Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Night Sky Tag using AALL & Create's Tag It Yourself Die and Tim Holtz's Star Stencil

Welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is "night sky," so I made an inky dark starry tag.

I started with a black tag that I cut out using my Sizzix Big Shot and an AALL & Create die called "Tag It Yourself."  I used Strathmore Mixed Media black paper, then I added white starts with paint and a Tim Holtz stencil.

I wanted some patterned paper to add, so I stamped a plaid design onto white paper using a Tim Holtz stamp.

I tore off some plaid scraps and glued them onto my tag.  Then I splattered my tag with Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray and added some blue paint.  While that dried, I cut some circles and painted them.  I also cut some buildings (from Tim Holtz's Vault Christmas Magic) and painted them.

I assembled everything together and stamped the "Stars Shining" words from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Scribbles stamp set.  My night sky tag was done!

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

• AALL & Create Tag It Yourself Die Set
• Strathmore Mixed Media Black Paper
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Tim Holtz Media Marks 2 Stamp Set
• Distress Ink: Mermaid Lagoon
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Sapphire
• Distress Oxide Spray: Salvaged Patina
• Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray: White
• Tim Holtz Vault Christmas Magic Die Set
• Tim Holtz Seasonal Scribbles Stamp Set
• Simon Says Stamp Circle Loop Dies

We are excited to see your "night sky" 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: Bookmark using Gina K Designs' Beautiful Bookmarks Dies

Speaking as a very nerdy English major and a former librarian, this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme has my full support!  Our theme is to make a bookmark or a project inspired by books.  I made a bookmark.  And if you want to see a series of process pictures that look absolutely nothing like the finished project, read on!

I started with Distress Heavy Kraftstock, which I cut into a bookmark shape using Gina K Designs' Beautiful Bookmarks die set.  I stamped some circles onto it and painted them in.

I tore off a piece of gorgeous alphabet paper from Simple Stories' Vintage Essentials Color Palette Designer Tags kit and tore it into a semi-circle shape.  I glued that to my bookmark and scribbled around with some of Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks.  I cut a scallop die edge from AALL & Create and painted that, then also glued on a scrap of polka-dot paper I'd painted.

I did not like the tag at this point.  I didn't know what I didn't like, but I was just not feeling it!  So I covered up all the Kraft and polka dots with white paint for a fresh start.  YIKES!  Now it was really looking bad.  I added some stamped open dots and scribbled/painted some petal shapes at the bottom.  I cut out the "READ" letters using an AALL & Create die set and I also found a great little "Me Time" ticket from an American Crafts ephemera pack that I thought tied in nicely.  I painted the edges of the ticket and cut it in half.

This was a disaster of a tag at this point, so I made one last bold move to try to salvage it.  I painted the background with dark grey paint.  When that dried, I made some ruler lines on it that I went over with a white Posca pen for a plaid look in the background.  I glued all the elements to the front of the tag and added some fabric scraps and an embroidery floss bow to the top to finish it off.  And so this little bookmark was done and looking not one little bit like what I started out with!  Such is the meandering crafty journey sometimes.

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

• Gina K Designs Beautiful Bookmarks Die Set
• Distress Kraft Heavystock
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Dina Wakley Paint: Mustard, Malachite, White
• Wendy Vecchi Open Dots Stamp
• American Crafts Whatevs Ephemera
• AALL & Create Letter Soup Dies
• AALL & Create Majestic Borders Die Set
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks 2
• White Posca Paint Marker
• Embroidery Floss

We can't wait to see how you're inspired by books this week!  Feel free to make a bookmark or any other book-related project and upload it 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: Spritz and Splatter Journal Pages using Studio Light's Creative Journal and AALL & Create's Ephemera Packs

Welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  The theme this week is "spritz and splatter," both of which I love doing!  I created a journal spread with lots of spritzy-splattery products.

I started by spraying some Distress Oxide Sprays onto a craft mat with a little water.  When I had a nice colorful puddle, I dragged Tim Holtz's Dotted Stencil through it so that the color was on the outside of the stencil.  I pressed the stencil against the pages (like a stamp) so that the negative image of the stencil went onto my paper.  I also mixed some paint with water and drizzle/dripped that around the edges.

While that dried, I painted the alphabet onto a piece of graph paper with black paint. 

When both were dry, I ripped off a piece of the alphabet paper and glued it to my pages.  I also added some Dina Wakley ledger paper and more paint.

Next I employed the use of AALL & Create's Faded Memories and Rose Reverie ephemera packs.  I added a patterned-paper tab, a frame and a rectangle and also added some scraps from Art by Marlene's Postage Madness paper pack.  I added paint and scribbling (Distress Watercolor Crayons) and splattered on some Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray in white. I ended up tearing off some paper that I'd glued down (I did not like how it looked), which is what created that lovely "texture" (sure- that's what we'll call it) on the lower middle part of the right side page. 

I added some of Tim Holtz's Cello Tape to cover up that torn-glue area and then liked the look of it okay.  I found this great sentiment in a Nancy Drew book that I cut out and glued to the page to finish it off.  And no- I never ever cut up the gorgeous vintage yellow matte finish Nancy Drew books with the old-school cover artwork that makes me swoon - I just use the cheapy modern reprints.

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

• Studio Light Creative Journal
• Tim Holtz Dotted Stencil
• Distress Oxide Spray: Scorched Timber, Lost Shadow
• Distress Paint: Salvaged Patina
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Black, Ruby, Lemon
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• AALL & Create Ephemera Packs: Faded Memories, Rose Reverie
• Distress Watercolors, Set 3
• Art by Marlene Postage Madness Paper Pack
• Dina Wakley Gloss Media Spray, White
• Tim Holtz Cello Tape
• Distress Crayon: Kitsch Flamingo

We're excited to see what drippy materials you spritz or splatter onto 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.

Simon Says Stamp Tag using Simon's Adornments Tag, Simple Flowers and Circle Sentiments Dies

 We are going for "bright and cheery" this week as our challenge theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  We are also featuring products from Simon Says Stamp.  I made a tag using three of Simon's die sets: Adornments Tag, Simple Flowers and Circle Sentiments.

I started by cutting the tag out of Distress Kraft Heavystock paper using Simon's Adornments die set.  I stamped some text from Tim Holtz's Theories stamp set onto some newsprint, tore it into scraps, and glued those scraps to the tag.  I also smeared just a bit of white paint on some of the tag's edges.

Next I cut some shapes out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  I cut a ring from AALL and Create's Heartnook die set, then cut the "Hi" from Simon's Circle Sentiments die set.  I used the negative cut out (circle frame) from this same set.  I cut a flower from Simon's Simple Flowers die set.  I painted all of the pieces and outlined the "Hi" letters with a black Sharpie.

All that was left to do was assemble!  I put all the pieces together and added some final scribbles and marks to finish off this tag.

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

• Simon Says Stamp Adornments Tag Die Set
• Simon Says Stamp Circle Sentiments Die Set
• Simon Says Stamp Simple Flowers Die Set
• Distress Kraft Heavystock
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Lemon, Stoked, Gnarly
• AALL & Create's Heartnook Die Set
• Black Sharpie

We're excited to see bright and cheeriness from 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.