'O' Christmas Tree...'O' Christmas Tree...

Hello everyone...

Can you believe we're fast approaching December? Where has this year gone?!?! At the moment, I think I've suddenly gone into panic mode and realised that I need to start thinking about Christmas, there are presents to buy, cards to write, food to prepare and so much more...

But in between all that, we have a brand new challenge starting today over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week it's called ~ "O" Christmas Tree! We would love for you to join us and can't wait to see what you create...

For my project, I made a dimensional home decor piece but it can also be used as a really special gift box or if you don't want to use the box, then why not use the sleigh for a Christmas ornament ~ the choices really are endless!

So, it's time for a brand new challenge and here's how I created this piece...

 

We'll start with the box and for this you can use any old box that you have, it really doesn't matter. For my box, I created a cube from mat board, using a Sizzix die from my stash.

I then painted the box with a coat of gesso before using a blend of Ground Espresso Distress Paint, painted directly onto the surface and heat dried and then dry brushed Tarnished Brass over the top.

Once the paint was thoroughly dry, I then cut panels of paper from the Tidings Paper Stash, inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and using Collage Medium to attach them into place, I covered each side in this beautiful mistletoe and berries design.

To create the embellishments, I took a Baroque Frame, painted it with a mix of Turquoise and Steampunk Copper Alchemy Paints to create a tarnished look and then, using a co-ordinating pattern, I attached a piece of paper from the Tidings Paper Stash to the frame. Attach the frame to front of the box.

For the deer, I used one of the Trophy Antler pieces from Tim Holtz. To begin colouring the piece, I removed the antlers and painted those with the Steampunk Copper Paint and then dry brushed the head with a small amount of Frayed Burlap Distress Paint. When the antlers are dry, pop them back into the slots and then attach the head to the centre of the frame.

On the remaining sides of the box, I added some Finnabair knobs.

For the top section which will be the base for the sleigh, I used some cheesecloth and attached this with Collage Medium and then sprinkled glass glitter, mica flakes and Distress Rock Candy Glitter over the top of the cloth to create a subtle sparkle.

I then used a Special Delivery Ephemera piece and attached this to a strip of woodgrain cardstock before securing it onto my box, together with some Bauble Findings. Add a smear of Collage Medium over the Baubles and then sprinkle with glitter.

Now for the sleigh...

To create this sleigh which is freestanding and 3D I used the Tim Holtz Sleighride die by Sizzix.

I began by die cutting two of the Sleigh Ride images from Little Sizzles Mat Board. Cut two pieces of chipboard measuring 1” square and a second piece to measure, 2” x 1”. Prime each of the die cut pieces with Gesso and set aside to dry.

Take one of the sides and the larger piece of cut mat board. Add a small amount of Glossy Accents along the longest edge of the rectangular piece of mat board and attach it to the sleigh. This forms the base and seat on the inside of the sleigh.

Take the square piece of mat board and attach this piece at a slight angle to form the back section of the sleigh. Attach with Glossy Accents applied along the edge of the chipboard.

Attach the final die cut sleigh piece, lining it up so that the die cut pieces are perfectly aligned and level and the sleigh stands freely on it's own. Leave the Glossy Accents to dry completely.

Paint the main body of the sleigh, inside and out using Candied Apple Distress Paint and then use Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint to paint the sleigh gliders. Leave to dry and then using your finger, run a small amount of Antiqued Bronze around the edge of the red section.

Once happy with the colour, use the Black Soot Distress Crayon to create a more worn, vintage look around the edges, blending the colour with a semi-dry wet wipe. To add a little more authenticity to the sleigh, I added some texture paste to the gliders and sprinkled with glitter.

Attach the number 25 Mini Plaquette to the side of the sleigh.

Now for the main part of this project...the tree! I used the largest Woodland tree and spritzed it with Forest Moss Distress Spray Stain and then painted the trunk with Ground Espresso.

Once dry, use your finger to smear small amounts of Glossy Accents over the tips of the branches and then dip into Rock Candy Distress Glitter. To complete my tree, I attached some red and white pearls and also covered these with some of the glitter.

To secure the tree to the sleigh, I wrapped a piece of Christmas jute around both pieces and secured it with a knot.

Attach the finished sleigh to the top of your box at a slight angle...

...and that is my project complete! I hope you love what I created and that you might use some of the ideas for projects of your own...if you do, I'd love to see them so please tag me wherever you know me!

As always if you do need any further inspiration, 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 Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz Punches Dies: Sleigh Ride

Distress Paint: Tarnished Brass, Ground Espresso, Antiqued Bronze, Candied Apple, Frayed Burlap

Distress Crayons: Black Soot

Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap

Idea-ology: Baubles, Christmas Jute String, Christmas Time Ephemera, Mini Plaquettes, Trophy Antlers, Baroque Frames, Woodlands Tree and Wreath Set

Surfaces: Tidings paper Stash, Little Sizzles Mat Board

Mediums: Gesso, Collage Medium, Rock Candy Distress Glitter, Texture Paste

Pearl Art Ingredients Glass Glitter
Prima Métallique Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint: Steampunk Copper, Rich Turquoise
Finnabair Mechanicals Mini Knobs

Ranger Craft Sheet

Heat Gun
Cheesecloth, Sizzix Cube die and pearls from my own stash

Dove of Peace...

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and looking forward to a new week ahead! Of course, as always on a Monday, it's time for a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week are theme is TRIO-TASTIC! We want you to use three elements on your projects and the choice is yours as to what those three things are! So, I hope you'll join us and the team can't wait to see what you create...

For my project, I chose to create festive decor panel using a trio of glitter. Now glitter isn't something I always use but for Christmas, it has to be done...those bottles need to opened and I created a really subtle sparkle on my project using three various types of glittery products and I hope you love what I created!

So, it's time for a new challenge...

...and here's what I did!

To begin with, I started with the base which is a 6" x 8" Burlap Panel. I smeared a small amount of gesso around the outside of the panel, just to edge it with the look of frostiness.

Cut a panel of the music score paper from the Tidings Paper Stash and machine stitch around the outside of the paper. Distress and then ink the edges with Frayed Burlap Ink and matt onto a piece of kraft core cardstock. Cut two pieces of the twine and using the tiny attached secure them across the bottom section of the layers. Add a hex fastener to either end of the string and then mount the matted layers onto the centre of the burlap panel, using Multi Medium to secure them into place. I then set the panel aside to dry.

Now for the fun part of creating all those embellishments....

For this I started with the background panel and cut a piece of silver metallic kraft card and then embossed it using the Dotted Bullseye Texture Fade. To add some colour to the metal, I started by applying a coat of Tarnished Brass Distress Paint. I allowed the paint to slightly dry and become tacky before removing any excess with a kitchen towel. Carefully heat dry the surface and then to add more depth of colour, I used Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Crayons. Buff the surface with the kitchen towel. I then matted the embossed metal onto a sheet of card, covered with a red Holiday Deco sheet which leaves a beautiful shimmery border around the outside, followed by a layer of green kraft core card stock.

To create all the die cut elements, I started with the mini globe which I die cut from silver metallic kraft core card, and then mounted using foam pads for dimension onto a silver deco sheet. Using the Distress Splatter Brush, I added a few sprinkles of Picket Fence Distress Paint and allowed to dry.

The dove is die cut from a piece of chipboard, using the Enchanted Doves die from Tim Holtz. I painted the die cut piece with with a layer of gesso and once dry, inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Ink before applying a layer of Glossy Accents. Sprinkle a mixture of Rock Candy Distress Glitter and Pearl Art Ingredients Glass Glitter over the top. The combination of the two creates a beautiful sparkle but also gives a really nice texture.

Using foam pads, attach your finished globe and dove to the metallic card layers and then attach the matted layers onto your burlap panel.

For the foliage, I die cut various pieces of the Holiday Greens in different shades of green kraft core card. Using my fingers, I applied small amounts of Collage Medium onto the edges of the foliage and dipped them into Rock Candy Distress Glitter. Once all the pieces were dry, I then splattered them with some Picket Fence Distress Paint and arranged them across my metallic panel.

Cover a piece of card (any card will do) with a gold Deco Sheet and use this to die cut the Peace wording from the Vintage Tidings Die set (I LOVE this set of dies and oh my, that font is to die for). Attach the wording over the top of the foliage.

To complete this section, I added some Joyful Stickles Glitter Glue taken from the Holiday Seasonal Stickles set, to the highlight the berries on the die cut pieces. Allow to dry...

To complete the panel, I placed some Tim Holtz Baubles into the foliage and added the Dec 25th ephemera piece from the Christmas Time Ephemera pack, to the top left hand corner.

As the finishing touch, I cut a small piece of boxwood twine and place it into the doves beak...

This was such a fun project to created and I really hope you love all the ideas and techniques that I've packed into this panel and that it's given you some festive inspiration.

As always if you do need any further inspiration, 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 Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz Punches Dies: Mini Holiday Greens, Mini Globe, Enchanted Doves, Vintage Tidings

Texture Fade: Dotted Bullseye

Distress Paint: Picket Fence, Tarnished Brass

Distress Crayons: Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain

Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap

Idea-ology: Baubles, Boxwood Twine, Christmas Jute String, Christmas Time Ephemera, Hex Fastener

Surfaces: Burlap Panel, Nostalgic Kraft Core Card, Metallic Kraft Core, Holiday Deco Sheets, Deco Sheets, Tidings paper Stash

Mediums: Gesso, Collage Medium, Ranger Ink Holiday Seasonal Stickles, Rock Candy Distress Glitter

Pearl Art Ingredients Glass Glitter

Tim Holtz Splatter Brush

Ranger Craft Sheet

Heat Gun 

There Is Always Something To Be Thankful For...

Hello friends and welcome to another week over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog! This week our challenge theme is ~ Thanks or Thanksgiving. There are so many options for this challenge, whether you make handmade items for Thanksgiving or just want to say a simple thank you to someone, the choice is yours and we can't wait to see how you interpret our theme!

For my project, I chose to create a panel that told a story. Whenever I look through Tim Holtz's Vintage Photo Booth photos, they immediately conjure up these little stories in my head and for this one, I was just drawn by the idea of this young girl simply saying thank you to her parents.

So, it's time for a new challenge...

...and here's how I created this project!

To begin with I cut a panel of canvas paper. I wanted to have quite a big surface area around the layered focal point, so this is roughly A4 size.

I then started by adding a layer of gesso before applying my colour. I began by using a combination of Tumbled Glass and Weathered Wood, blending the colours together over the gessoed surface. Once this layer of paint is dry, I then went in with my Distress Crayons and added some Rusty Hinge, Hickory Smoke, Vintage Photo and Tumbled Glass, blending the colours together with my fingers and a semi dry baby wipe. Give the surface a blast of heat to ensure that everything is set and then add strips of Tissue Tape across the centre of the canvas.

To add some texture over the top of the tape, I then applied Texture Paste through the Linen, Splatters and Industrial Layering Stencils, let the paste dry before adding some colour over the top. Once again, I used the same colours of Distress Crayon that I added to my background. I also added some drips of Rust Alcohol Ink over the top, letting it run down the canvas.

Add a few paint scratches of gesso and a few splatters and then dry the entire background thoroughly.

As a finishing touch and to add some shimmer, I used Gold Rush Alchemy Paint which I dry brushed over the top of the embossed areas together with Gold Foil, allowing the foil to just kiss some of the areas of the embossing.

Now that the background was complete, I mounted it onto a piece of mount board and set it aside to work on the focal point.

For this, I started by colouring some card using Tarnished Brass, Squeezed Lemonade, Peeled Paint and Aged Mahogany Distress Stain which I applied to my craft sheet, misted with water and then dragged the card through the inks. Heat dry the card before die cutting it to cut some Layered Leaves and some Fall Foliage using Sizzix dies. I love how you can also emboss the Layered Leaf, (embossing folder is included in the die) to create the veins which create such a fabulous texture.

If the leaves need a little more colour to bring them to life, just apply Distress Ink over the top and around the edges.

For the gold shimmer, I ran a collage glue stick over the veins of the leaves and then applied Gold Foil Transfer sheets over the top.

Shape and arrange the leaves in a grouped cluster onto your background, together with some ephemera pieces that I mounted onto my canvas using Multi Medium.

I wanted to create some real dimension to this piece, so you can see from the photos how the leaves are really standing out from the canvas.

At this stage, I also twisted some wire and attached these around the leaf arrangement.

Now for the main part of my story and I chose this beautiful photo from Tim's photo booth set and attached it to a fork from the silverware adornment set ~ this is something that I'd seen my very talented friend, Paula Cheney do on one of her projects and I just thought it looked amazing and was such a cool idea. So, with this in mind and with the theme of my project, it just seemed the right moment to incorporate this into this piece!

I then laid down my image over a bed of floristry sisal, attaching it with a hot glue gun.

To complete my canvas, I added some metal studs and applied Distress Crayons around them to create the look of them being rusty and also a Remnant Rub.

As a finishing touch, I attached a small talk sticker ~ a quote which really does encompass this theme.

So, that completes my Thanksgiving project ~ a story of love and a dedication and I really hope you've enjoyed the creative process behind this piece!

As always if you do need any further inspiration, 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 Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz Punches Dies: Fall Foliage, Layered Leaf

Distress Paint: Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood
Distress Crayons: Rusty Hinge, Tumbled Glass, Hickory Smoke, Vintage Photo

Distress Stains: Tarnished Brass, Squeezed Lemonade, Peeled Paint and Aged Mahogany

Idea-ology: Occasions Small Talk Stickers, Photo Booth Vintage Photos, Nailhead Findings, Thrift Shop Ephemera, Sketchbook Tissue Tape, Special Delivery Remnant Rubs, Silverware Adornments

Surfaces: Metallic Kraft Core, Vintage Gold Foil Transfer Sheets
Rust Alcohol Ink
Layering Stencil: Linen, Splatters, Industrial
Mediums: Gesso, Texture Paste, Alchemy Gold Rush Metallique Paint, Collage Glue

Finnabair Mechanicals Embellishments: Mini Stars, Tin Hearts

Ranger Craft Sheet

Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Heat Gun 

Floristry fibres, wire and canvas paper from my own stash

Let It Snow In The City...

Hello friends and welcome to another fun Friday over on the Penny Black Blog! Today, I'm sharing a Christmas card created using some gorgeous Penny Black products and inspired by my love of New York at Christmas time. There's a little sneaky peek below of what you'll find when you click HERE to be whisked over to the blog to see all the latest projects from the Layering Ladies!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and hope you all have a great weekend ~ see you very soon!

Love Emma xx