Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Make Your Own Background File Cards using Tim Holtz's Big Number Blocks Stamp Set and Sizzix's Specimen Dies

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is to make your own background.  I made some numbered file cards...which didn't start out as that at all, but you can see the meandering metamorphosis below.

I started with my small Dylusions journal.  I got out my Tim Holtz Big Number Blocks stamps and put some paint on them, then spritzed them with water, and stamped them onto my journal page.

I let that dry and then I painted over the inside of my numbers with white paint.  When that was dry, I got out my Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks and colored in my numbers with a bunch of stripy lines.  Then I painted over some of the lines with a little bit of water on a paintbrush to blend some of the lines together.  I outlined the numbers with a black Scribble Stick.

I intended for this to be a journal page, but it seemed to be crying out to be cut up into individual numbers!  So I tore out the journal page, cut the numbers up, and outlined them with more paint.  I also stamped some images onto the numbers, but I didn't like how that looked, so I had to go back and try to "erase" most of the stamped images with white paint.

While the numbers were drying yet again (lots of dry-time on this project!) I decided to cut some tabbed cards using the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Specimen die set.  I cut them out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper and then spritzed Distress Ink stain spray over Tim Holtz's Dotted stencil.  When THAT dried (impatient sigh), I added paint in different colors around the edges of the tabbed cards.

At long last, I was ready to glue the numbers to the backgrounds! Here's how they turned out:

What will I use these cards for?  Hmmmm.  A good question!  I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm happy to have them in my stash for future projects!

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

• Dylusions Small Creative Journal
• Tim Holtz Big Number Blocks Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz/Sizzix Specimen Die Set
• Tim Holtz Dotted Stencil
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks: Set 1 and Set 2
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Olive, Umber, Night, Turquoise, Fuchsia, Carnation, Tangerine, Lemon, Ocean, Peacock
• Dylusions Paint: Polished Jade, Pure Sunshine
• Distress Stain Spray: Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Picked Raspberry
• UHU Glue Stick
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper

Let's see what fabulous backgrounds YOU create 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.