Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Wild and Wonderful tag using Studio Light's Label and Moodles Dies and Paper Rose's Eucalyptus Stem Dies

"Wild and Wonderful" is this week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  I'm glad they threw in that qualifier of "wonderful" because I've observed toddlers, teenagers and puppies and all would qualify as wild, but perhaps not 1,000% wonderful every single second.  :)  For my project, I went with a wildflower/wild plant vibe for this tag:

I started with this deliciously quirky tag from Studio Light.  It's from their Moodling (mood + doodling) line and I love a lot of pieces in this collection.  I cut the shape out of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper and stenciled on some polka dots with a Confetti stencil from My Favorite Things.  I just wanted to get some texture going.

While that dried, I cut these absolutely gorgeous Eucalyptus stems (these dies are from Paper Rose) and smeared black paint over them.  The black paint didn't get into all the crevices of the die, so it left these cool white outlines within the die-cut shapes.  I also didn't pop out every single shape that the die cut.  I left some of the cut-out parts intact for more visual variety.

I dabbed some acrylic paint on my tag, then spritzed it with water and just started blending.  The background was blue and teal, but I wanted the plant part to pop, so I laid down my cut-out Eucalyptus stems and traced where the open inside parts would be on my tag (you can see my pencil trace-marks on the tag).  Then I painted those penciled-out sections in different colors.  When I laid the stems back over, the insides of the stems and leaves were colored.

I finished my tag with a sentiment from Dina Wakley's Ledger Paper, Set 1 and I also flicked on some Dina Wakley Gloss Spray to get a dotted effect.

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

• Studio Light Label and Moodles Dies
• Paper Rose Eucalyptus Stem 3 Die
• Paper Rose Small Eucalyptus Stem Dies
• My Favorite Things Card-Sized Confetti Stencil
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Black, Lapis, Sky, Lemon, Umber
• Distress Paint: Kitsch Flamingo, Salvaged Patina
• Dylusions Paint: Tropical Sangria, Polished Jade
• Dina Wakley Gloss Spray: Lemon, Night, Ocean
• Sizzix Big Shot

What wonderful wildness will you choose to highlight with your project?  Upload your creation 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: Be Brave Card using Katzelkraft's Rainy Day Stamp

"Whatever the Weather" is this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme and it seemed appropriate for my neck of the woods.  We had rain, hail, gorgeous sunshine and snow over the span of a few days.  I didn't know whether to crack out my rain jacket or my sandals, but such are the wardrobe challenges associated with this time of year!  In any event, I made a card using this fantastic stamp from Katzelkraft called, Windy Day.

I've seen the power of wind in my life, both living here in the US and when I lived abroad.  It is no joke and I've had my share of inside-out umbrellas, flying trampolines, trees plucked from the ground and collapsed sheds (none of those are hypothetical).  But I love the idea that we can keep standing as strong as we possibly can no matter what hard things are swirling all around us.

I started this card on Strathmore Mixed Media paper, which I stamped the image onto using Ranger Jet Black Archival ink.

I smeared some white acrylic paint onto the areas that I knew I'd be coloring in just because a painted surface is easier (in my humble opinion) to blend additional colors on top of.  Once I had my areas blocked out, I just smeared colored acrylic paint on with my fingers.

I colored in the background of the card itself with Distress Ink.  I added a strip of text to the bottom of the card and dotted on some lighter blue acrylic paint to replicate puddles.  I used the Be Brave sentiment and set it off with a piece of stripped washi tape.

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

• Katzelkraft Windy Day Stamp
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Dylusions Back Chat Stickers
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Lemon, Ocean, Night, Sky
• Dylusions Paint: Tropical Sangria
• Distress Ink: Salty Ocean, Black Soot
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Acrylic Stamping Block

What sort of weather will you choose to highlight?  Upload your project 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: Sweet Treats Box using Carabelle Studio's Sardines Stamp Set and Whimsy Stamps' ATC Book Dies

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is Sweet Treats!  I did not mind the excuse to have some Skittles nearby as I worked on this project (red Skittles are THE BEST if anyone cares about my opinion on such things).  I made a little treat box using Carabelle Studio's Sardines stamp (sardines are not the usual go to in terms of a "sweet treat," but the stamp was too wonderful not to use) and Whimsy Stamp's ATC Book Dies.

I started by stamping my image on a few different pieces of paper so I could cut it out and do some layering.  I colored my sardines with Scribble Sticks and added some washi tape.

Kudos to Dina Wakley for the assist here.  I used her Collage Collective paper and her ledger paper for my sardine tin components.  Here it is all assembled.  I rolled up a piece of plaid paper to look like the peeled-back lid of the tin.  I know the way I did it isn't scientifically accurate to how it would look if you really did use the metal key to turn down the lid but this is aesthetically what I thought looked decent.  Art trumps science in this case.

Next I cut out the pieces for my box.  I had to alter the size of my box since this sardine stamp is about half the size of the dies, but that was doable.  I've found that with a little experimentation, you can cut down a lot of die-cut shapes (including 3D shapes) to suit your needs.  Before I glued the box together, I covered it with washi tape, then glued it, then I added a touch of color.  I also decided to add a wire bent into a key shape, which I hot-glued inside of the paper roll.  I filled my box up with Skittles.  I stamped a "For You" sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Inside Friendship Messages stamp set and added that to the front of my box.

The last step was to secure my little box before giving it away, so I tied a piece of green yarn around it.

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

• Whimsy Stamps ATC Book Dies
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Carabelle Studios Sardines Stamp Set
• Simon Says Stamp Inside Friendship Messages Stamp Set
• Dina Wakley Collage Collective, Book 2, Vol. 2
• Dina Wakley Typed Media Ledgers, Set 1
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 1 and Set 2
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: Ocean, White
• Altenew Many Dots Washi Tape
• AALL & Create Inspire Washi Tape

How will you celebrate sweet treats this week?  Upload your creation 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: Spring Page in Dina Wakley's Kraft Journal

Easter/Spring is this week's theme for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  We're also featuring products from Paper Artsy, whose Infusions Color Stains are a favorite supply of mine.  For this week's challenge, I made a spring-esque page in my Dina Wakley 6x6 Kraft journal.

I started by slathering white acrylic paint on the page using a palette knife, then I also added some teal paint.  Next came some Infusions and water-spritzing.

I covered Dina Wakley's letter stamps with paint, spritzed the stamps with water, and stamped them onto the page to spell out "grow".  I outlined the letters with a black pen once everything dried.  Next I used Dina's Sprouts stencil to sketch out some flowers.  I also stamped on some fabulous background text using AALL & Create's Tweet Tweet stamp set.

I added more color with Infusions again (this time in shades of pink) and some acrylic paint.

Last but not least, I flicked on some Dina Wakley Gloss Spray for those yellow specks.

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

• Dina Wakley 6x6 Kraft Journal
• Dina Wakley Sprouts Stencil
• Dina Wakley Block Alphas Stamp Set
• AALL & Create's Tweet Tweet Stamp Set
• Infusions Color Stain: Green Man, Emerald Isle, and Are You Cerise?
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: White, Tangerine, Fuchsia, Lemon, Peacock, Olive, Blushing, Syrup, Night, and Fir
• Dina Wakley Gloss Spray: Lemon
• Dylusions Acrylic Paint: Laidback Lilac, Mushy Peas
• Palette Knife
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

How will you celebrate Easter/Spring 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.