Monday, December 18, 2017

My Other Creations: "You're the Balm" Tags Using My Favorite Things' Lip Balm Windows and Frames

This week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is PARTY and this fabulous theme will last for two weeks instead of one.  Being a total Chap Stick addict myself, I went ahead and made some lip balm party favors.


I started with Strathmore Mixed Media paper and my Sizzix big Shot to cut out the tall tag shapes.  Next I added some honeycomb designs that were cut with a Tim Holtz Mixed Media die.

I spritzed the tags with water and sprinkled on some Brusho crystals, then spritzed them with more water.

Once that was dry, I added some acrylic paint.

I finished the tags by cutting some rectangular centers out and adding a frame around the opening in the front.  I added some stamping to the sides of the tags (Military Alphabet stamp).  Then I cut some fabric scraps to use to cover my Chap Stick tubes just to make them look a little more artsy.

I put the Chap Stick tubes into the plastic shaker covers and assembled the whole thing together.

I stamped out the "You're the Balm" sentiment and added it to the front of the tag.  I made a faux ribbon to go through the tag, which is really just Washi tape stuck to the front and back of a piece off white paper.

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



Happy holidays to all of you and be sure to spend time crafting to alleviate the stress of the season!  Upload your projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher for the Simon Says Stamp store.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Tutorial Video: Washi Tape and Paint Backgrounds

One thing I love to do is make Washi tape and paint collages that I cut up and use as backgrounds or decorative elements in various projects.  Maybe it's because I'm lazy and like to have collages done that I can rip and tear and incorporate easily into other things.  Maybe it's because there's something therapeutic about painting over cookbook pages (revenge for my non-cooking skills perhaps).  In any event, I thought I'd share this technique in a video format.  I haven't done many videos, but tried jumping on the technology wagon here.  I won't tell you how many gray hairs were added to my tally by the time I finally finished! 




Here's what some of my finished collages and projects using this technique look like:





I wrote in the video that I buy a lot of my Washi tape on Etsy.  My favorite sellers are Zakkalover and Collectinglife.

Monday, December 11, 2017

My Cards and Tags: Mixed Media Christmas Tree Cards

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is holidays/winter.  This year is epic because I finally managed to get my Christmas cards done before December 23rd!


I started by making a colorful background on Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  I sprayed Dylusions Ink on it and spritzed it with water to make the colors blend.

I added some text circles and circular frames.

I spread white texture paste over a Snow Falling stencil by Simon Says Stamp (close-up view).

Next I cut my two collages into 3" x 4" card sizes.

I blended the text into the colored background with white paint.

I tore up some collages I'd made out of Washi Tape and paint and glued strips of it on to my cards.  I also cut some lattice shapes and scallop sections for some of them.

Next I cut some trees out of patterned paper (Carousel) and painted them green.

I glued the trees to the cards and added some circle stamping (Dina Wakley Scribbly Circles).

I added stars on top of the trees.

And some faux stitching along the edges of the cards.

And my cards were complete!

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

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's theme!  Upload your projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.