Squeezed Lemonade, Walnut, Salvaged Patina
• Crop-A-Dile
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper 2

If you want to participate in this week's challenge, upload your music-inspired projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.

And don't forget to check out all the exciting happenings throughout the month at Simon's STAMPtember celebration!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: STAMPtember Tag using Simon's Inside Birthday Greetings Stamp Set

Welcome to September and another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  "Stamping" is this week's theme and we're also highlighting some exclusive Simon Says STAMPtember goodies!  It is one of my favorite months of the year in the stamping universe, that's for sure!

I started with an AALL & Create tag that I cut and stamped some Simon Mod Plants images onto.

Bring on the Infusions!  I shook on some Infusions Color Stain and spritzed it with water.  I also sprayed on just a bit of Distress Oxide Spray.

When that dried, I painted the inside of the leaf-shapes with some lighter blue paint.

As that was drying, I stamped some text onto newsprint using Simon's Inside Friendship Messages stamp set. 

I cut some strips of the text paper and used that as a border around the tag, then I glued on these cheerful ladies from Tim Holtz's Groups Paper Dolls.  I stamped the sentiment from Simon's Inside Birthday Greetings set.  I cut up the words and glued them to the tag to finish it off.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• AALL & Create Tag It Yourself Die Set
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Simon Says Stamp Mod Plants Stamp Set
• Simon Says Stamp Inside Friendship Messages Stamp Set
• Simon Says STAMPtember Inside Birthday Greetings Stamp Set
• Infusions Color Stain: Blackcurrant, Are you Cerise, and Violet Storms
• Tim Holtz Paper Doll Groups
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Distress Oxide Spray: Tumbled Glass
• Distress Ink: Blueprint Sketch
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 5
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Archival Ink: Laidback Lilac

Get your stamping on and join our challenge!  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.  And don't forget to stay tuned for all sorts of exclusive products for this year's STAMPtember celebration!