Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Take Courage Journal Page

Welcome to the start of a new week and a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  This week's theme is to use more than one stencil.  I used some Stencilgirl stencils and a Dina Wakley stencil on my journal page.

In my Dylusions Small Creative Journal, I started by making a collage with paint, stamping, scribbling, and paper scraps.

Next I stenciled some polka dots (Dina Wakley) and an abstract shape (StencilGirl) onto deli paper.

I cut the shapes out and changed them around a bit.

I glued them to my collage.  Next I put down a Seth Apter-designed stencil (also by StencilGirl) and copied just the outline.  These are the floating orange rectangular shapes.

I stamped on some floral images from Tim Holtz and picked a sentiment from Tim's Chitchat stickers.  I added some black dots onto the page and my project was complete!

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

• Dylusions Small Creative Journal
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 2
• Dina Wakley White Gloss Media Spray
• Seth Apter ESA35 Stamp
• Dina Wakley Dotted Tape Stencil
• StencilGirl Textile Design Stencil
• StencilGirl (Seth Apter) Hopscotch Stencil
• Tim Holtz Floral Elements Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Chitchat Stickers

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!

And don't forget to wrap up the month on a high note with more STAMPtember goodness!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Envelope Folio

"Transport it" is this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme, so I bound together some envelopes to form a folio that I could use to transport paper scraps on the go.

I started with a handful of Simon Says Stamp kraft envelopes and some strips of patterned paper.

I cut the patterned paper strips to match the height of the envelopes, then used a bone folder and scoring board to fold each paper strip in half.  I glued the folded strips to each envelope, binding them together.  Here's an inside view of the binding:

Here's an outside view of the spine:

If done correctly, the pages, or envelopes in this case, fan out in a circular shape, each one connected to the ones on either side of it.  The binding doesn't show on the outside, but the patterned paper strips show up on the inside.

Now to decorate the cover!  I painted the front envelope and stamped circles on it using a Tim Holtz stamp.

I added some scribbling and additional painting, then I created a collaged panel to attach to the front.

I glued the panel to the front of the envelope folio, then typed some words out and added them to the front.  I made a fabric ribbon and used that to tie the folio shut.

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

• Simon Says Stamp Envelopes
• Spellbinders Reminisce Paper
• Scor Pal Scoring Board
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Watercolors
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 3, Set 5
• Tim Holtz Trims Design Tape
• Tim Holtz Halftone and Rings Stamp Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

Upload your transport-themed projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.  And don't forget to check out all the exciting happenings for Simon's STAMPtember celebration!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Colorful Skeleton Earrings using Tim Holtz Findings

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is an interesting one!  It's "get in shape."  That phrase, for me, evokes images of me dying on the stair-stepper machine while people in their 20's walk past in their fancy yoga pants barely breaking a sweat.  But don't worry!  In this week's context, it just means to try and incorporate unique shapes into your projects (no squares or rectangles).  Thinking about organic shapes, my mind wandered to jewelry.  I made some colorful skeleton earrings using different shaped beads and findings.

The bodies of these characters started out as white clay.  I formed the clay into thick shapes that sort of tapered at the top.  While the clay was still malleable, I used Tim Holtz's tack nails to attach red and turquoise beads.  When the clay hardened, the tacks and beads stayed attached.

Now that the clay was hard, I colored it with alcohol ink in shades of yellow, green, and teal.  When the alcohol ink was dry, I covered the beads with a shiny glaze/sealant.

I switched out the wires with a different kind that had a loop on the bottom.  I attached a bead at the base of each earring.  To add some visual and textural interest, I cut numbers out of Tim's Multi Collage fabric and glued those to the front of each bead.

Next I added beads to Tim's Loop Pins and then attached those to the bottom of each earring.  I had a thin piece of metal that I painted white and added black stripes to using a Posca paint pen.

I cut the striped metal into smaller shapes, punched a hole in them, and added them to the loop at the bottom of each earring.  The loop ended up being too small for that many elements, so I replaced the whole pin with a longer one and made the base loop bigger.  Lastly, I found some skeleton head beads in my stash and added one to the top of each pin.  I attached some earring hooks and these were done!

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

• Tim Holtz Tack Nails
• Alcohol Ink: Limeade, Sunshine, Lemonade, Patina
• Tim Holtz Multi Collage Fabric
• Tim Holtz Loop Pins
• Black Posca Paint Pen

We're excited to see your shapely 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 Monday Challenge: Mini Mixed Media Pages using Brutus Monroe Grunge Type Creative Cards

We are getting stitchy this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!  Yes - just incorporate any sort of stitching and you'll hit the challenge theme.  I made some mini journal pages with stitched elements here and there.

I started with this mini notebook, which I made from chipboard and then bound.  I collaged on both pages.

Next I cut out a number 4 from Brutus Monroe's Grunge Type Creative cards as well as some circles (negative and positive shapes) from AALL & Create's Film Drip die set.  I painted the circles and frames.  I also tore out a scrap of patterned paper from Amy Tangerine's Paper Play book and sewed across it with my sewing machine.

I attached the 4 to my page and did some scribbling around it with Distress Watercolor Pencils.

Last week, I made some earrings that were made with fabric scraps.  I decided to use some of those leftover fabric scraps and incorporate them into my pages.  I glued some fabric onto the page on the left and sewed some fabric scraps together for the page on the right.  I attached my little fabric scrap bundle with a loop pin.

On a secret project disaster sidenote here, notice how the 4 is totally ripped and wrinkled in the finished project versus how it was in the previous photo.  I had glued it on crooked and it was driving me nuts, so I tried to rip it off the page and re-glue it.  But the glue won and I ended up with a bit of a ripped mess that I had to try to piece back together.  But it all worked out in the end!

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

• AALL & Create: Film Drip Die Set
• Tim Holtz THMM113 Dot Stencil and Stamp Set
• Amy Tangerine's Paper Play Book
• Brutus Monroe Grunge Type Creative Cards
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 2 and Set 3
• Tim Holtz Multi Collage Eclectic Elements Fabric
• Odile Bailloeul Festiva Fabric Bundle
• Tim Holtz Loop Pin
• Dina Wakley Paint

We're excited to see how you incorporate stitching into 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.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: "One You" Earrings using AALL & Create's Power Words Washi Tape, Loop Pins, and Fabric Scraps

We've made it to another Monday and it is a sweltering one here in my neck of the woods.  I hope you're all surviving in whatever summer conditions you're living in at the moment!  Stay where it's comfortable and keep being crafty.  After all, we have a great theme this week over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge of "add some text".  I decided to make earrings that say, when put together, "one you."  It was meant to remind me that each one of us is unique and one-of-a-kind, even though we can strengthen each other through shared experiences.

I started with some pieces of thin metal that I painted, then cut into rectangular shapes.  I stuck some AALL & Create washi tape to the top half of the rectangles.

Next I colored some blue and green stripes onto white paper using Distress Watercolor Pencils.  I glued the striped paper to the bottom of the rectangles.

I added some paint to my rectangles, then I got out some white beads and colored them with alcohol ink in shades of yellow and green.

I used Tim Holtz's Multi Collage Eclectic Elements cloth to cut out some numbers.  Then I sewed the numbers to some Odile Bailloeul Festival fabric.

I stuck my fabric scraps onto Tim Holtz's loop pins.  With my fabric scraps ready, I stamped "one" and "you" (from a Simon Birthday Greetings stamp set) onto paper, cut out the words, and glued those to the rectangles.  I added more paint to my metal rectangles and punched some holes out of the rectangles with my Crop-A-Dile.  I loaded some beads onto more loop pins, added a few last beads and these earrings were finished!

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

• AALL & Create: Power Words Washi Tape
• Distress Watercolor Pencils, Set 2
• Alcohol Ink: Sunshine and Lettuce
• Simon Says Stamp: Inside Greetings Birthday Stamp Set
• Archival Ink: Barn Door
• Tim Holtz Multi Collage Eclectic Elements Cloth
• Odile Bailloeul Festival Fabric Fat Quarter Bundle
• Crop-A-Dile
• Tim Holtz Loop Pins
• Dina Wakley Paint

Add some text to a project and upload it to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog if you want a chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!