Make a Christmas Wish...

Hello friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is all about STARS and all we want you to do is incorporate them into your projects and just have fun playing along!

I love everything to do with the moon and stars, it absolutely fascinates me, so this was my perfect challenge and I created a Christmas card plaque which I will be giving to my parents for Christmas. The theme for this was all about wishing upon those sparkly stars, making their dreams come true and all courtesy of Santa's Helper who is delivering that precious star so that they can make their wish and I hope 2020 will be their year to shine brightly!!

So, here we go and here's how I created my very special project...

To begin with we'll start with the background and for this I cut a panel of watercolour card, 14 x 18cm and started to add some colour using layers of Distress Inks ~ Evergreen Bough, Tumbled Glass and Antique Linen which I applied to my glass mat, spritzed with water before dragging the card through, transferring the colour onto the card.

Once I was happy with my build up of colour layers, I heat dried the card.

After applying some torn pieces of tissue tape to the central area of my inked card, I added a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the top and once again, heat dried the medium before applying some depth of colour using Pumice Stone and Evergreen Bough Distress Crayons and blending out any harsh lines with my fingertip. I then added a touch of Crackle Paste to create a little more texture, just over the taped background and applying it to random areas. Once it was dry, I ran the Pumice Stone Crayon over the paste, just to accentuate the crackles.

To add even more texture, I used the Hocus Pocus Mini Layering Stencil over the taped area and applied some Grit Paste through the stencil. Ofnce the paste is dry I then splattered the background with some Black Soot Distress Paint and machine stitched a border around the outside.

I matted my background onto layers of card, one layer covered with Red and White Design Tape from Christmas 2018, a layer of green card, a layer of kraft card and a layer of gold metallic card. I then mounted my layers onto a white card blank which I inked around the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I now have my background and it's time to start creating a scene and I started with Santa's Helper. I cut the image twice  from black chipboard and layered the two pieces over the top of one another to create one substantial die cut. I then applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the top and sprinkled black glitter over it. Tap away the excess and set to one side. Once the glitter is completely set, I then coloured a piece of Mummy Cloth with Barn Door Distress Spray Stain and once that was dry, I wrapped it around the elf's neck to keep him warm and tied it to create a scarf.

For the stars, I cut four various sized stars from chipboard using one of Tim's older dies, the Crescent Moon and Stars die and also used the Sizzix Dimensional Stars die, both of which are from my own stash, to cut one of the medium sized stars in the dimensional stars set. After folding the star along the score lines, I applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over each of the five stars and added some Gold Rush Glass Glitter.

Tap away any excess glitter but whilst the medium is still wet on the glittered stars, I added even more glitter and sparkle and sprinkled Vintage Platinum Glitter Dust over the top. Allow for all the stars to completely dry.

Taking the baseboard frame from the Christmas Layers and Baseboard Frame set, I cut a section from the bottom of the frame so that it would fit my card perfectly. The frame measures, 12.5 x 16cm.

I attached the frame to my background using foam pads and then added four Hardware Heads, embossed with a little white embossing powder and placed them onto each corner.

Taking my glittery elf, I placed him onto foam pads and attached him in the centre of the frame. I then added the dimensional star so that he's carrying it.

You can see the dimension that the foam pads give to the elf in the photo below...

At the top of the frame, I added an arrangement of Holiday Greens, cut from Classic Kraft Stash. Each piece was dry brushed with Picket Fence Distress Paint and once I'd added a smear of Collage Medium over the foliage pieces, I dipped them into Rock Candy Distress Glitter.

Allow to dry and then arrange the pieces in a spray across the top of the frame. I also added a few pieces of foliage that I cut from silver metallic kraft stash before attaching a mini plaquette in the centre of the foliage. To complete the foliage, I added some berries and as many of you know if you follow my work, I use Autumn Red Tonic Nuvo Drops to create these and just apply a drop the relevant pieces.

Add the remaining stars by attaching them around the frame.

Finally, I used the 'Christmas Wishes' Quote Chip along the bottom of the frame and used two silver metallic droplets to either side of the chip.

So, that's my card finished and ready to be written and given to my parents ~ fingers crossed they love it as much as I loved creating it and I also hope you love this project and all the techniques that I've used to bring it to life!

Don't forget, if you would like to see more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to win. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Santa's Helper, Dimensional Stars, Mini Holiday Greens
Mini Layering Stencils Set 43
Distress Inks: Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass and Evergreen Bough
Distress Spray Stain: Barn Door

Idea-ology: Mummy Cloth, Christmas Quote Chips, Mini Plaquettes, Metallic Droplets, Christmas Layers and Base Board Frames, Hardware Heads

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Grit Paste, Rock Candy Glitter, Vintage Platinum Glitter Dust, Black Glitter, Gold Rush Glass Glitter, Autumn Red Tonic Nuvo Drops, Crackle Paste
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Metallic Kraft Stash, Kraft Card, White Card Blank, Midnight Green Card, Chipboard, Symphony Tissue Tape
Foam Pads, 2018 Tim Holtz Christmas Design Tape, Distress Watercolour Card, Black Chipboard
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot

Peace, Love and Joy...

Happy Monday everyone!

So another week has flown by in the blink of an eye and here we are in December ~ how did that happen? Where did 2019 go, and are you ready for Christmas?!? I'm starting to slowly check things off my Christmas list but there's still a long way to go and plenty to do but fingers crossed, it will all come together quickly and everything will be in place on the day!

In the meantime, there's always time for some crafting and today, we are starting the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week our theme is called Let It Sparkle and the DT are also showcasing Brutus Monroe products within their projects but all you have to do to join us is add some glitter, gems and maybe a hint of Christmas sparkle!

For my project, I created a Christmas card, full of sparkle and shimmer and used the stunning Fanciful Snowflakes from Tim Holtz to add dimension and elegance to this piece. I really wanted to make this card all about those snowflakes, and so I decided to keep the background fairly simple but classy, just letting the snowflakes do the talking and let's face it, at this time of year ~ simple can be a real bonus when you're making lots of Christmas cards.

So, here we go and here's how I created this card...

We'll start with the background and for this I used a piece of navy blue cardstock, cut to measure 16 x 19cm and inked up the appropriately named Snow Sparkles stamp from the Tim Holtz Christmas Nostalgia Stamp Set, using a Versamark Watermark Ink Pad. I then stamped over the entire surface of the blue card panel to create a repeat pattern before sprinkling with gold embossing powder and heat embossing the design until it was molten and shiny.

I then machine stitched a border around the outside of the panel before inking the edges with a gold ink pad and matting it onto cream card stock. I then wrapped some twine around the centre of matted panels, creating a fan shape and mounted my panels onto a piece of kraft card which I'd inked around the edges using a white ink pad.

The matted layers are now complete but for an added touch of sparkle, I took a kraft card blank, 20.5 x 17.5cm and used the Emboss It Dabber which I ran around the edge of the card. I then sprinkled some Brutus Monroe Vintage Sparkle Embossing Powder over the top and heat embossed the powder to create this subtle sparkly effect before mounting the matted layers of card over the top.

I now have my card blank ready for those layers and embellishments....

I started by cutting another piece of navy blue cardstock, this time using the Postage Stamp die set from Tim Holtz ~ I'm sure most people have these dies as both of the dies that I used in the background layers are from my own stash but if you don't have them, then any die that cuts stitched mats will be fine.

I then inked up the Peace message from Tim's 2019 ChristmasTime 2 stamp set using the Versamark pad and stamped it onto my die cut postage stamp panel. I then sprinkled Brutus Monroe Alabaster embossing powder over the top, tapped away the excess and heat embossed the message. Now, I'm a font addict ~ so, these type of sets are always a huge favourite with me and I can never fault the fonts that Tim uses, they are just so beautiful and this one, is definitely another stunning addition to my collection.

After splattering some Picket Fence paint across the surface of the panel, I machine stitched a border and then matted it onto some ivory coloured card, followed by a panel of gold metallic card, die cut using the Stitched Rectangle die.

I then stamped a further panel of blue card with the Snow Sparkles stamp and once again embossed it with gold embossing powder.

I matted the stamped panel onto gold metallic card before mounting the message onto the centre. I then added some foam to the back of the message and attached this onto the centre of my card.

Now for those gorgeous snowflakes, created using the Fanciful Die set. These snowflakes really are the focal point of this card ~ they are stunning!

I began by cutting four flakes from watercolour card, 1 large, 3 smaller. As you'll notice these snowflakes are dimensional and if you have the Dimensional Stars set that Tim released a few years back, then these work in exactly the same way.

There are scorelines in the cut pieces, and all you have to do is fold along the scorelines and form the snowflake. Once I'd done all four, I then added some sparkle and for this I used a combination of Brutus Monroe's Vintage Sparkle Powder with a touch of Gilded and Alabaster embossing powder that I mixed in. I love to make my own custom made powders and this creates a beautiful subtle shimmer and sparkle.

I dabbed my Versamark Ink Pad over the top of the snowflakes and then sprinkled the powder over each one. Tap away any excess powder and heat emboss. I repeated this process three times to get a really thick covering and I also ensured that the snowflake kept it's dimensional shape during this process, you don't want it to flatten as it will be difficult to fold again once the embossing has set.

Once I was happy with my flakes, I then attached them to the card, placing them around the central message area and found that you just needed to place a dab of Matte collage Medium on the points to adhere each one securely.

We're nearly there and all that's left is to add some more sparkle and for this I used some gold Metallic Drops which I placed in the centre of each snowflake....

...and also added one to the centre of the star on the message.


I finally added some more of the drops around the outside of edge of the background panel.

To complete the card, I attached a few die cut gold stars that I had left over from a previous project.

So, that's my project finished and I hope you love this card and it's given you a few ideas of your own. As always, if you have been inspired by any of my makes, please let me know by just tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here ~ it's always such a honour and I love to pop by and see all your wonderful pieces.

Have fun creating your projects and don't forget, if you would like to see more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

"As gentle as a snowflake, may peace come into your heart" ~ Japanese Proverb

Recipe for project:

Brutus Monroe Embossing Powder: Vintage Sparkle Embossing Powder, Gilded, Alabaster

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Christmas Nostalgia, 2019 ChristmasTime 2

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Fanciful Snowflakes, Postage Stamp Die Set, Stitched Rectangles

Idea-ology: Metallic Droplets

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Emboss It Dabber
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Watercolour Card, Navy Card, Metallic Kraft Stash
Foam Pads
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot
Twine

A Christmas Story...

Hello friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week our theme is called TAPE IT UP and to join in with this fun challenge, all we want you to do is use some tape within your project. It can be washi tape, design tape from Tim Holtz or even tape that you stamp yourself and add onto your project ~ it's entirely up to you but we hope you will play along and show us how you tape it up!

For my project, I used Tim Holtz's Christmas Design Tape and created a vintage style tag all about Christmas memories ~ yes, I've been watching those Christmas movies that are currently being shown every day on TV and these are what inspired me to make this piece all about Betsy, and her Christmas Story!

So let's begin and here's how I created this tag...

I started by covering the edges of my medium Etcetera Tag using the Christmas Design tape, starting with the darker coloured tape and adhering it around the edges of the tag. I always apply a little Collage Medium to ensure that the tape is well and truly stuck. I then took a lighter coloured tape and attached this onto the inside of darker tape, to create a decorative, patterned border around the edge of the tag. Once both tapes are secure, I added some Crackle Paste along the top section of the tag ~ this section won't be covered by the paper but the paste gives a really nice vintage feel to the project. 

After allowing the paste to dry and the crackle to appear I cut a panel of the music score patterned paper from Tim's Christmas Paper Stash to measure, 12 x 20cm. I then machine stitched a border around the outside before adhering the paper onto my tag.

To create more texture around the edges of the paper, I randomly applied some more Crackle Paste down the sides and onto the corners. Again allow the paste to crackle and then to accentuate the crackles, I applied the Walnut Stain Distress Crayon over the top and using a damp paint brush, blended the colour over the top of the texture paste, allowing it to seep into the crackles.

I now have my covered tag ready to embellish but as the finishing detail, I covered the reinforcer piece with some more of the music score paper and after inking the edges, I attached it over the hole...

I then painted one of the Mini Hardware Findings with Candied Apple Distress Paint and once it was dry, I attached the metal handle. 

...starting with the book cover. The base of this is taken from the Christmas Layers and Baseboard Frames Pack and I just backed it with some chipboard to make it a bit thicker as I wanted to use foam pads to adhere it to my tag.

I added some red twine around the 'spine' of the book cover and attached a snowflake adornment to the twine before attaching the cover to my tag. I then added a Parcel Post Ephemera piece just above the book cover.

For the photo, I called her Betsy, I started by colour tinting a Found Relative image using Distress marker Pens and placed it behind one of the Baseboard Frames before attaching the frame to the cover of the book. I then finished the photo by adding some Clippings Stickers ~ Betsy and Christmas Story.

Now for the ledge and this is made up using two different lengths of Scalloped Etcetera Trims. After assembling the trims to create the ledge, I primed the surface with gesso, allowed the medium to dry and then added some Crackle Paste over the surface. When the paste is dry, I attached the ledge to my tag, placing it just beneath the memory book cover.

To fill the ledge, I dyed some Mummy Cloth with Frayed Burlap Distress Spray Stain and arranged the dry cloth along the ledge before moving onto creating the Christmas Tree ~ this is a Small Woodland Tree that I spritzed with Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain. Once the stain is completely dry, I then smeared a small amount of Matte Medium over the tips of the tree before sprinkling the entire tree with Rock Candy Distress Glitter. After tapping away the excess glitter and allowing to dry thoroughly, I placed the glittery tree into a thimble, which I painted with Candied Apple Distress Paint.

I attached the tree to my ledge and placed the holly sprig Ephemera piece behind, allowing it to curve around the bottom left hand corner of the frame.

Next to the tree, I added a Floral Adornment. I coloured this with a combination of Mushroom Alcohol Ink and Deception Alcohol Pearls and then added some Platinum Stickles Glitter Glue to the centre of the flower. I attached the flower to lean against the tree, adding some sprigs of die cut foliage which I had left over from a previous project.

Finally I coloured some Bauble Adornments with various shades of blue, green and neutral coloured Alcohol Inks and then attached the baubles along the ledge.

It's now just about those finishing touches to bring this piece to life and after attaching the 'It's A Wonderful Life' quote chip beneath the ledge, I added some Metallic Droplets to either side of the chip.

To complete the tag, I added the Hinge Clip and a small ephemera piece complete with the date of the 25th!

So, that completes my project for this week and I hope it's given you some ideas of how to use Design Tape within your projects and how you can use products to create vintage effects.

Have fun creating your projects and don't forget, if you would like to see more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Stampers Anonymous: Scalloped Trims, Medium Etcetera Tag
Distress Inks: Candied Apple
Distress Spray Stain: Peeled Paint
Distress Crayon: Walnut Stain
Distress Marker Pens

Idea-ology: Christmas Design Tape, Christmas Layers and Baseboard Frames, Bauble Findings, Thimbles, Woodland Trees, Metallic Droplets, Ephemera Christmas Pack, Ephemera Christmas Snippets, Christmas Quote Chips, Christmas Clippings Stickers, Snowflake Adornment, Floral Adornments, Mummy cloth, Mini hardware Findings, Found Relatives

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Rock Candy Glitter, Crackle Paste, Gesso, Platinum Stickles
Alcohol Ink: Mushroom, Various alcohol ink colours, 
Surfaces: Foam Pads, Tim Holtz Christmas Paper Stash, Black Chipboard, acetate
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot