M Is For... Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello friends...

There's a brand new challenge starting over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and this week's challenge and is all about ~ M Is For....?? So what are you going to create?  M could stand for the month  of May, mist, markers, magenta, mowed lawn, metal, millinery, a masculine project or mounted stamps! There are so many options and we can't wait to see what you come up with!!

For my piece, I chose M is for...mini matchbox and I'm taking you on a seaside adventure and tried to encapsulate everything about a beautiful day on the beach, collecting seashells and having the sand between your feet. As always, I really hope you love what I've made...

To begin with, I had to make my matchbox and because I don't own Tim's wonderful Matchbox die from Sizzix...YET (I'm sure it will slip into my collection sooner or later)...I used kraft card and created the wraparound section and the slider box from scratch. The finished box measures 5.75" in height x 3" in width.

I then started to paint the outside of the box with a combination of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint in Snowflake and Tim Holtz Distress Paints in Broken China, Tumbled Glass and Brushed Pewter. I would also recommend that you paint the outside of the box when it's flat and not constructed, you can do it afterward, but I just found it easier.

The next stage was to add some texture and I used Wendy Vecchi's Crackle Embossing Paste and applied it with a palette knife onto random areas of the front and sides of the box and then used the white Embossing Paste through a PaperArtsy stencil to add the look of the bubbles.

To highlight the bubbles, I used a touch of Treasure Gold over the top and then inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Once everything is dry, you can now form the basic shape of the wraparound section and decorate it. For this I chose to use Tim Holtz's Honeycomb Frameworks die which I painted with Evergreen Bough and Shabby Shutters Distress Paint and then aged slightly with some more Treasure Gold and Frayed Burlap DI.

I added the Frameworks die cut together with some die cut fronds from the Tattered Pinecone die which I then painted using Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Paint. The shells and driftwood came from my own crafty stash and I attached these onto the front of the box together with some cheesecloth and twine.

The final touch on the front of the box was a stamped #lifeisgood Hashtag from Tim's fabulous stamp set which I added to the arrangement using a Memo Pin.

So, now we need to decorate the inside of the box and this is where my inspiration came from to create this piece, Tim's Nautical Blueprint stamp set. As soon as I saw this, I was in love and knew I needed it and if I was lucky enough to get it, I knew exactly what I wanted to create with it.

I stamped the seashell image onto watercolour card and then painted it using Distress Marker Pens and a waterbrush. I gently flicked some speckles of Antique Linen over the top to give the appearance of sand and then attached the image onto the inside of my box.

I added the #wishyouwerehere Hashtag onto the inside together with some more cheesecloth which I attached around the sides and some die cut fronds.

To complete the box, I added a Vintage Trinket from Prima to the top of my closed box.

So, I really hope you've enjoyed today's photo tutorial of how I made this little seaside scene and that you loved what I've shared with you all. As always, for more great ideas and inspiration, then you need to look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from my 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. Good luck....

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die ~ Tattered Pinecone

Tim Holtz Sizzix Honeycomb Frameworks Die

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamp ~ Nautical Blueprints and Hashtag

Distress Inks ~ Frayed Burlap

Distress Paints ~ Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Brushed Pewter, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters and Evergreen Bough

Distress Marker Pens

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste ~ Crackled Texture and White

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Snowflake Chalk Paint

Treasure Gold Gilding Wax ~ White Fire

PaperArtsy Lin Brown Eclectica3 Stencil

Ranger Kraft Cardstock

Ranger Archival Ink ~ Black

Idea-Ology ~ Memo Pin, Jute String

Prima Flowers Bolts and Nuts Tiny Junkyard Findings Vintage Trinkets

Cheese Cloth

Ranger Distress Watercolour Cardstock

Shells and Driftwood from my crafty stash

Thank you so much for all your visits today and I'll see you all very soon!!

Bye for now...love Emma xx