Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Thinking of You using Impression Obsession's Start There Stamp and Mama Elephant's Globies Grid Cover Die

Happy happy Monday once again (that's possible, right?  A happy Monday?) and this stamp sentiment supports that kind of optimism!  I love this quote attributed to Lin-Manuel Miranda (made into this dandy stamp by Impression Obsession) and decided to use it on my tag for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme of "Thinking of You."  After all, every single one of us needs a little boost of encouragement from time to time.

I was intrigued by this Globies Grid Cover die by Mama Elephant the second I saw it.  It seemed highly versatile and I liked the shapes that could be made with both the positive and negative space.  I'm sure I'm not using it at all as it was intended, but that's never stopped me before (says the super nerdy "rebel")!  I started this project by cutting some Strathmore Mixed Media paper with this die.

I cut the die shape into strips, then got out a Ranger Kraft tag for the background.  I started slapping some paint down on both with no idea of how it would all tie together.

I glued the globe strips to my tag and still didn't know what to think.  It looked kind of yikes-y, but I carried on.

I toned down some of the dark teal with some white paint, then I painted some of the globe shapes that came out of the middle of the strips I'd cut.

I wanted to add some black and white and patterns into the mix, so I cut some more die shapes out of Studio Light's Mixed Paper Pad Essentials paper.

I fiddled around (moved the shapes and frame-shapes around, added some black paint around some edges here and there), then glued everything down.  I heat-embossed the sentiment onto deli paper and cut out the words.

I glued my sentiment down and flicked on some Dina Wakley white mixed media gloss spray.  This tag was done!

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

Mama Elephant Globies Grid Cover Dies	Impression Obsession Start There stamp	Studio Light Mixed Paper Pad Essentials 161	Ranger Kraft Tags #8 Size	Dreamweaver Palette Knife	Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE acrylic paint	Dina Wakley Olive Acrylic paint
Dina Wakley Turquoise paint	Dina Wakley LEMON Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Peacock Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Marine Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Ranger LAPIS 1 oz Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Black Acrylic Paint	Dylusions Strawberry Daquiri Paint
Dylusions Lemon Drop paint	Dylusions Tropical Sangria	Dylusions Periwinkle Blue paint	Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE Media Gloss Spray mdo68570	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink	Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE BLACK	Ranger HEAT IT CRAFT TOOL
UHU Glue Stick	Strathmore Mixed Media 6x8 Paper

Show us how you'll be thinking of someone this week!  Upload your projects 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: Spooky/Halloween Tag using Impression Obsession's Zombie Sayings and Whimsy Stamps' Monster Parade Die

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is Spooky/Halloween.  I am a huge chicken when it comes to scary-spooky things (I was the teenager who hung out coloring picture pages in the "Pumpkin Patch" area with the 5-year-olds when my friends dragged me to haunted houses), so I always lean toward cute or funny spooky.  This zombie quote from Impression Obsession cracked me up the first time I saw it, so I was excited to put it to use this Halloween season.  And you know me-- if I can add background dots and a pointy hat (like on this cute little zombie guy from Whimsy Stamps), you know I'm gonna do it!

I started with black Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  I cut out a tag using the Tim Holtz Sizzix Tag Collection die set (I use this set more than any other dies that I own).  I heat-embossed my quote onto it with white embossing powder.

Bring on the dots!  I smooshed some white acrylic paint through Tim Holtz's Dotted stencil and smeared some of the white paint together.

I colored in some of the circles with Distress Crayons (coloring with any type of crayons is wonderfully therapeutic in my humble opinion).

I blended the colors around with a bit of water and added some Distress Paint and Dina Wakley acrylic paint.

I had some problems at this point.  I liked my tag, but I'd made the background at the bottom of the tag too busy, so I had to tone it down with white paint or else anything on top of it would look crazy-pants.  I also wanted another little pop of color, so I added some pink paint around the tag's edges.  Next I cut out my zombie using Whimsy Stamp's Monster Parade die set and I hand-cut a stripped hat.  I also cut out a picket fence from Papertrey Ink's Haunted House die set.  I used some wood grain paper for that from Honey Bee Stamps' Harvest Festival paper pack.  I also like to outline the edges of my die-cut shapes with a black Sharpie to make them stand out.

Assembly time!  I whipped out my UHU glue stick and got everyone in place and this tag was done!

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

Impression Obsession Zombie Sayings Clear Stamp Set	Whimsy Stamps Monster Parade Dies	Papertrey Ink Haunted House Dies	Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Tag Collection dies	Tim Holtz Dotted Stencil	Honey Bee Harvest Festival 6x6 Paper Pad	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink
Hero Arts EMBOSS WHITE EMBOSSING POWDER	Ranger HEAT IT CRAFT TOOL	Ranger-Tim-Holtz-Distress-Crayon-CRUSHED-OLIVE	Ranger Tim Holts Distress Crayon EVERGREEN BOUGH	ranger-tim-holtz-distress-crayons-set-12	https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/product/Tim-Holtz-Distress-Crayons-SET-1-TDBK47902-TDBK47902RI	Tim Holtz Flip Top DIstress Paint 2021 SALVAGED PATINA APRIL COLOR
Tim-Holtz-Flip-Top-Distress-Paint-2021 Kitsch Flamingo	Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE acrylic paint	Dina Wakley Ranger ELEPHANT 1 oz Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Ranger NIGHT acrylic paint	Dina Wakley Lime paint	Dylusions Tropical Sangria	UHU Glue Stick
Black Permanent Sharpie Marker	Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick CRAFT SHEET Reusable 15 X 18 Stamp Paint Ink

What will you put together for our Spooky/Halloween theme?  Upload your creepy creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.