Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog: Altered Notebook Cover using Favorite Paint/Collage Technique

For this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, we're invited to use our favorite technique.  I like to make scribbly painted pages, then tear them into scraps and collage them back together.  That's what I did to create this notebook cover:

I start by putting drops of paint onto sketch paper, then spreading those paint drops around with water and a brush.  Here's how it looks at this point:

Because I know that I'm going to be adding more colors back on top of these colors, my next step is to add some white over the colored paint.  When I add white, I can add another color on top of the white and have it be bright again and not just muddy.

After the paint dries, I doodle around with Scribble Sticks, Distress Crayons and colored pencils.  At this point, it looks like a crazy chaotic mess, but I remember that I'm going to tear this up anyway.  It may look too busy as one whole piece, but when it's ripped up, I want there to be marks on each smaller piece.

For more patterned paper to rip up, I stenciled a bunch of dots onto deli paper and white cardstock using Tim Holtz's Bubble Wrap stencil and Dylusions spray.

Lastly, I made a third piece of scribbly paper using another stencil, watercolor pencils, paint and newsprint.  I even did some stamping on this one.

With all my background scribbly papers done, I started tearing them up and gluing them to the cover of a small notebook.  If there were edges I didn't like between where the different collage sheets were overlapping, I blended them in a bit with white paint.

For the focal point, I cut out a slide shape using a Tim Holtz die set and I also cut a scalloped-border piece.  I stamped and cut out a sentiment, also from Tim Holtz.

I assembled all my elements together and sewed the notebook cover collage onto the notebook.  My notebook revamp was complete!

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

• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 1
• Stencilgirl Grate Full Stencil (by Seth Apter)
• Simon Says Stamp Scattered Stars Stencil
• Distress Crayons: Set 2, Set 12
• Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 3
• Dylusions Spray: Vibrant Turquoise, London Blue
• Dina Wakley Paint: Night, Sky, White, Turquoise, Olive
• Dylusions Paint: Cherry Pie, Mushy Peas, Pure Sunshine
• Tim Holtz Specimen Die Set
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

We're anxious to see what some of your favorite techniques are!  Upload your projects 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: Birthday Queen Card using AALL & Create's Ornithology Stamp

We're celebrating birthdays this week for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  The reason we chose this theme is because it's the 13th birthday of these wonderful Simon Says Stamp challenges!  We wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who continues to share their projects, which always inspire!  We're also featuring products from that fabulous company, AALL & Create.  I love their quirky whimsical stamps and use their washi tape all the time.  I used their Ornithology stamp as the focal point for this birthday card:

This was another project that went off the rails in terms of process, so the process pics would be pointless because I kept changing my mind about things anyway.  I started with Ranger Kraft Heavystock and painted it white, then stamped some Darkroom Door circles onto it.  I added orange and pink paint to the dots.  While that dried, I used an embossing pen to doodle some marks on black paper, then I heat-embossed that with white embossing powder to make black and white patterned paper.  This is what is on the edges of my card.  Next I stamped the bird image, then cut it out and added more color to it and gave my bird a crown.  I also stuck some AALL & Create washi tape onto some paper and cut it out in scallop shapes to form borders.

I typed the sentiment "Birthday Queen" and added that to the central bird image.  I also gave the birdie a wing and scribbled around the outside of everything with Distress Watercolor Pencils.

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

• AALL & Create: Ornithology Stamp
• AALL & Create Washi Tape: Poets and Janet Klein Set
• Ranger Kraft Heavystock
• American Crafts Embossing Pen
• White Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Darkroom Door: Open Circles Stamp
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Cheddar, Turquoise, Night, Lemon, Olive
• Dylusions Paint: Cherry Pie, Tropical Sangria
• Distress Ink: Mermaid Lagoon
• Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 1

We can't wait to see what birthday-themed projects you come up with!  Upload them to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store (bigger bucks this time in honor of our challenge birthday)!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Building Canvas Panel

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is architecture/building.  The whole idea of building got me to thinking about what we do in this life and how it can benefit those who come after us.  Whether it's building up people or talents or structures, we all have the potential to make things better than when we came.  To that end, I made this canvas panel.

I drew and decorated the bigger houses, which I added to the panel that I'd painted and collaged on.  I typed up the sentiment on a typewriter.  I stamped the smaller houses onto the scene (AALL & Create's Our House stamp set) and splattered some Dina Wakley black gloss spray for a final touch.

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

• AALL & Create: Our House Stamp Set
• AALL & Create Washi Tape: Mix and Match, Janet Klein Washi Tape Set
• Infusions Color Stain: Sage, Raspberry, Lemoncello, Sleight Blue
• Altenew Many Dots Washi Tape
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 1
• Simple Stories Flea Market Paper
• Dina Wakley Ledger Paper, Set 1
• My Favorite Things Pretty in Plaid 6x6 Paper
• Dina Wakley Paint: White, Sky Blue, Lapis, Olive, Ocean, Turquoise
• Dylusions Paint: Pure Sunshine, Cherry Pie
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray: Black

We're excited to see how this week's theme inspires you!  Upload your creation 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: Transport It ATC using Studio Light's Quirky People Paper Elements

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is Transport It.  I made an ATC using an image from Studio Light's Quirky People Paper Elements.

I started with a circle collage scrap that I made earlier and cut an ATC-shaped piece of lined paper from Simple Stories' Wildflower patterned paper kit.  I also picked this guy from the ephemera kit as my focal point.

I glued the circle collage to the lined paper, then painted a section of it navy blue.  When that dried, I drew some white plus-sign designs using a white Posca pen.  I also added some teal elements with a Salvaged Patina Distress Crayon. 

I added the man to the front and painted the ball on his hat bright yellow and this card was done!

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

• Studio Light Quirky People Paper Elements
• Simple Stories Wildflower 12x12 Paper
• Hero Arts Nesting Rounded Rectangles Infinity Dies
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Distress Crayon: Salvaged Patina
• White Posca Pen, Medium Point
• Dylusions Paint: Lemon Drop, Strawberry Daquiri, Pure Sunshine
• Dina Wakley Paint: Night, Ocean

We're looking forward to seeing what transportation-themed creations you come up with!  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: Going in Circles Tag Trio using Dina Wakley's Metal Rimmed Tags

Today's challenge theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is all about CIRCLES!  You know I love me some circles, so I made a trio of tags with lots of scribbly circle-y goodness.

I started with Dina Wakley's Metal Rimmed tags.  I stuck some dot washi tape to them, then painted over the tape a bit with white acrylic paint, then I shook on some Infusions powder and spritzed them with water.  I dabbed the excess water off with a paper towel.  Next I cut out some circles and circle frames using Dina Wakley's Collage Sparks (set 2), and Whimsy Stamps' Boho Basic Stitches dies.  Note!  This die set doesn't actually cut out circles; it only cuts the adorable stitch lines, which I love, but then you do have to cut the circles yourself.  Just a head's up as I didn't realize that when I bought it.

I painted Dina's paper (as I like to do) and then stuck the circle frames and circles onto my tags.  I ended up cutting a second circle frame and used that on two of the tags and the inner circle on one of the tags.  I also added some black and white washi tape from AALL & Create (Poets and Mix and Match).  Then I scribbled around the circles in different colors using Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks, sets 1 and 2.

I felt like the tags needed a background, so I cut up some Ranger Kraft tags, painted them with white, doodled on them and added other paint colors, then stuck the same washi tape across the bottom.

The last step was to staple the circle tag's string to the top of the Kraft tags to create these swing-able multi-layer tags.

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

• Dina Wakley Metal Rimmed Tags
• Altenew Many Dots Washi Tape
• Infusions Color Stain: Royal Blood, Are you Cerise?
• Dina Wakley Collage Sparks 2
• Whimsy Stamps' Boho Basic Stitches Dies
• Ranger Kraft Tags
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks: Set 1 and Set 2
• AALL & Create Washi Tape: Poets, Mix and Match
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: White, Fir, Sky, Ocean, Turquoise, Sage, Lapis
• Dylusions Acrylic Paint: Lemon Drop, Cherry Pie, Tropical Sangria, Strawberry Daquiri

Get your circle game on and upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!  You could win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Go Forth and Find Travel Tag using Paper Rose's Pebble Stack Die

We are using a gorgeous summer mood board (pictured below) for this week's inspiration over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  We're also featuring products from Brutus Monroe.  I loved the map image on the mood board, which led me to create this tag:

And ta-dah!  Our mood board that got me thinking about summer travel fun:

I started with a Brutus Monroe Mixed Media tag, which I glued an old map scrap to.

Next I tore off a piece of my leftover doodled-on scrap paper from last week's bookmark project and glued that on.  I stamped dot images onto my tag using Darkroom Door's Open Dots stamp, then blended everything together a bit with white paint.

Next I finger-painted some red dots onto my tag background and scribbled around them using Scribble Sticks.  Then I used Paper Rose's Pebble Stack die (the negative space left after I cut the pebble shapes out) for the focal point.  I painted my "pebble stack frame" and outlined the rocks with a black Sharpie to make them stand out a little more.  I also added pinks and greens to my red background dots.

I glued my pebble stack frame onto my tag and scribbled around the tag's edges with Scribble Sticks.  I typed out the sentiment of "Go Forth and Find" and glued that to the front.

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

• Brutus Monroe Mixed Media Tags
• Paper Rose's Pebble Stack Die Set
• Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 2
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: Ruby, Turquoise, Olive, Umber, Sedona, Blushing, Ocean, White, Lemon
• Darkroom Door's Open Circles Background Stamp
• Sizzix Big Shot

We are excited to see how the mood board inspires you 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.