Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Notebook Cover using Seth Apter's EM124 and EM142 Paper Artsy Stamps

Welcome to 2026!  Hopefully my brain will catch up quickly when I have to write the new date on things!  But I'm excited about another year and hope that 2026 will bring good experiences to all of us.  We are starting off this year's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with the theme of "something new."  I decided to make a notebook cover using one of Seth Apter's new stamps, EM142.

I started by using another one of Seth's stamps to create a black and white dotted pattern.  I stamped the dots on black paper with clear embossing ink, sprinkled on some white embossing powder, then set it with a heat tool.  Next I stenciled some white paint onto Kraft cardstock using Dina Wakley's Dotted Tape stencil.  I also stamped Seth's new EM142 stamp image onto a piece of white cardstock.

I added color by fingerpainting pinks, yellows, and oranges onto the white dots that I'd stenciled.  I cut everything to the same size as my small notebook cover.  I added black Sharpie coloring to the image I'd stamped, which I often do.  Next I grabbed some floral fabric (Odile Bailloeul Festival fat quarters) and cut it into scallops and strips.

I added the fabric to the notebook cover and did some stitching with my sewing machine.  I stamped some words from Kate Crane's KC016 stamp set and cut those out.

I sewed my creation to the notebook's cover using my sewing machine and glued all the elements to the front.  I added some stamped scribbles using Kate Crane's KCM002 stamp set.  As a final touch, I added some black and white text to the side of the notebook cover courtesy of AALL & Create's Power Words washi tape.

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

• Paper Artsy Seth Apter Stamp: EM124 (dots)
• Paper Artsy Seth Apter Stamp: EM142 (three long bubble spaces)
• Paper Artsy Kate Crane Stamp: KCM002 (scribble lines and dots)
• Paper Artsy Kate Crane Stamp: KC016 (words "good" and "wishes")
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint
• Dina Wakley Dotted Tape Stencil
• Odile Bailloeul Festival Fat Quarter Fabric Bundle
• AALL & Create: Power Words Washi Tape
• Black Cardstock
• Kraft Cardstock
• White Embossing Powder
• Distress Embossing Ink Pad
• Heat Tool
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

What creation with a "something new" theme will you come up with?  We're excited to see your projects!  Upload them to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.