Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Four-Legged Friends Tags using Dina Wakley's Metal Rimmed Tags and Tim Holtz's Funny Farm Stamps

We are celebrating our four-legged friends for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  I've got to admit that as a kid, my run-in's with four-legged creatures were not always positive.  I was scared to death of a snarling Chihuahua that lived next door and my eyes swelled shut from playing with a kitten one time before I knew I was allergic to them.  But I do love animals (sometimes from afar) and maybe in another time and another place, I would enjoy having a little pet pig by my side.

I started my project with Dina Wakley's metal rimmed tags.  I covered them with paper scraps.  I used some patterned paper, then made my own from stamping Tim Holtz's Remnants stamps in orange and teal and also stamping some pink dots from a Wendy Vecchi stamp.

All that was left to do was to stamp the animal images, color them, then fussy-cut them out and glue them onto my tags, which I did.  These animals' stick legs are adorable, but were challenging to cut out!  I colored my animals with Distress Watercolor pencils.  I also added the sentiments.

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

• Dina Wakley Metal Rimmed Tags
• Tim Holtz Funny Farm Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Remnants Stamp Set
• Wendy Vecchi Open Dots Stamp
• Spring Song Patterned Paper - La La Land
• Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 1 and Set 2
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Stoked
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Distress Carved Pumpkin Ink
• Distress Peacock Feathers Ink

We'd love to see your creations that incorporate four-legged friends!  Upload them 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: Add a Sentiment Tag using Tim Holtz Photobooth Images and Theories Stamp Set

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is to add a sentiment.  One of my all time favorite stamp sets for sentiments is Tim Holtz's Theories set, which I used on this tag:

I started by cutting a tag shape using my Sizzix Big Shot and a Sizzix tag die.  Then I chose these images from Tim Holtz's Photobooth and glued them to my tag.  I scratched up the surface with a Tim Holtz Sanding Disc.

I added some white paint to the images and cut some circle frames out of paper using AALL & Create's Heartnook dies.  These were the negative shapes left behind when I cut out the circles.  I painted them and drew some black lines on one of them with a Sharpie.  I also scribbled around the circles with a black pen.

From there, I glued my frames around some of the faces and added more acrylic paint here and there.  I added some stamped marks from Tim Holtz's Media Marks 1 stamp set.  I also scribbled around the images and around the edges of the tag with Distress Watercolor Pencils.  On another piece of paper, I stamped the sentiment from the aforementioned Theories stamp set, then cut it out and glued it to my tag.

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

• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Photobooth Images
• Tim Holtz Sanding Discs
• Tim Holtz Media Marks 1 Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 2
• Sizzix Tag Collection Die Set
• AALL & Create Die Set: Heartnook
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Turquoise, Lemon, Raspberry, Lime
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

Create a project with a sentiment and upload it to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Not only will you inspire others, but you could also win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Lots of Layers Journal Pages using Studio Light's Creative Journal

We are layering it up this week for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  I decided to make a multi-layered page layout in this great little creative journal by Studio Light.

I started by stamping some letters (by AALL & Create) onto paper to use in the background.  I tore up the paper, glued a scrap to my journal, then covered it with some white paint, Infusions color stain and did some stenciling. Note!  These first several steps of my layered pages get completely covered up by the end anyway.

Next I tore up some more scraps (usually involving Dina Wakley Ledger paper), added a bit of washi tape (49 and Market's Kaleidoscope washi tape in this case), along with some patterned paper (Art by Marlene's Postage Madness).  I stenciled on some teal dots using Dina Wakley's Dotted Tape stencil.

Next I added some more patterned paper scraps from Dina Wakley's Collage Scraps 2 and 3 and introduced some bright pink paint (Dina Wakley's Raspberry).

As that was drying, I cut and painted some fancy borders using AALL & Create's Majestic Borders dies.

I glued some border pieces to my layout and added some arch shapes to both sides.  I also stamped on some dots (Wendy Vecchi's Open Dots stamp).

I cut a little scallop detail using AALL & Create's Mix and Match washi tape that I added to the arch on the left side of the layout and also did some scribbling with some Distress Watercolor Pencils.

All that was left was to add a sentiment.  To make the sentiment words stand out, I whited-out some of my background ledger paper and covered it with some more teal stenciled dots.  I chose the sentiment of: "Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles.  It takes today's peace."  Definitely easier said than done, but it's a good reminder to myself when my worries start to feel heavier than they need to be.  The sentiment is from the aforementioned Dina Wakley ledger paper.

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

• Studio Light Creative Journal
• AALL & Create Vocabulary Blend Stamps
• Infusions Color Stain: Olive Tree, Emerald Isle
• Dina Wakley Dotted Tape Stencil
• Art by Marlene Postage Madness Patterned Paper
• 49th and Market Kaleidoscope Washi Tape Roll
• AALL & Create Mix and Match Washi Tape
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• Dina Wakley Collage Sparks Paper, Set 2 and Set 3
• AALL & Create Majestic Borders Dies
• Wendy Vecchi Open Dots Stamp
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 1
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Peacock, Raspberry, Mustard, Lemon, Tangelo, Turquoise

We're excited to see your creations this week!  Upload them 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: Summer Fun Tag using AALL & Create's Intricatag Dies and Tim Holtz's Cutout Alphabet Dies

"Summer Fun" is this week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and with the temperatures here in my neck of the woods soaring past 100 this week, the sun is certainly making its presence known!

I started by cutting this AALL & Create tag with the funky edges out of Distress Kraft Heavystock.  I stuck some ledger text paper to it, painted it, scribbled on it with Distress Watercolor pencils, and while that dried, I went to work on my sun.  I made the sun with patterned paper from La La Land and Simple Stories, which I painted and stamped on.

I glued my sun to my tag and then I cut out some letters from Tim Holtz's Cutout alphabet.  I used black paper, then painted the letters and glued them to my tag.  I typed an "I'll follow" sentiment on a typewriter and added that to the top of the tag to complete the phrase.

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

• AALL & Create Intricatags Die Set
• Distress Kraft Heavystock
• Tim Holtz Cutout Alphabet Dies (Lowercase)
• Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 1
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 2
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Mustard, Turquoise, Tangelo, Fir, Stoked
• Dylusions Paint: Rainy Day
• La La Land Spring Song 6 X 6 Paper Pad
• Simple Stories Color Palette 6 X 8 Paper Pad 
• Wendy Vecchi Open Dots Stamp

We're looking forward to seeing your sun-themed projects!  Upload them 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: Add Some Red, White and/or Blue, Notebook using AALL & Create's Heartnook and Frayed Frames Dies

We are focused on color this week with our Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge theme of adding some red, white, and/or blue.  I hardly ever use red in my projects...mostly because I always feel like the end result looks like a murder scene!  But when I was a kid, red was my favorite color.  In fact, when we moved into a new house, my parents bravely let us kids pick out what color of carpet we wanted to have in our bedrooms and I picked bright red!  I loved that carpet and to this day, I love a good pop of red in a pair of shoes or a purse.  But when it comes to incorporating red into my art projects, for some reason, I struggle and it is not a go-to color of mine.  I'm grateful for this week's challenge, which encouraged me to add some red to this mini notebook:

This project was actually a re-build of a deconstructed previous project.  Do you ever rip up old projects and use them in new ones?  That's what I did here.  I made a journal page a few weeks ago, which you can see below, that I decided to tear out of my book, cut in half and repurpose into a mini notebook. 

I used the bottom half as the cover of the notebook and the top half for the back of the notebook.  I added some fabric scraps here and there and then went to work adding more details.

I cut some rings using AALL & Create's Heartnook die set and painted them.  While those dried, I stamped that cool tower in the background with AALL & Create's Crazy Maison stamp set.  When the rings were dry, I glued them to the notebook cover.

I added some different patterned paper circles inside the rings and also cut some funky edges using AALL & Create's Frayed Frames that I painted and glued to the bottom of the notebook cover.  Since I was in revamp mode, I decided to flip the notebook and make it vertical instead of horizontal.  I made a ring that said "So Noted" to add to the front.

Here's the notebook laid out so you can see the front and the back.  The spine is made from fabric and the inside has Kraft paper.

This little notebook is done!

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

• AALL & Create: Heartnook Dies
• AALL & Create: Frayed Frames Dies
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• AALL & Create: Crazy Maison Stamp Set
• Distress Ink: Blueprint Sketch, Ground Espresso, Shabby Shutters
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Ruby

We're excited to see your red, white, and/or blue projects this week, which you can upload to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for a chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.