Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Use More Than One Stencil (Kate Crane PS455 and PS483 Stencils)

Welcome to another Monday and another creative challenge!  This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog theme is "use more than one stencil."  I used two stencils from Kate Crane: PS455 and PS483 to make a card.

I started by watercoloring and painting on a page like so:

While that dried, I used paint and two of Kate Crane's Stencils to make patterns and some focal elements.

I cut a deckled rectangle for my card base using a Mama Elephant die set and kraft cardstock.  I glued a piece of my watercolored paper to it, then I glued on a piece of the red and white stenciled paper.  Next I cut out the plus sign shapes and outlined them in black Sharpie.  I glued them to the front of my card.

To finish it off, I added more paint around the edges, along with some Distress Watercolor pencil scribbles.  I stamped some small dots on with a Seth Apter stamp and added some collaged paper scraps.  I stamped a sentiment from Tim Holtz's Theories set, cut it out and glued it on as a last touch.

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

• Kate Crane Stencil: PS455 (Oval-Dots)
• Kate Crane Stencil: PS483 (Plus Sign Shapes)
• Mama Elephant Deckled Frames Die Set
• Seth Apter ESA35 (Small Dots)
• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Watercolors
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Kraft Cardstock
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Ranger Crushed Olive Archival Ink

Upload your stenciled 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: Bright and Cheerful Card using AALL & Create's Film Drip and Retro Numbers Dies

What great joy was mine when I learned about this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog theme: Bright and Cheerful!  I made a card for the occasion using some bold Odile Bailloeul Festival fabric and dies from AALL & Create.

I started by cutting some shapes with AALL & Create's Film Drip and Retro Numbers die sets.  I always like to explore the negative shapes (what's left behind after you cut the intended shapes) in addition to the intended shapes.  I painted the shapes not knowing for sure which I would use in this project.

While the paint dried, I tore up some scraps of fabric.  This is a great collection: Odile Bailloeul Festival.

All that was left to do was play with the layout and glue down the painted paper shapes and the fabric.

To finish it off, I painted white around the edges and added some stamped sentiments from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Scribbles stamp set.

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

• AALL & Create: Film Drip Die Set
• AALL & Create: Retro Numbers
• Odile Bailloeul Festival Fat Quarter Fabric Bundle
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Ranger Kraft Heavystock
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Tim Holtz Seasonal Scribbles Stamp Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

If you'd like to participate in this week's challenge, upload your creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and you'll have a chance at winning a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Decorated Tin with Tim Holtz Fabric Ribbon

It's the beginning of another week and that brings us to a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is "not a card" and we are featuring products from Tim Holtz.  I decorated a tin box and sewed a fabric ribbon to wrap around it.

I started by sanding the lid of the metal tin so that paper would adhere to it better.  To decorate the tin, I cut out a lid-shaped background paper that I collaged together.  In the forefront, I wanted to use that wonderful X-shape found in Tim's Mini Glitch stamp set.  I stamped the image onto a piece of ledger paper and colored it with paint and Distress Watercolor Pencils.  I also stamped some alphabet letters from Tim's Glitch 2 stamp set along the top and bottom.  I flicked some Peacock Feathers Distress Ink Spray onto it as well as some Neon Alcohol Ink.

I glued the X piece onto the background collage and glued the whole panel onto the lid of the tin.

I wanted to add a sentiment, so I chose the words "soulful adventure" from Tim's Chit Chat sticker set.  This tin was inspired by a road trip my family just took.  There were pops of color, but also a lot of beautiful desert sand.  I'd never been to this area before and was a little nervous to venture into the unknown, but it was wonderful in the end.  I thought "soulful adventure" fit perfectly with all we saw and did and appreciated in nature.

I wanted to add one last element, so I cut a few strips from different yards of Tim's fabric and sewed them together to form a ribbon.

Here is the finished tin with the ribbon tied around it.  It is a bit crazy-pants with the patterns on the tin and the patterned ribbon, but I liked the energetic joy it evoked for me.

I plan to print a few small pictures from our trip and put them inside my tin so I can look back and have a physical reminder of the soulful adventure that it was!

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

• Tim Holtz Mini Glitch Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Glitch 2 Stamp Set
• Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black and Spiced Marmalade
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 6, Set 5, and Set 3
• Distress Ink Spray: Peacock Feathers
• Neon Alcohol Ink: Fluorescent
• Tim Holtz Chitchat Stickers
• Tim Holtz Fabric: Eclectic Elements Collage: Red Palette, Eclectic Elements Collage: Multi

What will you make that's not a card?  We're excited to see your creations!  Upload them 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: Embossed Card using Seth Apter's Paper Cutz and Twisters Dies

These week for our Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme, we are challenged to emboss it!  I did some heat embossing to make the black elements of this card pop out just a little more.  I love embossing because it always adds a bit of extra textural oomph!

I started by cutting this fun plus-sign panel from Seth Apter's Paper Cutz die set.  I heat-embossed some areas using an embossing pen and black embossing powder, then added paint.

Next I cut a tag using Simon's Luggage Tags die set and folded it in half for my card shape.  I used Carta Bella washi tape and glue to stick my painted panel to the front of the folded tag and added some more paint.

While the paint was drying, I grabbed a piece of graph paper and did some watercoloring on it.  I added some scribbly circles, some marks, and painted the circles in with white paint.  

When that dried, I cut a 2" circle frame out of the painted graph paper and glued it to my card.  This is the ugly phase that always scares me!

I went back to my Seth Apter dies and this time used his Twisters set to cut out a wonky circle shape.  I painted it with pink and orange and added that to my card.  I added some polka dot washi tape and blended around the edges with green and brown paint.  It was looking a bit dark, so I added some white paint back in.  I did some scribbling with a black pen.

To finish it off, I stamped and cut the word "Peace" from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Scribbles stamp set and glued that to the front.  Done!

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

• Seth Apter Paper Cutz Die Set
• Seth Apter Twisters Die Set
• Simon Says Stamp Luggage Tags Die Set
• Embossing Pen
• Black Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Carta Bella Big Black Dot Washi Tape
• Watercolors
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Tim Holtz Seasonal Scribbles Stamp Set

We can't wait to see your embossed 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!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Mini Art Journal

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is all about art journaling!  I made a small journal decorated with scribbly art.

If you've checked out any of my blog posts, this first step will not surprise you!  I painted and scribbled on paper.  It's very therapeutic and it serves as my own patterned paper to use on more projects.

I tore my scribbly paper into scraps and glued them to some small pieces of chipboard.  I blended the edges with white paint.  I also added some stamping (polka dots) with Tim Holtz's Mixed Media 2 stamp set.

Next I tore some scraps from Amy Tangerine's Paper Play, Volume 1 and Dina Wakley's Collage Sparks books.  I glued the scraps on top of my pages.

I added more paint and some stamping from Seth Apter's ESA35 stamp set.  I scribbled with Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks and Distress Crayons.  I used watercolors and blended the Distress Crayon colors with water.  I punched holes in some paper for more visual interested and I drew some striped paper with the Scribble Sticks.

Once the pages were done (I totally redid one of them between here and the end result), I used my Cinch machine to bind them together.

Now this little journal is ready for me to add more as I find relevant memories and moments to preserve!

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

• Dina Wakley Paint
• Distress Crayons: Set 1 and Set 7
• Watercolors
• Dina Wakley Round Paintbrushes
• Dina Wakley White Media Gloss Spray
• Tim Holtz Mixed Media 2 Stamp
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks: Set 5
• Seth Apter Stamp Set: ESA35
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• Amy Tangerine: Paper Play, Volume 1
• Dina Wakley Collage Sparks: 1 and 3
• Carta Bella Big Black Polka Dot Washi Tape
• 1/2" Circle Punch
• Tim Holtz Label Stickers, Thoughts

We're excited to see your art journaling 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.