My Other Creations: Altered Roladex- My Life's Soundtrack

I will never be able to hear the song "Intergalactic" without thinking fondly of my older brother, who went through a phase where he'd answer any question I asked him with Beastie Boys lyrics (super annoying at the time).  I can't hear Sting's "All This Time" without being transported back to high school where our SBO's had an affinity for Sting and U2 and would play them at the beginning of every assembly and pep rally.  I won't be able to hear the Grateful's Dead's "Friend of the Devil" without seeing myself in a canoe with a hippie and a potter, who were singing it at the top of their lungs as we floated down a river in Utah.  For better or for worse, music is one of the most powerful tools there is for evoking memories and the emotions associated with those memories.

With this week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog being, "The Good Ol' Days," I decided to go retro and use paper cassette tapes to create my music memory Roladex, titled, "My Life's Soundtrack."

So how does it work?  I started by making a bunch of cassette tapes using a fabulous die and stamp set from My Favorite Things.  The stamp set is a clear stamp set and I have to give a shout out to Memento inks for their awesomeness when used with clear stamps.  We all know inks can be finicky when combined with clear stamps, but Memento inks have always worked well for me.

I wanted to fit these cassettes into a Roladex (which I stole from my husband's office- thanks, babe!) but they were a little too tall to work with the Roladex's alphabetical dividers.  To make them fit, I cut off a strip at the bottom, like so:

In a handy twist of fate,the square cut-outs on the cassette tape are exactly where holes or slots need to be made so that they fit with the grooves in a Roladex.  I used a small circle punch to quickly cut out bigger holes.

With the bigger holes, the cassettes fit perfectly!  From there, I stamped the song titles and bands on the front of my cassettes, then wrote the memory of the song or why it was significant on the back.  I spruced up the dividers and wah-la!  A file of "My Life's Soundtrack" was made.

This project was a lot of fun and evoked so many music memories I'd almost forgotten about.  My next step is to make a CD or digital file of all the songs I wrote about so future generations can flip through the file and listen along...and laugh at what was "cool" back in the day ("Hangin' Tough" just popped into my mind).  Even the concept of cassette tapes will be quite mysterious to kids now-a-days, I'm sure!

For this project, I used the following products, which you can buy at Simon Says Stamp:

My Favorite Things Cassette Tape Die	My Favorite Things Playlist Clear Stamps	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Lifestyle Crafts Genius Ultimate Platform System	My Mind′s Eye The Sweetest Thing Tangerine Paper 6 x 6	Fancy Pants Me-Ology Paper 12x12	My Mind′s Eye Record It 6x6 Paper
Glitz Birthday WIshes	Kaier Be You Tiful Paper 6.5 x 6.5	American Crafts Document Alphabet Stamps	Mama Elephant Midnight Letters Clear Stamps	Prima Cigar Box Aficionado Flowers	Jillibean Soup Birthday Bisque Mini Alphabet Stickers	Martha Stewart Hydrangea Punch
Martha Stewart 3-in-1 Hydrangea Punch	Memento - Tuxedo Black Ink	Memento Luxe Dandelion	Memento Luxe Pear Tart	Memento Luxe Bahama Blue	Memento Luxe Morocco	Memento Luxe Wedding Dress
Blazing Red Stazon	Teal StazOn

What do you think of when you hear the term, "The Good Ol' Days"?  I can't wait to see what projects you come up with.  Upload them to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog to edify the rest of us and to enter yourself into the $50 voucher give away to the Simon Says Stamp store!

My Cards and Tags: Eye of Newt Test Tube and Tag

Halloween is only days away and the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog's theme is, "This is a Treat."  So what's my treat?  A necklace pendant of newt eyeballs on a spook-tacular tag.

If you're feeling like you need an eyeball jar pennant, here's how I made it:

Start with a Tim Holtz apothecary jar and some plastic eyeballs (I used 5 mm size).  In order for the eyeballs to look realistic from any angle, glue two eyeballs back to back.  Warning!  The patience level needed for gluing tiny eyeballs back to back is HIGH!

While the glue on your eyeballs dries, make a label for your test tube.  When your eyeballs are dry, load them into your test tube and prepare the cork topper by inserting a head pin up through the bottom of the cork.  Add a decorative cap or bead to the top, then bend the pin into a loop with some pliers.  Glue the cork in place so no eyeballs go AWOL.

I made the tag by smearing on some various shades of Distress Ink, then made circles with a black Sharpie and a Prima stencil.  I added some black watercolor dribbles coming out of the black circles.  I heat embossed a spiderweb onto the tag with black embossing powder and a stamp from Tim Holtz's Mini Blueprints stamp set.  I added some yarns and fibers to the top of the tag and a "For You" sentiment.

Thread your eyeball test tube through a necklace chain, attach it to the tag and you've made the perfect Halloween treat!

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

Tim Holtz Idea-ology CORKED DOMES	Paste On Eyes (5 mm)	Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet	My Mind′s Eye Record It 6x6 Paper	Tim Holtz Sizzix Tag Collection	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Memento - Tuxedo Black Ink
Memento Ink Pad PEAR TART	Black soot - Distress ink	Distress Ink Tumbled Glass	Timber Brown StazOn	Loew Cornell WATERCOLOR CAKES 24 Paints	Prima Honeycomb Stencil	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink
Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder--Black	Heat Embossing Tool	Hero Arts Playful Alphabet Stamps	Hero Arts Basic Alphabet Stamps	Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints Stamp Set

So what treats will you come up with for this week's challenge?  I can't wait to see your treaty-genius in action!  Upload your projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and you'll automatically be entered to win a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp.  Now that's what I call a treat!

My Cards and Tags: The Princess and the Pea

I combined two of my favorite go-to products to make this mini card: the Little Red Riding Hood stamp from 100 Proof Press and the 3x4" rounded-corner card punch from We R Memory Keepers.

I made this card by starting with white watercolor paper, which I cut into this handy-dandy shape using the 3x4" punch mentioned above.  I then sprayed it with Dylusions ink (Fresh Lime and Lemon Zest) and let it dry.  I stamped the background with a Large Handwriting stamp from 100 Proof Press, which I stamped vertically, using Ranger Jet Black Archival ink.  Next I smudged on some Distress Ink (Worn Lipstick and Tumbled Glass) and dripped some different shades of watercolors down the top.

I stamped Red Riding hood and paper-pieced her together.  I made a pointy hat for her and a crown (cause you can't have too many things on your head at once, right?) and I attached a Simon Says Stamp die-cut cloud bank image behind her.  I gave her a pea and added the text, which I stamped with alphabet stamps from Studio G.  To finish it off, I gave the card a little swirly curl of embroidery floss at the top.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this project and it's funny where inspiration comes from.  This card was a result of a debate my husband and I got into about how the story of the Princess and the Pea went and whether or not it had a point.  So hey- if you need an idea for a project, look no further than a random conversation!

Tutorials: Tips for Drips and Splatters

I'm still getting my spook on this month and made this tag using a few different techniques for making drips and splatters.

If you want to see my tutorial on how to make this splattery splotchy background, as well as see a product list for my tag, head on over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and enjoy!