My Other Creations: Upcycled Memo Holder

What an absolutely fabulous challenge theme we have this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog!  The theme is, "D is for Distress."  I decided to play with alcohol inks and created this weathered-looking memo holder out of an old cheese grater and a vintage curler:

Just to show you the power of these alcohol inks (which I simply dripped and dabbed onto the metal with the help of the Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Applicator tool), I've included a before and after shot of the curler.

Before alcohol ink: a nice shiny metal surface.

After alcohol ink: all sorts of swirly rusty colors.

The great thing about alcohol inks is that they instantly transform metal.  And once the color's on there, it's there for the count!

In addition to smudging and coloring my metal, I also heat embossed some black cursive text onto the background (using a Wendy Vecchi stamp) for an added layer of texture:

To give the flowers a more weathered appearance, I dabbed them with brown ink.  

With the curler acting as my "clip," I've attached a vintage-looking ticket to my trusty memo holder.  It's also magnetic for more memo fun.

I finished off the piece with some scraggly yarn and a "Salvaged" metal word band that I also distressed.

This was a fun project and it was made possible by this array of crafting supplies that you can get at Simon Says Stamp:

Ranger Alcohol Ink In Sail Boat Blue	Citrus - Alcohol Ink	Espresso - Alcohol Ink	Alcohol Ink Applicator	Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool Refills	Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick CRAFT SHEET Reusable 15 X 18 Stamp Paint Ink	Prima Lyric Collection Mini Roses
Prima Fairy Rhymes Mini Roses	Black soot - Distress ink	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink	Wendy Vecchi A Form of Art Stamp Set	Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder--Black	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink	Heat Embossing Tool
Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Tim Holtz Metal Word Bands: Observations	Kaiser Timeless Tags

I can't wait to see you get your Distress on this week!  Be sure to upload the photo of your distressed creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog.  You can help inspire the rest of us as well as enter yourself into a random drawing for $50 of Simon Says Stamp store credit.  Wa-hoo!

My Cards and Tags: Tick Tock

Time, time!  What a crazy part of life is this measurement known as time.  Some days we wish it would speed up and other days we want it to slow down.  It's one of the most precious commodities we have, yet we are powerless to stop it or control its movement.  But before I get any more philosophical, suffice it to say that this week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog is TIME.  What a great theme with so many possibilities for interpretation!

Here is how my creation turned out: a time keeper of sorts that I made into a tag:

 
I just wanted a visual reminder about the value of time and the fact that it is always moving.  It motivates me to get up and get something accomplished.

The dapper dude I used is from Tim Holtz's "Time Traveler" stamp set.  I heat-embossed him with black powder and colored him in with Spectrum Noir markers and chalk.  

The clock is a Tim Holtz die called, "Weathered Clock."  I also heat embossed it, though in patchier sections.  If you just dab on your embossing ink with a sponge in random areas, this is what it will look like after you shoot it with your heat gun.

The background is a combo of Washi tape, embossed stamping, gesso and paint.  The 3D butterflies are from some Martha Stewart punches.

Here is a list of several of the supplies I used that are available from Simon Says Stamp:

Tim Holtz Time Travelers Stamp Set	Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Weatherd Clock - Alterations Die	Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE	Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly Punch	Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly 3 in 1 punch	Prima Mixed Media Doll Tag Pack
Spectrum Noir Markers: Turquoise	Spectrum Noir Markers: Pale Hues	Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick CRAFT SHEET Reusable 15 X 18 Stamp Paint Ink	Classic Teal - Studio Paint	Studio Gesso White	Stampabilities Polka Dot Stamp	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink
Hero Arts EMBOSS WHITE EMBOSSING POWDER	Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder--Black	Heat Embossing Tool	*We R Memory Keepers CROP-A-DILE Eyelet and Snap Punch Pink	Pink Paislee Hope Chest 12 x 12 Paper	Prima Finnabair Paper	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink
Black soot - Distress ink	Peacock Feathers - Distress Ink	Pebbles Chalk

So what clever creation will you come up with for "time" this week?  I can't wait to see what you upload to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog.  Your work is always inspiring and there's no time like the present (see what I did there?) to share it with the world.  Remember- you could win fifty big bucko's to spend at Simon Says Stamp.