Embrace The Journey...

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is called ~ NAUTICAL!

definition: of or relating to sailors, ships, or navigation:

Many of our friends have spent their summer vacation on board cruise ships, some have been boating on lakes, and some have been sailing across one of the seven seas, so we would like you to cruise along with us and create something with sea related voyages in mind.

For my project, I chose to create this canvas panel to embrace the journey telling the story of one man's adventures at sea and I hope you love the piece that I've made...

 

So, it's time to start a brand new challenge and here's how I created this project!

To begin with I cut a panel of canvas paper from my own stash and started by adhering some card to create the look of planks ~ these are just offcuts that I had and I used Collage Medium to attach them into place by lining them up across the middle section of the background. I then added some Grit Paste through the Bubbles Layering Stencil and allowed this to dry before layering some Distress Paints over the surface ~ Antique Linen, Weathered Wood, Old Paper, Pumice Stone and Tumbled Glass! I blended the paints with a semi dry baby wipe until I was happy with the depth of colour. I then applied some gesso over the top, using my trusty old out of date credit card to scrape the colour across the surface.

I heat dried the background ensuring that everything was completely dry before applying Pumice Stone Distress Crayon around the edges of the "card planks", blending out and softening the colour with my fingers and then dry brushing a hint of gold paint over the top of the grit paste to accentuate the raised areas.

The next stage was to add some rust around the edges and for this I dabbed the edges with a Embossing Dabber and then added some Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder. Once the powder is heated and melted, I rubbed away the excess particles of powder (do not put these back in the pot, just bin them) and then I added a touch of Rich Copper Alchemy Wax over the top.

For the next stage, I used the Industrial die to die cut some gears from chipboard which I covered in Metal Foil sheets and then applied Alcohol Ink over the top to create the rusty effect. 

I then attached my gears onto the background cascading them down the page and adding some rust around the edges using Gold Rush and Steampunk Copper Alchemy Paint.

For those who visit my blog regularly you'll know that I LOVE dimension and to create it on this piece, I used some driftwood pieces which I attached across the central section of my page. 

I then applied some 3D Gel and scattered a mixture of Art Stones and Glass Glitter over the top of the wood, the gears and dripping out onto the page which helped to create the look of sand.

Once the stones are set and dried into the gel, I then attached my photo from Tim's Photobooth set of vintage images and placed this onto some corrugated card, which I tore around the edges, then painted with gesso and gold paint before inking the edges with Distress Inks.

At this stage, I also added an ephemera piece, a clip and a Clippings Sticker. I attached the photo over a bed of cheesecloth which was dyed with Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stain and a coil of wire.

To complete the focal point I added a Parcel Post ephemera piece and a Quote Chip, sanded around the edges.

Finally I placed four bolts in each corner, some St Tropez crystals and a metal ship's wheel trinket from Prima.

To complete the project, I really wanted to create the look of a wooden frame to mount my artwork onto...so, I matted the panel onto kraft card before attaching it onto a canvas which I painted with Walnut Stain, Black Soot and Antiqued Bronze Distress Paints...

...and that is how I created this piece all about life at sea!

As always, if you do need any further inspiration, then look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members 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 see you again very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Industrial

Distress Paints: Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Antique Linen, Weathered Wood, Old Paper, Pumice Stone and Tumbled Glass

Distress Spray Stains: Tumbled Glass
Distress Ink: Walnut Stain
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil: Bubbles
Distress Crayons: Pumice Stone
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Quote Chips, Snippets, Photobooth Vintage Images, Index Clips, Clippings
Mediums: Collage Medium, Grit Paste, Gesso, 3D Matte Gel, Ranger Ink Emboss It Dabber
Prima Marketing Acrylic Paints: Gold Rush, Steampunk Copper
Prima Marketing: St Tropez Metal Pack, St Tropez Say It In Crystals, Mechanical Mini Hardware, Rich Copper Alchemy Wax, Art Stones, Mini Art Stones, Mega Art Stones
Metal Foil Tape Sheets
Dina Wakley Media Board
Ranger Craft Sheet
Paper Distresser
Sanding Tool

Big Shot

Heat Gun
Sisal fibres, driftwood, canvas paper, wire, cheesecloth and Vintage Photo Distress Emboss Powder from my own stash

Happy Birthday...

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This month, Simon Says Stamp is celebrating their 7th birthday and because it's such a special occasion we would like you to create something to help with our birthday celebration! It could be a card, a tag to attach to a gift, a gift or maybe a birthday banner or cake topper! Whatever you decide to make we will be looking forward to seeing how you join us for the party!

As it is the first Monday of the month, and because it's our birthday, we are also showcasing our very own Simon Says Stamp Products!

For my card, I combined one of Tim Holtz's Crazy Dogs with a couple of SSS products and hope you love the card I've made...

It's time for the challenge to begin...

 

For this card, which measures approx 17cm square, I started by cutting two panels of textured card stock to create my background. I then placed the Collage Frond die in the centre of the first card panel and die cut the aperture. In the second piece of card, I place the die slightly offset to where the first die was placed on the first piece of card ~ by doing this, it will give me the double layer of leaf effect around the aperture. Once both card panels are die cut, layer the one over the top of the other, aligning the aperture to create a double layered frond effect around the circle.

I wanted to create a worn wood effect to the background and began by adding a layer of Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap Distress Paint, blending the colours with a semi dry baby wipe. I then heat dried the card before adding more colour using Distress Crayons ~ I chose, Ground Espresso, Black Soot, Walnut Stain and Pumice Stone. Scribble a small amount of colour from each crayon over the painted surface and then once again, using the semi dry baby wipe, I blended out the colour until I was happy with the desired effect.

I then used an old credit card to scrape some white gesso over the background to create the worn effect.

Once the background was thoroughly dry, I then moved onto the leaves and painted these with Peeled Paint Distress paint before adding a layer of Fairy Wings Sparks paint over the top for a slight shimmer.

Attach Hex Fasteners to each of the four corners and using Gold Rush and Steampunk Copper Alchemy Paints, paint the fasteners to create this gorgeous rusty look.

For the next layer on the card, I used the SSS Flora Background stamp and stamped this onto a piece of kraft card using Versamark Watermark Ink pad. Sprinkle with white embossing powder and heat until molten. I then cut the card to the same size as my painted panel before mounting the painted panel over the top using foam pads for dimension and lining it up perfectly so that the centre of the Flora stamp showed through the aperture of the Collage Frond die.

Matt the background layers onto a piece of blue card from the Classic Kraft stash, followed by a layer of gold metallic and finally a layer of black soot kraft stash card. Mount the matted layers onto a kraft card blank.

Now for the fun part...it's Crazy Dog time and I stamped two images of my cute little pup onto Mixed Media card, coloured both images using Distress Marker Pens before die cutting them with the corresponding Sizzix dies before layering the pieces to create my dimension pup. I then added a party hat and a balloon from the Crazy Things Stamp set, and again die cut using the Sizzix dies.

I then stamped used the Crazy Talk stamp set to stamp the message 'you're how old?' onto kraft card, matted onto a piece of red card. I attached the message to a memo pin, and tucked the pin behind the aperture of the Collage Frond.

I attached my crazy dog, his party hat and ballon onto the card, placing him so that it looked as if he was jumping out of the circle to say "you're how old?"!!!

I added some gems and sequins around the image before tying some red string down the spine of the card and adding some tokens ~ 'happy' and the number '7. I gave each token a rusty effect by applying Picket Fence Paint and a small amount of Rich Copper Alchemy Wax over the metal....

...which completes my card and project for this week and I hope you love this fun card and enjoyed the creative process behind it!

As always, if you do need any further inspiration, then look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and this week, not one but TWO lucky random participants have 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 see you again very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Simon Says Stamp Products: Collage Frond, Flora Stamp
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Stamps and Sizzix Dies: Crazy Dogs, Crazy Things, Crazy Talk

Distress Paints: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Peeled Paint, Picket Fence
Distress Marker Pens
Distress Crayons: Set 3 Ground Espresso, Pumice Stone
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Hex Fasteners, Memo Pins, Typed Tokens, Number Tokens
Surfaces: Classic Kraft, Metallic Kraft, Mixed Media Heavyweight, Kraft card
Mediums: Gesso, Ranger Foam, White Embossing Powder, Versamark Ink Pad, Jet Black Archival Ink
Prima Marketing: Gold Rush Alchemy Paint, Steampunk Copper Alchemy Paint, Fairy Wings Sparks Paint, Rich Copper Wax
Red Twine
Little Things From Lucy Gems, Sequins
Ranger Craft Sheet
Sanding Tool

Big Shot

Heat Gun
Canvas paper from my own stash

Every Picture Tells A Story...

Happy Sunday everyone and hope you're all having a great weekend!

Today, I'm thrilled to be sharing my latest project for the Simon Says Stamp store blog! There's a little sneaky peek below of the project I've created and if you pop over by clicking HERE, you'll be able to check out the project in it's entirety, together with a tutorial!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I'll see you tomorrow with another SSS Monday Challenge...

Love Emma x

The World Is Yours...

Hi everyone...

I'm just popping by today to share a couple of cards that I designed exclusively for the July issue of Making Cards Magazine. If you managed to get hold of a copy of the magazine, then you'll know that I also included a full step by step tutorial for both cards but if you couldn't find a copy or missed out then there is more information on how you can get back issues or a digital copy of the magazine HERE.

For these two cards, I used a combination of Tim Holtz dies including the Cityscape Skyline, the Cityscape Commute, Traveler Words and the Mini Globe and for the backgrounds I used Distress Oxide Ink Pads. I've included plenty of detail shots in this post, so I hope you can see the dimension, shimmer and shine that was in these cards

...but if you want to see even more sparkle than head on over to Instagram!

The second card in the set...

Thanks so much for popping by today and I'll see you on Sunday with another post!

Until then...enjoy the rest of the week ~ Emma x

Sweet Treats...

Hello friends...

Hope you've all had a good weekend and you're ready for the brand new week and a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is all about "FOOD AND/OR DRINK" which I think is probably self explanatory...we want you to create projects all about this subject and we can't wait to see what you create!

For my project this week I was inspired by visits to my grandparents when I was younger! After a long car journey from our house to theirs, my Nana would always have some treats waiting for me in the kitchen pantry...whether that was one of her speciality Victoria sponge cakes or whether it was cookies and sweets, she had always stocked up for our visit! So, with this in mind, I decided to recreate my own little tribute to Nana's kitchen pantry, with a trio of treat jars and created this project using Tim Holtz's Mini Mason Jars, which would be wonderful as decoration in a kitchen or create the perfect gift for someone.

 

To begin with, I took all three jars that come in the packaging and gave them a good wash because I'll be using them for food products. I removed the original lids from each bottle and these will be replaced with the lids from the Photo Clip Kit. Then, using Distress Paints in Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass and Victorian Velvet, I painted the lids and added three coats to mine which gave it a really good coverage. I then used the Sanding Tool to remove some of the paint around the edges to create a more worn look.

For two of the jars, I added two of the knobs from the Mini Hardware Findings set and for the third lid, I added the Photo Clips Kit pieces ~ all of these are so easy to attach to your jars, Tim really has done all the hard work for us!

With my jars ready to decorate, I started my creating the artwork for the main one, which has the photo clip piece attached to the lid.

To begin with, I cut a piece of canvas paper from my own stash to approx, 7 x 9cm. I applied some Antique Linen Distress Paint directly to the surface and blended small amounts of Pumice Stone and gesso over the top. I then just thought of this as a mini canvas or an ATC and applied small amounts of torn Tissue Tape and stamped randomly using the Newsprint Stamp.

I then added some Ephemera pieces attaching them with Collage Medium before machine stitching around the outside and mounting it onto some Black Soot kraft core card.

For the teacups, I used the Mini TeaTime dies (you will need the Base Tray for these dies) and cut three cups from Memoranda Paper Stash which I adhered to thin pieces of chipboard. I inked the edges and then stacked the tea cups inside one another before attaching them over a bed of sisal fibres using foam pads.

I added a Clippings Sticker to my arrangement, a tiny butterfly from the Snippets pack and a couple of sequins before attaching the mini artwork to my jar using the hinge clip which I 'vintaged up' with a little paint.

To complete my jar, I made a little worn tag. I cut the tag shape myself and then inked the surface with Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain before spritzing with water and heat drying. I then stamped the tea pot from the Tiny Things 2017 stamp set and added the wording 'tea' using the Hero Arts Typewriter stamps.

To attach my tag, I dyed some crinkle ribbon using Tumbled Glass and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stains and tied the ribbon around the neck of my jar, adding a spoon from the Silverware Adornments, the tag and a little heart from the Treasures Adornments and key.

For the remaining two jars, I created small tags for each of them and tied them onto the knobs with twine.

I then tied a piece of ribbon around the neck of the jar and added a Typed Token to this jar....

...and an Enameled Tag complete with Remnant Rub to the third and final jar!

I hope you've loved my little trip down memory lane and enjoyed the creative process behind this project, it was such a fun project to create and now, all that's left is to eat, drink and enjoy the memories that this project has bought back!

As always, if you do need any further inspiration, then look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members 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 see you again very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Mini Tea Time Movers And Shapers, Base Tray
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Newsprint and Type, Tiny Things 2017

Distress Paints: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage, Victorian Velvet
Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Mini Mason Jars, Photo Clip Kits, Symphony Tissue Tape, Clippings Stickers,  Typed Tokens, Loop Pins, Snippets, Treasures Adornments, Key Adornments, Memoranda Paper Stash, Crinkle Ribbon, Silverware Adornments, Mini Hardware Findings, Classic Kraft Paperie
Mediums: Collage Medium, Gesso, Ranger Foam, Jet Black Archival Ink
Hero Arts Printer's Type Stamps
Hemptique Twine
Ranger Craft Sheet
Sanding Tool

Big Shot

Heat Gun
Sisal fibres and canvas paper from my own stash