Monday 27 June 2016

From Sea To Shining Sea...

Hello friends..

Welcome to a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where this week our theme is...Tic Tac Toe! Click HERE for all the information for this challenge and to see the fabulous grid that the lovely Maura has created for you us all and all you have to do is choose a line and use all 3 items in that line but if you're feeling really adventurous, then why not go for a full house such as I did! Whatever you decide, I hope you have some fun and come and join us!

As I mentioned for my project, I chose a full house and went with all 9 items to create my underwater themed panel full of texture and dimension and hope you love what I created...


To begin with I took a piece of watercolour card, approx 8" x 11". I wanted to use this style of card because I knew I was going to use a lot of water and mediums and also, I wanted a texture to the background and this card was perfect.

I started by adding some colour using Broken China and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks. For this, I misted the card with water and then applied the ink pad directly to the surface, spritz again with water and then move the card around, letting the ink run and drip. I heat dried the card thoroughly before adding some torn tissue tape, attaching it over the top of my inked background and placing it on the centre of the card. I then added some stamping, inking up the Type stamp from the Newsprint and Type Tim Holtz stamp set and stamping randomly onto the background.
Now for the messy part and adding all that gorgeous texture and shimmer. For the first layer, I applied some Texture Paste through the Herringbone Layering Stencil. Once dry, I then spritzed Broken China Distress Spray Stain (blue) and Gold Foil Color Bloom Spray over the top of the paste. Once again, dry each individual layer, if you don't it will end up as a muddy mess.

Using a dry brush, add a small amount of Gold Rush Alchemy Paint over the top, followed by a light application of Blue/Gold Opal Paint. Again dry the paint thoroughly before flicking small amounts of Twisted Citron, Black Soot Distress Paint, Gold Foil Spray and Gesso across the surface.

When all the pain is dry, dip the bottle lid from your Distress Paint into the Gold Rush paint and add the rings of paint to your background.
Apply some Gold Foil Transfer sheets around the edge of the card for a little more shimmer and shine and also add just specks of foil to the raised areas not the background. I just love how this textural background turned out, it's a shame to cover it!!
But, it had to be done and I do love building up those layers bringing the pieces to life and telling the story...
I started by die cutting my images from cardboard using the Sand & Sea Bigz die. Apply a layer of gesso over the top of the cardboard before adding your mediums. For the sea horse, I added some Wendy Vecchi Crackle Paste and once the paste was dry and had crackled nicely, I applied some Festive Berries and Mustard Seed Distress Paint over the top, blending the colours together. To complete my seahorse I added a pearl for his eye.
For the remaining die cuts, I coloured these with Pumice Stone Distress Paint, adding a small amount of Picket Fence around the edges, together with a little Hickory Smoke. 
I then applied a mix of 3D matte Gel and Mini Art Stones to the starfish and also onto the edges of the sand dollar. Whilst the medium was still wet, I sprinkled a little glass glitter over the top and just allowed it to completely dry before attaching it to the centre of the sand dollar die cut.
I used the Wildflowers die and the Holiday Greens die to die cut some fronds from gold metallic kraft card stock...
...and then spritzed some cheesecloth with Twisted Citron and Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain to add a pop of colour.
Now all that's left to do is attach all my elements to the background and for this, I started by attaching a piece of driftwood and then balancing and layering the rest of the pieces onto this, attaching each individual element with a hot glue gun.
I also added small pieces of moss, tucking these into any gaps that were showing.

For the finishing touches, I attached some sequins from the Minty Fresh Embellishment bottle kit by 28 Lilac Lane...
...and added a small talk sticker, matted onto gold metallic kraft core card.
Finally, I added some doodles around the edge of my finished piece and mounted it onto black card to frame it.

As always, if you need any further inspiration for this challenge, then you need 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 StampYou have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....


Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead
See you again soon...love Emma xx


Products used:
Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Sand & Sea, Wildflowers, Holiday Greens
Tim Holtz Stamps: Newsprint and Type
Distress Paint: Black Soot, Twisted Citron, Festive Berries, Mustard Seed 
Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain: Twisted Citron, Broken China
Idea-ology: Small Talk Stickers, Symphony Tissue Tape
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil: Herringbone
Prima Alchemy Paints: Metallic Gold RushOpal Magic Blue/Gold
Blending Tool
Moss, driftwood and cheesecloth from my own stash

42 comments:

  1. WOW!!!! Amazing work of art! Love the red seahorse, it really give a great pop of color. Thank you for the inspiration.
    Hugs
    Samra
    Paper Talk with Samra

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  2. Oh boy have you spoiled us today Emma. My world is now awash with echoes of the sea.
    Stunning! Your background is stand alone Knockout and the arrangement of all those fabulous elements is wonderful. An absolute pleasure to the eye.
    Thanks you for yet again brightening my day and inspiring .
    Big hugs x

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  3. OH Emma, I LOVE ♥♥♥ this. Absolutely stunning. I adore your Seahorse and everything just comes together so well. WOW... Xxxx

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  4. Emma, this is breath-takingly gorgeous! The Sand and Sea die is my favourite (ever) of Tim's dies and you have used it so beautifully! Gorgeous colours and wonderful design! Anne x

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  5. Oh Emma, this is gorgeous beyond gorgeous! You really captured an underwater feast for the eyes. The texture is amazing and brings the entire piece to life! I could look at it for hours.

    Hugs,
    Cathie ♥

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  6. Wow! This is really beautiful, amazing! Such a shining example of creative talent! Thank you for sharing!

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  7. This is so beautiful Emma. That pop of red in the center is fantastic. I love the Herringbone stencil in the background - that is one I have not used so now I'm thinking about what to use it on! Thanks for the inspiration today!

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  8. Wow Emma these are so lovley <3

    greets Alexa

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  9. wow! wow! wow! this is just stunning. and it has so much colour. that seahorse just pops off the background. loving all the details here, hugs xx

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  10. Bravo on such a well-done job with the tic-tac-toe challenge! I wanted to comment to say I love this because it is awesomely oceanic-- the colors are really perfect for ocean life. Often, people use just blues and tans, (which is beautiful, of course), but they neglect the other brilliant colors! (You know what I mean...) this is great.

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  11. Stunning beach themed piece, Emma! The background is GORGEOUS!!!!

    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

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  12. This is incredibly beautiful! That seahorse just draws the eye in and then you see the beauty around him. Fabulous composition!

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  13. Oh my goodness, I just LOVE this Emma! the background in itself is a work of art and the underwater elements are stunning! SWOON!!! ❤️ :-)

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  14. This is beautiful Emma! Love the addition of the art stones to the starfish/sand dollar and vibrant colored seahorse.

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  15. This is an exceptional piece of art. Wow!

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  16. This is such a gorgeous creation, Emma. Love the beautiful texture and colors on the background you created! :)

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  17. Uber fabulous piece of art! LOVE the colors and the whole random design!

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  18. Wow! What a fantastic piece of art.

    May I ask what type of adhesive you used with the gold transfer sheet around the edges?

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment Michelle!

      When I use the gold transfer sheet, I usually use a Collage Glue Stick by Ranger. Just apply a light covering of glue onto the paper and then lay the foil over the top, (shiny side uppermost) and rub the back of your nail over it before pulling away! The other product that is also very good for this technique is Ranger's Sticky Embossing Powder, which I also use on areas that are slightly harder to get to. Hope that helps and if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask...

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  19. WOW! This is amazing! Gorgeous Emma!

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  20. Emma, you truly are masterful with mixed media, this one made my jaw drop it is so beautifully crafted!! I love the wonderful textures and the contrast with the orange and green. The bits of sponge and driftwood make this very special!

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  21. Omg this is sooooo very BEAUTIFUL! !!!!!! Loooooove it!!!♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

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  22. What a wonderful example of mixed media! Love, love, love all the texture!

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  23. Gorgeous art work! Love the layers of beautiful color and textures!

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  24. I'm verging on speechless - an absolutely jaw-dropping creation, Emma - stunning textural detail and wonderful use of colour and dimension. It's definitely a new favourite for me - glorious! Thanks so much for welcoming me this month - it's been a joy to play alongside you and this amazing team.
    Alison x

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  25. beautiful project Emma with stunning details...hugs kath xxx

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  26. Hands down-- this is one of my favorite projects of yours EVER! And that's saying a lot since your projects are always favorites! I'm so impressed at how you textured this with so many sea-like elements. Looks incredible and makes me want to run to the nearest beach!

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  27. Wowza! I love everything about this and the orangy red seahorse is showcased so well by the cooler colors!

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  28. Emma this sea canvas is STUNNING!!! Love the theme, I agree with Alison: you've created a jaw-dropping work! Background is fabulous, all the little details are incredible, absolutely love this creation! Barbara

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  29. Gorgeous piece, Emma! All the elements you've added are fabulous, the seahorse is the hero of this piece. It's amazing! Hugs, Sandra

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  30. I really don't know which part or detail of this fabulous work I should start to admire first. I love absolutely everything about this project starting from colors, throught the textures, composition, details, focal point, everything! You're extremely talented. So happy to can admire your projects. Hugs, Marzena

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  31. The detailing in this piece is incredible. I love how all your textures and colors look like they came from the bottom of the ocean. Blessings!

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  32. Emma, This is amazing! I just love that gorgeous background and am so glad you went for the full house. :)

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  33. This really took my breath away! The way you have combined all nine elements of that grid and ended up with something so beautiful really shows amazing talent. I just love the gorgeous textures, and they are all so relevant to your sea theme. Just gorgeous! Lou x

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  34. This really took my breath away! The way you have combined all nine elements of that grid and ended up with something so beautiful really shows amazing talent. I just love the gorgeous textures, and they are all so relevant to your sea theme. Just gorgeous! Lou x

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  35. Wow, what an awesome card!!! Colors, design, texture, dimension, it has it all and more!

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  36. I just spotted this gorgeous card on Pinterest. Absolutely beautiful.

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Thank you for all your comments and messages, they are all appreciated and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon...
Emma ~xx

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