My Cards and Tags: Hello Sunshine

Even though my mailman (or is "mail carrier" the politically savvy term these days?) seems to enjoy smashing as many things as possible into my mailbox, I have been anxiously awaiting his arrival to bring me some goodies from Simon Says Stamp's new Splash of Color release.  And once I used a crowbar to remove my items from the mailbox, I was not disappointed!  Here's the Hello Sunshine tag I created with my new Simon Says Stamp treasures:

I made this tag using the SSS Hello Sunshine Frame die, which is adorable!  I liked how I had a leftover "sunshine" word strip to use for another project after I cut out the frame.  And this frame also comes with a sun shape, too.  Here's a picture of the products used (postal crunching of packaging included):

For the scalloped edges at the bottom of my tag, I used the SSS Border Waves die set, which is so versatile.  I attached it all to a big tag die from Mama Elephant's Tags a Lot set.  I used some scrap paper I had from My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper and Prima, and added a swirl to the top made from the My Favorite Things Scribbles die.  My Big Shot got a workout and I still really love using these thin wafer dies with the Genius Platform from Lifestyle Crafts.  I also whipped out my old reliable Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch to add some flowers.  Before assembling, I did some outlining with a black Sharpie pen (my new favorite type of pen) and smudged on some of that gorgeous new Mint Candy ink.

Although some husbands out there may disagree, it's always a good time to check out what's new at Simon Says Stamp and spend some moo-lah on those must-have's for Summer!  Remember: we are not hoarders.  We are artists!  ;)

My Other Creations: Travel Tins

Get ready for total creative freedom because this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is Anything Goes!  You know I'm going to go for the fabric whenever I can, and since July is prime road trip time, I decided to make some travel tins to celebrate some of my favorite destinations.

I started out by aging my tins, which I purchased here and which came as bright shiny silver.  I roughed them up with the Tim Holtz sanding block then added a mix of acrylic paint in shades of teal, blue, and dark brown.  While they dried, I glued some fabric scraps together and started to draw and stamp some images on them.  I drew the British phone booth, then masked it and stamped some more London buildings behind it using a Paper Artsy stamp set.

After my images was drawn, I sewed around the main one with a sewing machine and black thread.  Then I colored it in using Memento Luxe ink applied to pointy-tipped cotton swabs.  Memento Luxe ink is made specifically with fabric use in mind, so the colors stay beautifully vibrant.  I stamped out the sentiment using alphabet stamps and sewed around each word, then cut them out and adhered them to my background.

I made the second tin the same way, by drawing the Parliament building, stamping behind it, then coloring it in with Memento Luxe ink.  I also added some French Knot flowers to represent the gorgeous blooms and hanging baskets in Victoria.

I stamped out the sentiment, sewed around each word, cut them out, adhered them to the background and was done.  Not sure what I'll do with these tins, but they make me happy because they remind me of places near and dear to my heart.

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

Paper Artsy HP1208 Stamp Set	Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Memento Luxe Love Letter	Memento Luxe Pear Tart	Memento Luxe Bahama Blue	Memento Luxe Teal Zeal	Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black
Memento Luxe Gray Flannel	Sanding Grip - Idea-ology	Tim Holtz Idea-ology SANDING GRIP REFILL	Dina Wakley TURQUOISE Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley SKY Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Tim Holtz Distress Paint SET OF 24 Ranger	Aleene′s Turbo Dry Glue

With wide open theme of Anything Goes, there's no excuse not to share your geniusness!  Upload your projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for your change to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.

My Other Creations: Cardboard Tea Cup Pen Holder

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is, "Coffee or Tea?"  Given that choice, I'd choose hot chocolate every time, but that's the chocoholic in me talking.  Be that as it may, I do adore teacups for any tasty beverage and thought I'd make one into a pen holder.

What I really needed for this project was one of those Sizzix dies that already makes a dimensional teacup, but since I didn't have one handy, I had to figure out how to turn a flat teacup into some sort of receptacle.  I started with the teacup image, which I got from a Mama Elephant stamp set called, "Warm Wishes."  It was way too small for my needs, so I stamped the image then enlarged it using a copy machine.

Next I covered the cup with scraps of patterned paper and fabric and smudged on some Distress Ink.

I colored in a second teacup, then cut them both out and mounted them on chipboard to add some sturdiness.  I also added a girl from Tim Holtz's Found Relatives card set and a sentiment from Dina Wakley's Scribbly Women stamp set.  I attached her to the front teacup.  I also cut and assembled two matchboxes using the Tim Holtz matchbox die.
 

All that was left was to glue it all together like a sandwich.  I glued the matchboxes together, then glued a teacup to the front and another one to the back.  I added a tea bag using a stamp from Prima and my teacup pen holder was done!

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

Mama Elephant Warm Wishes Stamp Set	Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Dina Wakley Scribbly Women Stamp Set	Idea-ology - Found Relatives	My Minds Eye Up and Away Washi Tape	Kaisercraft Blue Bay 6x6 Paper
October Afternoon Summertime 12x12 Paper	Prima Coffee Break Cling Stamp Set	American Crafts Shimelle 6x6 Paper	Tim Holtz Sizzix Matchbox Die	Prima A4 Garden Fable Paper	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Tim Holtz Distress Twisted Citron Ink Pad
Peacock Feathers - Distress Ink	Worn Lipstick Distress Ink Pad	Black Sharpie Fine Point Pen

What are your thoughts on coffee and/or tea?  I can't wait to see how you express them in your projects.  There are so many fun coffee and tea-themed supplies on the market right now.  Upload your project to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store.

My Other Creations: Beach Boxes

What personifies summer for you?  That's the theme for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  There were so many things I could think of for this magical time of year, but it all boiled down to road trips to the beach!  Living in a land-locked desert state, however, I don't get there nearly as often as I'd like to.  I made these little beach boxes so I could take the beach with me wherever I go.

I started by using the Tim Holtz matchbox die to cut out a box, and I assembled a few items to go inside.  I didn't have any sand handy, so I used brown sugar and put it in a bag to test how it would fit in the box once it was done.

The cloud paper is the lid of the matchbox, which the base normally slides into.  But instead of gluing the lid together, I left it open and glued it to the back of my base box so it would work as a closing flap instead of a slide-on matchbox lid.  I also tested my "sand" for a good fit and added the "H2O means water" sentiment, which I typed in Word and cut out.

I flipped the box over and decorated the front with a beach house that I stamped, watercolored, and adhered to the lid.  I also added a small piece of adhesive to the box's flap/lid so it would stay shut.

When you open the box and flip it horizontally, you can set your beach up and it's ready to go!  I poured my "sand" out of the back, then nestled everything in and propped it all against the flap, which you can fold up as a nice backdrop.  The surfboard and beach ball came from Project Life cards and a paper pack.  I made the sunglasses using My Favorite Things' Geek is Chic die set and the book is made from Tim Holtz's Halloween ticket stamp.

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

Tim Holtz Sizzix Matchbox Die	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Echo Park I Love Sunshine 12x12 Paper	Project Life Hi Sunshine Kit	Prima A4 Garden Fable Paper	Tim Holtz Halloween Ticket Stamp	Paper Artsy JOFY Mini 23 Rubber Cling Stamp
Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	My Favorite Things Geek is Chic die	Loew Cornell WATERCOLOR CAKES 24 Paints	Hero Arts Basic Alphabet Stamps	Tim Holtz Distress Twisted Citron Ink Pad	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad

I can't wait to see what Summer means to you!  Upload your masterpieces to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and you'll be entered to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!