Thoughts and Theories...

Hello friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and now ready for a brand new week and a new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is called ~ Sprinkles and Splatters and we are looking forward to seeing how you will interpret it and can't wait to see what you create.

For my project, I was inspired by the theory of the butterfly effect and decided to use Alcohol Inks (sprinkled onto Yupo paper) and the amazing Alcohol Lift-Ink to create a layered inset panel that I added to an Etcetera Tag. Hope you enjoy the tutorial and all the up-close details of my Thoughts and Theories tag...

So, let's get started because it's time for the new challenge!

To begin with I covered my medium sized Etcetera tag with the Typography paper from the Dapper Paper Set, adhering the paper onto the tag using Matte Collage Medium. I also added a coat of the medium over the top to seal the paper before finishing the edges with some Black Soot Distress Crayon, blended out with my finger.

To complete the tag, I added the hole reinforcer piece, painted with Ground Espresso Distress Paint and then layered a sprocket gear over the top before placing a Faucet Knob, painted with Evergreen Bough Distress Paint, with a touch of gold and Antiqued Bronze paint over the top. I then attached it to the centre of the gear with some Collage Medium.

Set the tag aside to dry and for the metal pieces to be secure...

Moving onto the central section ~ let's start with the frame which is just the frame taken from the mini Framed Panel (I'll use the panel later for another project). For this I prepped the wood by applying a coat of gesso, allowing the medium to dry and then adding a combination of Ground Espresso, Antiqued Bronze and Black Soot Distress Paints, adding each layer one by one and ensuring they dry before dry brushing the next layer over the top.

Once happy I added some Alchemy Waxes over the top to accentuate the beading around the frame.

Now for that background and the fun part ~ Alcohol Inks, Yupo and the amazing new Alcohol Lift Ink. HERE, is where you can see a video from Tim himself which explains the process about these products so I won't go into that but for my background I used: Turquoise, Espresso, Sunset Orange, Patina, Teakwood and the Blending Solution and just sprinkled the inks onto the paper.

Once I'd got my background, I then went onto inking up my Inventor stamp with the Lift-Ink and then stamped directly onto the background before doing the dab, dab, dab, rub technique to reveal the image. I then re-stamped the second lift image onto a piece of Speciality Card Stock which I will be using for another project but for this project I wanted the x-ray image, which is my technical term for it!!!

I matted my background onto a piece of patterned paper which I then attached to the tag, adhering the painted frame over the top.

Moving onto the embellishments, I broke up some Ruler Pieces and inked them with Ground Espresso to make them more worn looking in appearance. I then attached these images onto the central area of the frame, using foam pads to add the dimension.

Taking the clock face, which I inked with some Rust and Sailboat Blue Alcohol Ink, I placed this over the top of a bed of sisal fibres, placing it in the centre of the rulers. You can see the dimension this piece has in the image below....

I then attached my metal butterfly to the centre of the clock face and painted just the thorax in gold ~ I purposely wanted to leave these metal pieces looking as natural as possible with no added colour on them.

As a finishing touch, I added my Thoughts And Theories Quote Chip and a couple of Nailhead Findings....

...and that completes my project for this week, which I hope has inspired you with all the different techniques that I've used.

And if you haven't tried the Lift-Ink, then you MUST ~ it's a game changer and you will have so much fun creating wonderful backgrounds for all your projects and I just want to say thank you Tim and Ranger Ink for allowing me to play with these products.

Don't forget, you can find 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 stopping by today and I'll see you very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Inventor 1

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Ground Espresso, Evergreen Bough

Distress Inks: Ground Espresso

Distress Crayons: Black Soot

Idea-ology: Butterflies Adornments, Quote Chips, Mini Framed Panel, Clock Face, Ruler Pieces, Faucet Knobs, Sprocket Gears, Nailhead Findings

Alcohol Inks: Rust, Sailboat Blue, Turquoise, Espresso, Sunset Orange, Patina, Teakwood and the Blending Solution 

Mediums: Gesso, Matte Collage Medium, Alcohol Lift-Ink

Surfaces: Etcetera Tag, Dapper Paper Stash, Yupo, 

Aged Brass Alchemy Wax

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun

Sisal Fibres from my own stash

Take Time To Dream...

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is called Tape It Up and the DT are also showcasing Jane Davenport products within their projects which you don't have to use to play along, but if you have them ~ we'd love for you to use them.

For my project, I took three of Jane's products which included, Tape Strips and Inkredible inks in my favourite blues and combined them with Tim Holtz items, to create a vintage style piece all about a boy with dreams and aspirations of becoming an artist.

So, let's get started because it's time for the new challenge!

To begin with I started to create the background on my canvas panel which measures approx 17 x 24cm. The panel is pre-gessoed, so I can start adding the mediums straightaway and applied a spritzing of Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain directly over the surface. Give it a blast of heat to dry the spray and then I applied two colours of Jane Davenport's Inkredible, Blueberry and Hydrangea to create the look of a splash across the central section of the canvas. Once you place the inner panel over the top, you can always go in and add more of the Inkredible if you need it but I was happy with how mine looked. I added a few splashes of Black Soot Distress Paint and then used Pumice Stone and Black Soot Distress Crayons around the edge of the panel.

At this stage, I also applied some tape strips, a combination of Tim Holtz and Jane Davenport to the bottom left and right hand corners of the panel ~ these will sit underneath the main layer once it's complete.

Setting aside the canvas, I began work on the inner panel and cut a piece of watercolour card, slightly smaller than the canvas.

I then adhered some offcuts of card to the surface, concentrating on the central area and attaching them vertically using Collage Medium. Once the strips are in place and thoroughly dry, I spritzed the surface with some more of the Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain, letting the stain run and puddle in places before heat drying the ink.

I love creating depth and dimension on my projects but I also love layering and at the base of the layering are some Jane Davenport tape strips from the Journal Strip Set. I placed these across the card strips and you can just see them in the photo below, sitting beneath the focal point of the image.

I then went in with the Inkredibles and added drops of the two colours that I previously used on the background canvas, giving them a mist of water and just allowing them to run, puddle and drip across the centre of the watercolour card....

For my next layer, I added some Tim Holtz Snippets Ephemera pieces and adhered these into place with Collage Medium before applying Grit Paste through the Stitches Layering Stencil and adding a splatter of Black Soot Distress Paint across the surface with a few doodles around the edges of the card.

I then attached two old paintbrushes, that I've used and abused and after attaching them together with some rusty wire, I placed these over the top of some cheesecloth and sisal fibres. This will form a base for my Paper Doll to sit on.

But I'm not done with the layers just yet and I wanted to add one more, that will sit behind the little boy, a 3D Flourish. I cut the flourish from Mixed Media Heavystock card and then applied Distress Paints to create a stone effect finish to the die cut. I attached the die cut to the brushes and then sat my coloured paper doll onto the flourish.

I matted my watercolour card onto a piece of paper from the Dapper Paper Stash and then mounted the artwork onto the canvas panel and just LOVED how the inky blue background became a continuation across the two backgrounds.

Moving onto the embellishments, I added some Melange Pebbles, painted with Sparks Mermaid Acrylic Paint and attached these around the arrangement that I have clustered in the centre. I also added a Index Clip to the card and hung a Story Stick from it.

To complete the background, I applied some three individual phrases from the Tape Set ~ 'learning, dreaming and painting', inked them with Antique Linen Distress Ink and then, placed them onto the background...

...before wrapping some twine around the bottom section of the panel and placing a final phrase, 'Take time to dream' in the left hand corner.

I really hope you've enjoyed the process of how I put this project together and below you'll find a list of items I used to bring this canvas to life ~ happy shopping!

Don't forget, you can find 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 stopping by today and I'll see you very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Jane Davenport Products: Hydrangea Inkredible, Blueberry Inkredible, Strips and Phrases Journal Tape Strips
Tim Holtz/Sizzix 3D Impresslits Die: Flourish

Tim Holtz Layering Stencil: Stitches
Distress Spray Stain: Antique Linen

Distress Paint: Black Soot
Distress Marker Pens
Distress Crayons: Pumice Stone, Black Soot

Idea-ology: Snippets, Index Clip, Story Stick, 

Prima Marketing: Unicorn's Hair and Mermaid Sparkle Sparks Acrylic Paint, Melange Pebbles

Mediums: Grit Paste, Matte Collage Medium
Surfaces: Canvas Board, Mixed Media Heavystock Cardstock, Watercolour Card, Dapper Paper Stash

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Splatter Brush
Tim Holtz Collage Brushes
Hemptique Twine
Sisal Fibres, rusty wire, cheesecloth and paintbrushes from my own stash

Ladybird, Ladybird Fly Away Home...

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all enjoying the week and looking forward to a weekend of sunshine! 

Today, I'm so excited to be back on the Simon Says Stamp Blog with my latest project and hope you'll pop over to check out all the details and my step by step tutorial of how I put this piece together!

Thanks so much for popping by today and I'll see you again on Monday for my latest Monday Challenge project!

Love Emma x

Like A Moth To The Flame...

Hi friends...

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Simon Says Stamp Christmas In July Blog Hop, it was such a fun week over on SSS and so lovely to see all your projects and read your comments!

Today, we have a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is called WILD THINGS. This theme can be interpreted in so many different ways ~ you could use wild animals, wild flowers or maybe you would prefer to used wild and funky colours but however you choose to interpret the theme ~ we can't wait to see what you create!

For my project, I was inspired by the beautiful warm summer evenings we've been having lately and as I sat in my garden, watching how the moths were attracted by the lights, I thought it would be fun to create a journal layout using two of Tim Holtz's recent stamp sets. So, with these in mind, I got to work and had fun creating a layout that stretched across two pages with a vintage style, parchment background...

So, it's time to get started and time for the new challenge to begin...

To begin with I used my Dina Wakley Journal and applied my Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap and Pumice Stone Distress paint to the right hand page, taking it slightly over to the left hand page but still keeping some of that page white. I used this combination of paints to create the look of old pages as I didn't want to much colour, I wanted the insects and the other images to stand out.

I then applied some design tape down the gutter of the book and then added some scrapes of gesso and some Crackle Paste. Set the book aside for the crackles to appear and to work on the next stage...

I then took a piece of cotton paper and cut it slightly smaller in size than the full size page and again applied the same colours of Distress Paints over the surface.

Once the paints were dry, I then added some torn tissue tape directly onto the surface to create a base layer for me to work on. I applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the top and then used my Distress Crayons ~ Black Soot, Pumice Stone and Weathered Wood to add some depth of colour. After applying some gesso, I used an old credit card to scrape the gesso over the central section of the background and a little bit of text stamping using the script stamp from the Entomology set, I added some black paint splashes and then machine stitched a border around the outside in black cotton before matting it onto my right hand page.

Once I was happy I then started working on my focal point of the bulbs, and inked up the stamp from the Inventors 2 set with Jet Black Archival Ink and stamped the image onto a further sheet of cotton paper, again painted with the same colours of Distress Paints. I stamped the image again, this time onto a piece of watercolour card and then coloured the bulbs using Distress Marker Pens before cutting them out and layering them over the top of the first stamped image. I machine stitched a border around this panel and then mounted this onto my page.

To complete the pages, I added some Ephemera pieces around the main image, some ripped pieces of Design Tape (any design can be used for this), a clip and a sprocket gear, complete with Nailhead Finding.

Now that I have my background ready, I moved onto my moths ~ now moths don't always have to be brown, I checked this one out ~ so, I stamped a three different images from the Entomology set and coloured them with a variety of Distress Marker Pens so that they would pop right off the page. I cut out each little bug by hand ~ I can't wait for the new die set, it's going to save me so much time! You'll also notice that some of the moths have been layered to create double wings...

I attached all my moths so that they flutter over the two pages, all travelling in different directions but always towards the light...

...I also added some adornment stars.

To complete my pages, and to add the final touches, I placed a Quote Chip across the centre of the bulbs...

...and then added some Clippings Stickers to create a quote ~ "Look around for light, every road should have a path".

 I finished by adding a Remnant Rub, "Curiosities" to complete the page...

I hope you've enjoyed this week's project, all the techniques that I've used and most of all, loved how this piece came together ~ it was definitely a lightbulb moment!

Don't forget, you can find 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 stopping by today and I'll see you very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Entomology, Inventor 2

Distress Paint: Pumice Stone, Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap

Distress Crayons: Weathered Wood, Pumice Stone, Black Soot

Distress Marker Pens

Idea-ology: Snippets Ephemera, Index Clip, Nailhead Findings, Quote Chips, Adornment Stars, Clippings Stickers, Tiny Text Remnant Rubs, A selection of Design Tape, Symphony Tissue Tape

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, gesso

Surfaces: Dina Wakley Journal, Cotton Paper, Watercolour Cardstock 

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun