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!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Four-Legged Friends tag using Dina Wakley's Scribbly Bears Stamp Set

Happy Monday and welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week we are focusing on four-legged friends.  I'm not sure if a bear falls into the "friend" category (hopefully so if encountered in the wild), but I do love this stamp set by Dina Wakley.

I started by cutting a tag using Waffle Flower's Nested Tags die set and some Kraft Heavystock.  Then I scribbled and painted on a piece of paper to create a colorful collage I could tear up for my tag.

Once my painty background dried, I tore off a piece and glued it to my tag.  I blended the edges in with white paint.  I added some more pinkish-red around the edges.

While the paint and glue dried, I stamped this bear image from Dina's stamp set.  Then I went back to my tag and added some scribbling with Dylusions Intense Colour Caykes and Sticks.

Next I water-colored the bear and heat-embossed some pen dot doodles onto dark brown cardstock using an embossing pen and white embossing powder.  I cut the embossed paper into an oval frame shape.

I added some paint to my oval frame and glued my bear to it.  I stamped some alphabet text from a Tim Holtz stamp set (Glitch 2) onto a piece of paper and also cut and painted a border using AALL & Create's Tear it Out die set.

All that was left was to assemble!  I also found a quote that I cut from Dina Wakley's Ledger 2 paper, so I tacked that on at the end to finish this off.

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

• Kraft Heavystock
• Waffle Flower Nested Tags Die Set
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Dina Wakley Scribbly Bears Stamp Set
• Embossing Pens
• White Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Tim Holtz Glitch 2 Stamp Set
• Watercolors
• Dylusions Intense Colour Caykes and Sticks
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Paint

We can't wait to see what 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.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: ATC using Seth Apter's Twisters Dies

Happy Monday and welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is to make an ATC: those wonderful little works of art measuring 3.5" x 2.5". 

If you want to hop on board for a total card idea scrap/redo, then here we go!  I started by cutting an ATC card with Tim Holtz's Collector die set.  I painted it white, waited for the paint to dry, then stamped some flowers on it from Tim's Floral Elements stamp set.  So far so good!

I shook on some Infusions, which I spritzed with water and let dry.  I also added some paint to my flowers.  I love incorporating text, so I glued on some scraps of Dina Wakley's ledger paper.

This is where I started to run into trouble.  I just didn't like what I had done.  The colors were too dark or muddy or SOMETHING.  I restamped the lower flower, painted it yellow, cut the petals and glued them onto my flower for some color variation, but I still wasn't feeling it.  I stenciled on some polka dots hoping that would solve the problem since polka dots are my happy place.

Nope!  I just couldn't get the look of this right.  It was a battle.  So I did what I always do right before I throw something in the garbage can: I paint over most of it with white paint.  That provided enough of a re-set for me.  I added some red and white polka dots to the middle, threw in some bright orange and a little more Infusions, then cut these great shapes from Seth Apter's Twisters die set and painted/stamped them.

At last I was liking it a little more.  I glued the rings to my ATC, then re-stamped some of the flower petals on the bottom right corner.

I stamped the "curiosity" sentiment using Tim Holtz's Theories stamp set, then cut the words and glued them on for the finishing touch.  ATC complete!

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

• Tim Holtz Collector Die Set
• Tim Holtz Floral Elements Stamp Set
• Infusions Color Stain: Are You Cerise, Blackcurrant, Royal Blood
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 2
• Tim Holtz Gradient Dot Stencil
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Seth Apter Twisters Die Set
• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Trinity Stamps Polkadot Pattern Background Stamp
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

We are excited to see how you interpret this week's ATC theme!  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.