My Other Creations: Notebooks Using Dina Wakley's Abstract Figures Stamps

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is, "Grunge it Up."  I loved using some new products on these notebook covers:

Interestingly enough, this project started out as tags.  I cut the tags using a Tim Holtz/Sizzix tag die and some Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  You know I love me some polka dots, so I slathered some black paint on through Tim Holtz's new Dotted stencil.  Once I'd stenciled the dots, I finger-painted all around them with more black paint.

Next I layered up some strips from Heidi Swapp's fabulous new paper collection called Hawthorne.  It's filled with rich raspberry shades, grays, woodgrain patterns and even a touch of navy.  I outlined the strips with black Sharpie and glued them to my tags. 

I stamped some figures from Dina Wakley's new Abstract Figures stamp set and inked them up with Hero Arts ink and added some touches of paint.  I have to say that I debated about this stamp set because I didn't know what to think of the figures at first.  I am not really an abstract figure type of girl.  But each figure has a different pattern and I think those patterns keep these figures bold and energetic-looking, which I like.  I also gave them plenty of color.

I punched circles out of some colored collage paper I'd painted on a different project and glued that to my tags before gluing on my figures.  After the figures were in place, I added just a few more scraps of paper here and there to finish it off.  I realized at this point that I didn't like the proportions of the artwork on the tags (I had too much wasted space at the top and bottom of each), so I ended up trimming down the tags into mini notebook covers.

That patterned paper with the orange polka dots has been a favorite of mine for about a million projects now!  It's from Bo Bunny's Believe line.

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

Tim Holtz Dotted Stencil	Dina Wakley Abstract Figures Cling Stamps	Heidi Swapp Hawthorne 12x12 Paper	Strathmore Mixed Media Paper	Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Tag Collection dies
Sizzix Big Shot	Dina Wakley Black Heavy Body Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley LAPIS Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Prima Impasto paint, Azure	Prima Impasto paint, Crimson
Hero Arts Neon Blue Ink Pad	Hero Arts Neon Pink Ink Pad	Hero Arts Neon Green Ink Pad	Hero Arts Neon Red Ink Pad	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad
Bo Bunny Believe 6x6 Paper

I can't wait to see how you get grungy this week!  Be sure to upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.