My Other Creations: Travel Art Kit

This week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is "To the Moon..."  I figured that if I was going to the moon, I'd definitely want to have my art supplies with me.  And so I created this travel kit that will work (gravity permitting) to the moon and back:

I used one of Tim Holtz's configurations boxes to house my kit.  When you flip the cover open, here's a glimpse of the inside:

I was amazed at just how much crafty goodness I was able to fit inside my kit!  Here's everything all spread out:

I've included some of my very favorite go-to items in this kit.  Have you seen these adorable mini Distress Inks?  They are amazing space-savers!  Ditto with the mini blending tool.  I also included some cling stamps, stencils, Washi tape, adhesive, blank tags, fabric scraps, and of course, alphabet stamps and letters!

It gives me comfort to know that I can keep on crafting even if I leave the Earth's atmosphere.  Here's the whole list of supplies (available from Simon Says Stamp) that I used to make my kit and fill it:

Webster′s Pages Nest Collection, 12x12 Paper Pad	Tim Holtz MINI DISTRESS INK PADS	MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS	Idea-ology CRINKLE RIBBON	American Tags #8- Tim Holtz 12 Days of Christmas	Label Letters - Idea-ology	Mama Elephant Midnight Letters Clear Stamps
Tim Holtz Detailer Water Brush	Idea-ology Paper String	Ranger Inkssentials Mini Mister	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	We R Memory Keepers PINK Washi Tape	My Minds Eye Up and Away Washi Tape	Tim Holtz Idea-ology LABORATORIE Tissue Tape
Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Sticky Thumb Adhesive	Tim Holtz Configurations Box 6.75x8.75.	My Mind′s Eye Pretty Things Record It Washi Tape	Hero Arts Basic Alphabet Stamps	American Crafts Document Alphabet Stamps	Stamper′s Anonymous Tim Holtz Worn Text Stamp Set
Lifestyle Crafts Pocket Scrap Hello	Kelly Purkey Washi Tape LEDGER KPWS3	Kelly Purkey Washi Tape TEAL POLKA DOTS KPWS8	Distress Ink Tumbled Glass	Prima Epiphany Paper A4	Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Fabric - Documents	Cavallini and Company Paper Tape, Numbers
Tim Holtz Haberdashery Stamp Set	Dylusions Birds on a Wire Stamp Set	Curious Possibility - Tim Holtz Stamps	Prima Coffee Break Cling Stamp Set	The Crafter′s Workshop - Mini Paint Lids 6 x 6 Template	Memory Box Rings and Puddles Stencil

I am so excited to see how the rest of you interpret this week's theme.  Be sure to upload your planetary masterpiece to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store!

My Other Creations: Paper Ornaments

When I was but a poor 20-something living in Europe (saying "living in Europe" instantly kills the sympathy factor, huh-- it was AWESOME!) I didn't have a ton of extra moo-lah.  One Christmas, we ended up making paper ornaments because we couldn't buy a bunch of fancy ones.  And you know what?  I'd do it again in a heartbeat to be back in London for a day!

I decided to pay homage to those wonderful memories by making a paper ornament for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, which is Ornaments. 

This one was easy to make by using three exclusive Simon Says Stamp dies ("Merry Christmas" frame and two snowflakes).

And what about that fabulous little bird in the tree?  It's cut out of some fabric designed and made for JoAnn's.  I use fabric scraps all the time in my projects because I don't have the brain capacity to actually follow a pattern (it seems too math-related for my non-mathematical brain to comprehend).  But I'll often cut out parts of patterned fabric to use along with paper.  So see?  If I've said it before, I'll say it again: for you other non-sewers out there like me, there are still plenty of reasons to get excited about fabric! 

Here are the items I used on my ornament that you can pick up at Simon Says Stamp:

Simon Says Stamp Holiday Frames Dies	Simon Says Stamp Eliza Snowflake Die	Simon Says Stamp Maryanne Snowflake Die	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Lifestyle Crafts Genius Ultimate Platform System	Prima Epiphany Paper A4	Doodlebug Sugar Stripes Washi Tape
MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS	Squeezed Lemonade - Distress Ink	Mustard Seed - Distress Ink	Wild Honey - Distress Ink	Distress Ink Tumbled Glass	Evergreen Bough - Distress Ink

It is shocking to think that Christmas is next month, but let's hit the ground running with some inspiring ornaments!  I can't see wait to see what you make for this week's challenge.  Upload your little masterpiece to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and you will A) Greatly inspire us and B) Automatically enter yourself into the drawing for a $50 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp!

My Cards and Tags: Fishy Freedom

I've always been the type of person who roots for the fish when in the presence of fishermen.  What can I say?  I have a soft spot for all things furry, scaly, fuzzy or feathered.  I didn't plan out this little piece, but it just sort of emerged.  Reminiscent of "Finding Nemo," it depicts an epic tale of fishy freedom!

The fish in my piece is made from a fabulous stamp from 100 Proof Press appropriately named, "Really Big Fish."  These mega-sized stamps are so versatile!  I used a similar fish stamp in my Fish Gift Tags tutorial not long ago and I just can't seem to get enough of these little guys!

I made the fish from collaged paper pieces, which I smeared with Distress Inks, then stamped on.  That fantastic black and white bowl is from a cookbook from the 80's that I picked up at a thrift store (I think we all know I was never going to use it for cooking)!  I don't know who drew it, but I give a nod of appreciation to whomever it was for making such a perfect backdrop for my scheming freedom-seeking fish!  I cut out the title of a recipe and stuck it to the bowl.

The background paper is from Simple Stories' Good Day Sunshine 12x12 paper pad and the main sentiments were made using basic alphabet stamps from Studio G and Recollections.

This piece was a total hoot to make and I hope that it will give fish everywhere the courage they need to hop off the dinner table and back into the ocean!

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!