That's Life

Monday, 4 May 2026

More Than A Woman...

Happy Monday and for all those Star Wars fans out there ~ Happy Star Wars Day and May the 4th be with you!

So, as we begin a brand new week, it's time for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week, our theme is called Mother's Day/Feminine and we would love for you to join us and play along. The DT are also showcasing some of the amazing products from our very own Simon Says Stamp...

Now I'm not really a pink girl which is the first thing you might associate with Mother's Day and feminine projects but I do love all things blue...so, for this make, I chose to use soft pastel blues and combined this with yellow, which was perfect for my background that uses a SSS stencil in readiness for the layers of Tim Holtz goodness to be added.

So, let's get started and it's time to share all the details of how I made this week's project!

TAG

To begin with I used a Size 8 Mixed Media Heavystock tag and began by creating my background jusign the Friendly Blossoms Stencil. This stencil is a layering stencil and comes in three parts and for my background, and because I'm using a tag which is slightly smaller in size than the stencil design, I used parts of the stencil.

I began by laying one of the larger blossoms over the top right hand corner. I then inked through the stencil using Speckled Egg and Stormy Sky Oxide Inks.

After flipping the stencil, I repeated the design in the bottom left hand corner using the same inks.

I then added another of the blossoms, one of the smaller sizes to the bottom right hand corner.

I went on to stencil the leaves into the spaces between the blossoms using Bundled Sage and Rustic Wilderness Oxide Inks.

Finally, I added the centres of the blossoms using Wild Honey and Fossilised Amber Oxides and the veins to the leaves were stencilled in Peeled Paint.

With the background complete, I inked the edges of the tag with a combination of Old Paper, Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain Distress Inks, starting with the lightest colour and blending towards the centre and then reducing the ink each time, and applying the darkest colour to the edges.

I flicked some Walnut Stain Distress Ink across the surface of the tag, heat dried the ink and then flicked some white acrylic paint to add a few splatters and then added some stamped text in Black Soot Archival ink, using the script stamp from Tiny Toadstools.

Across the bottom of the tag, I added a border strip, which I think is from the Halloween Wallpaper pack that I had in my stash but don't quote me on that one, lol!

I added a machine stitched border around the edge and a cello sticker to the bottom right corner before mounting my tag onto a piece of burlap cardstock from my stash.

PHOTO BOOTH

We're now ready to embellish the tag and tell the story...

I chose this Photo Booth image because I thought it worked so well with the background and after trimming the photo down, I then added some rips and tears before colour tinting the image with Distress Crayons.

I added the date from the Specimen Remnant Rub Pack and then machine stitched the photo onto a piece of felt that I cut with pinking shears before placing a small piece of a Cello Sticker to the photo.

I matted the layered image onto some kraft cardstock and then mounted this onto the left hand side of my tag using foam pads,

I attached a ticket ephemera stub to the right of the photo and added the Handle With Care label, a stamp from the Stampers Anonymous Eccentric Stamp Set by Tim. I stamped this using Fired Brick Archival Ink and then fussy cut around the border before adhering to my tag.

I finally added the little roll of fabric. This is a Stitched Scrap that I rolled around a skewer and then secured the ends at the back. I then attached this to my tag with a Mini Pin and clipped a Tiny Clip to the top right of the image.

Finally, I added a small Specimen Remnant Rub No.1411 to just beneath the photo.

FLORALS

The florals are all die cut using a combination of dies. The leaves are from Brushstrokes 2 and the flowers from the Vault Side Order Floristry Die.

Both are cut from card inked with the following Distress Inks:

Leaves: Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Rustic Wilderness

Flowers: Fossilised Amber, Wild Honey

With my pieces die cut, I then arranged them onto the tag, placing them on either side of the photograph and shaping the leaves and petals to add some dimension.

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left are those all important finishing details....

I added some gold die cut stars that I had on my desk, which were left over from a previous project. I placed 3 of these around the focal point and then added some gold gems in the centres.

Finally, I attached a Clippings Sticker, 'her mother's heart' to the tag, placing it beneath the foliage on the right hand side...

...and completed the tag with some ribbon that I dyed with Scattered Straw and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain and then threaded through the hole at the top of the tag.

That's my tag complete and my project for this week finished....

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 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 next Monday at 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...

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Simon Says Stamp: Friendly Blossoms Stencil

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Eccentric, Tiny Toadstools

Sizzix: Tim Holtz Big Shot Foldaway, Brushstroke Flowers 2, Vault Side Order Floristry

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap, Old Paper

Oxide Ink: Wild Honey, Fossilised Amber, Speckled Egg, Stormy Sky, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness

Distress Spray Stain: Scattered Straw, Antique Linen

Distress Crayon: Colours of your choice for the vintage photo

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Cello Sticker Tape, Specimen Remnant Rub, Photo Booth, Stitched Scraps 2, Clippings Sticker book

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads,

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock Tag

Glass Media Mat

Waterbrush

Heat Gun

Burlap from my own stash

Monday, 27 April 2026

Get The Party Started...

Happy Monday everyone...

This week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is all about FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS and whether that's cats, dogs or any other animal that you love ~ the DT are looking forward to seeing your makes and hope you will join us and play along.

For my make, I created a couple of birthday gift card holders and it's been a while since I used the Crazy Dogs in a project. So there's no better time than now to break out those fun loving animals and have some fun bringing them to life.

So here we go, it's time to say hello to the crazy dogs!

For this make, I used the Sizzix Tim Holtz Collector Thinlits Die Set for my envelope and an idea-ology file card with the window aperture.

ENVELOPE

To begin with I die cut the envelope using the Collector die set to cut Mixed Media Heavystock Card. After scoring along the lines, I spritzed the surface with Pumice Stone and Old Paper Distress Spray Stain, heat dried the inks and then assembled my envelope.

Using the Crop-A-Dile Eyelet setter, I punched a hole into the flap of the envelope before setting the eyelet into position.

Setting the envelope to one side, I cut a panel of Distress Watercolor card slightly smaller than the envelope. I used the same sprays to add colour to the surface and then around the edges, I wanted to add some inky splotches using Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks, applied directly onto my craft mat.

I spritzed the inks with water to form droplets and then dipped my card in and out of the ink. After heat drying the card, I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then machine stitched a border.

Once I'd matted the card panel onto black cardstock, I attached the panels to my envelope.

CREATING THE SCENE

The envelope is now ready to create the scene and for this I used the following stamp sets:

Mini Crazy Cats and Dogs

Crazy Talk

Crazy Thoughts

Mini Bird Crazy and Things Stamps and Die Bundle

I began by stamping my crazy dog onto a piece of watercolour card and then watercoloured the image with Distress Watercolor Pencils. I then stamped the balloons and the Crazy Thought, "POP", and also watercoloured these before cutting around the outline of all the images. For the balloons, there is a co-ordinating Simon Says Stamp die set which makes things so much easier on the fiddly little images.

Using foam pads, attach the Crazy Thought in the top left hand corner, slightly overlapping the edges.

Attach the crazy dog and the balloons ~ adding four balloons in a cluster on the right hand side...

....and a deflated, popped balloon on the left hand side.

I then used a black fine line pen to draw some strings to attach the balloons.

The message is stamped onto a small strip of black card, with an inverted 'v' cut into one end, and using clear embossing ink, I inked the "what the?" stamp from the Crazy Talk stamp set and heat embossed with white powder.

I attached the message to my envelope, placing it beneath the dog to ground him, attaching it with foam pads and then placed a Mini Pin into the left hand side of the message.

To complete the envelope, I added some twine.

WINDOW FILE CARD

Moving onto the second mini card and window envelope...

To begin with I made the window envelope and once again, I inked some Distress Watercolor Card using the same colours and technique, as I used on the background for my previous envelope.

Once happy and the background was dry, I used the SSS Basic Circles die set to cut a circular aperture into my card panel, ensuring that it fit with the circle on the window file card. You will see that the circle is slightly larger in size and therefore it allows a narrow border to show around the aperture in the window file card.

I cut a two further panels of the watercolour card, one to fit on the inside of the window file card and a second piece that will become the insert. This time, I coloured the card with the following Distress Spray Stains: Iced Spruce, Speckled Egg, Pumice Stone and Old Paper. After blending the sprays with a little water mist, I heat dried the surface and then added some Tumbled Glass Oxide Spray.

Once I was happy with my panels, I took the panel that will fit inside the window file card and in Black Soot Archival Ink, I stamped the POP Crazy Thought onto the card panel ensuring that where I stamp it will show through the aperture. I added some white pen highlights and then attached the panel on the inside.

MINI CARD with pull tab

With the remaining inked panel, I used the rounded corner die in the Collector set. This is going to create the insert for my envelope.

I applied some stenciled details to the background using Broken China Oxide Ink through the Mini Layering Stencil from set 33 and then matted the card onto a slightly larger piece of Mixed Media Heavystock card, which I inked with Walnut Stain and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks.

Once I'd machine stitched a border around each layer of card, I cut a tab pull using a die from the Specimen Thinlits Die Set by Sizzix and Tim Holtz and attached this to the top of my card. The date is stamped using an old rotary date stamp set that I have in my stash.

STAMPED IMAGES

For this set, I used my favourite doggy from the set, which I stamped onto watercolour card and water-coloured him with Distress Watercolour Pencils before cutting him out. I also stamped and painted a party hat.

To complete the scene, I stamped and watercoloured a selection of balloons and the bones for this piece and die cut these before adding three balloons and one bone, directly to my background. I hand drew the strings and then added some gold stars.

Finally, I stamped the Crazy Talk message, 'you're how old?' to sit beneath the doggy.

On the window envelope, I wanted the balloons to be coloured and placed so that they were in exactly the same position as on the card placed inside.

So, with my card inside the envelope, I attached the balloons in the same colours as on the mini card, and lined them up so the image now appears the same, inside and out. I also added two bones and then drew the strings, again lining everything up.

I completed the envelope with a stamped 'it's your birthday' message and finally added some more gold stars, some cello sticker tape and a mini paper clip.

...and those finishing details complete my project for this week!

I hope you love what I've made and will be inspired by these fun pieces.

forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 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 next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....