Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Celebrate You Birthday Tag using AALL & Create Products

We are officially into August which means school's right around the corner, the temperatures here in toasty Utah should start to come down from the triple digits, and we've got another new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is "Happy Birthday" in honor of Simon's 15-year-anniversary.  We are also featuring products from AALL & Create, which I adore and literally use all the time.  Here's the birthday tag I came up with:

I started with a pre-made tag from AALL & Create's Faded Memories ephemera pack.  I also pulled out three circle shapes from their Clipped Mailers ephemera pack.

I added some different colors by painting parts of the circles blue and then gluing a purple panel on top of the tag that's from AALL & Create's Rose Reverie ephemera pack.  I cut some ring shapes using Seth Apter's Twisters die set and AALL & Create's Heartnook die set and painted those as well.

Next I narrowed down the pieces I wanted to use and cut a quirky scalloped border piece using AALL & Create's Tear it Out die set.  I added white paint to my tag, including some petal shapes.

I painted the white petal shapes with a dark navy color.  When that dried, I outlined them with a white Posca pen and drew in some white dots.

After the white paint dried, I glued the circle and ring elements onto my tag as well as the border piece.  This added some nice pops of pink.  I blended the border into my tag using paint.  Next I cut out a face from Tim Holtz's photobooth images and made a hat.  I found a clip from AALL & Create's Clipped Mailers ephemera pack and cut the letters Y-O-U from AALL & Create's Letter Soup die set.

It was time to bring it all together!  I glued all of the components onto my tag and finished it off by typing the rest of the sentiment on a typewriter.

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

• AALL & Create: Faded Memories Ephemera Pack
• AALL & Create: Clipped Mailers Ephemera Pack
• AALL & Create: Rose Reverie Ephemera Pack
• AALL & Create: Tear it Out Die Set
• AALL & Create: Letter Soup Die Set
• AALL & Create: Heartnook Die Set
• Seth Apter Twisters Die Set
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Tim Holtz Photobooth
• Sizzix Big Shot
• White Posca Paint Pen

We're excited to see your birthday projects!  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: Summertime Blues Tag using AALL & Create's Intricatags and Numberama Dies

Welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is Summertime Blues.  I incorporated the color blue into my tag's background and made a sentiment that many kids feel is true about summer.

I started with a tag cut with AALL & Create's Intricatags die set and my Sizzix Big Shot.  I stamped it with Tim Holtz's Remnants set, using Salty Ocean Distress Ink and a little bit of blue paint spritzed with water for a smear-y look.

Next I cut out some numbers and painted the frame-shapes they left behind.  While those dried, I tore strips of patterned paper out of my Amy Tangerine Paper Play book and glued those to my tag.

I glued the numbers to my tag and added some white paint to blend them in a bit.

I stamped a swirly scribble shape onto the center of my tag using Tim Holtz's Grunged stamp set.  I colored the edges of my tag with brown and black paint and added more green, pink and yellow to my tag.

I typed my sentiment on a typewriter and glued it to my tag.  I also added an oval frame shape that I'd cut out of text paper.  I did some scribbling and polka dot-ing to finish off the tag.

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

• AALL & Create Intricatags Die Set
• AALL & Create Numberama Die Set
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Tim Holtz Remnants Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Grunged Stamp Set
• Distress Ink: Salty Ocean
• Paper Play Collage Book
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Paint

I'm interested to see how you interpret our "summertime blues" 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.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Journal Spread using Dina Wakley's Squared Up Stamp Set and School Style Alpha Stencil

It's another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week we are making our own backgrounds!  I decided to do a journal spread, which turned out like so:

I started by creating a collage page that I could tear up and use in my background.  I watercolored and sprayed Distress Oxide and alcohol ink onto a piece of graph paper.  I also scribbled around with Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks.

I tore my collage into pieces and glued those pieces into my Art by Marlene 4" x 4" journal.

Next I painted around the edges to get some other colors into the mix.

After that dried, I decided to try out Dina Wakley's new Squared Up stamp set.  I stamped two of those images onto my pages.

Next I used some AALL & Create black text washi tape.  I stuck it to paper then punched some holes out of it.  I used the negative shape on one half of the spread and the polka dots on the other half.

I didn't really like how it was looking at this point, so I decided to add some blue and cover up some parts I had done.  I used Dina Wakley's Old School Style Alpha stencil and some Salty Ocean Distress Oxide on some scrap paper, which I then tore up and glued to my pages.

I used paint again to blend everything together and added some polka dot paper scraps I had.  I also stuck on some Tim Holtz fabric tape. I scribbled around with pencil and with Distress Watercolor pencils.  I found this great quote from Dina Wakley's Ledger Paper and glued that on top as the final component of this spread.

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

• Art by Marlene 4"x4" Creative Journal
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 5
• Neon Alcohol Ink: Hyper
• Watercolors
• Distress Spray Stain: Walnut
• Distress Oxide Spray: Salvaged Patina, Weathered Wood, Salty Ocean
• Dina Wakley Squared Up Stamp Set
• AALL & Create: Power Words Washi Tape
• Dina Wakley: School Style Alpha Stencil
• Tim Holtz Floral Linen Fabric Tape
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 4
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

We're excited to see the backgrounds you create!  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win $25 to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stitched Tag using Seth Apter's Borderlines Dies and AALL & Create's Tag it Yourself Dies

We are all about stitching this week over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog.  I used my sewing machine to sew some scraps onto my tag and then outlined the whole thing with black stitching.

I started by cutting my tag shape out using Strathmore Mixed Media paper, my Sizzix Big Shot and AALL & Create's Tag it Yourself die set.  Next I painted some dots onto it with white paint and Dina Wakley's Dotted Tape stencil.  I let that dry, then added some Infusions, which I sprayed with water.

When that dried, I added some paint.  I fingerpainted the dark pink dots onto some of the stenciled dots and the yellow is a mix of paint and water that I smeared on top of the tag.

When I looked at it, I thought the colors were too dark and bold for whatever I was going to put on top of it, so I toned it down with white paint.  I tore some scrap paper out of Amy Tangerine's Paper Play 1 book and sewed them up the side of the tag.

I tore a rose design out of the book and glued it to the tag and sewed around the whole border.  Next I cut and painted a number strip that I made using Seth Apter's Borderlines die set.

I glued the number strip onto the tag and stamped a "become legendary" sentiment from Mama Elephant's Spell Abilities stamp set to finish it off.

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

• Seth Apter Sizzix Die Set: Borderlines
• AALL & Create Tag it Yourself Die Set
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Dina Wakley Dotted Tape Stencil
• PaperArtsy Infusions: Green Man
• Paper Play 1 Collage Book
• Mama Elephant Spell Abilities Stamp Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

Upload your stitched 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: Painty Tag using Kate Crane's KC014 and Seth Apter's EM105 Stamps

I was excited for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme, which is to use paint.  We are also featuring products from Paper Artsy.  I use paint all the time and my go-to's are Dina Wakley's acrylic paints.  I love the convenient size and the vast range of colors.  I also wanted to crack out Kate Crane's new stamp set featuring butterflies and mothy-looking things.

I started by cutting a tag out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper, which holds up nicely to paint.  I used a Waffle Flower tag die and my Sizzix Big Shot.  Next I sprinkled on some Paper Artsy Infusions and sprayed it with water.  The unique thing about Infusions is that it's a combo of colored powder and brown and the more water you add, the more the brown tones stand out.  In addition to the Infusions, I stamped on some dots with a Tim Holtz stamp and Distress Ink.

I needed a lighter background (which seems silly after coloring the background dark), so I added some scraps of Dina Wakley ledger paper.  Next I stamped on a Seth Apter stamp image using black ink and I added white paint to all of that, along with some olive paint.  

Once that dried, I added some red, pink, orange and yellow tones with paint.  I also did some doodling with Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks and Dylusions Intense Colour Caykes and Sticks.

It was looking a little crazy around the edges, so I cut out an oval frame and stamped the frame with Seth Apter's dot stamp.  Then I stamped, cut, and colored a moth(?) from Kate Crane's KC014 stamp set.  I stamped the sentiment, too, also from that set.

All that was left was to glue everything together!

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

• Kate Crane Stamp Set KC014
• Seth Apter Stamps: EM105 and EM124
• Waffle Flower Nesting Tag Die Set
• Infusions: Royal Blood
• Tim Holtz Mixed Media 2 Stamp Set
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 5
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• Dylusions Intense Colour Caykes and Sticks
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Distress Ink: Lucky Clover

We're excited to see you get your paint on 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!