Whatever The Weather...

Hello friends...

Welcome to a brand new week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and as many of us experienced a huge amount of snow and falling temperatures over the last few days, this week's challenge theme couldn't have been more appropriate as it's called...Whatever The Weather. The DT are also showcasing the products of the one and only Tim Holtz within their projects and even though this isn't something you have to do we hope you'll join us and play along!

For my project, I created a panel which was all about finding joy, whatever the weather and I decided to use a blue/grey background, with just a hint of purple which I thought worked so well with the warm tones of copper and gold ~ it's definitely one of my favourite combinations and I loved how the hint of metallic looked on the umbrella man die cut.

So, let's get started because it's time for the new challenge and here's how I created this piece!

To begin with I cut a panel of canvas paper from my stash and covered the entire surface with Hickory Smoke Distress Paint which I then heat dried. I then took some gesso and scraped this over the top of the painted surface. Once the gesso is dry, I then started adding my background layers, beginning with some Symphony Tissue Tape, which I applied to the central area of the painted background. I added some stamping using the script stamp from the Entomology set which I am loving at the moment as I find it so useful to add some interest to backgrounds. I then used Distress Crayons, Wilted Violet, Pumice Stone and Black Soot to bring more depth to the background. I completed the background by adding some Grit Paste through the Dotted Layering Stencil, allowed the paste to dry before adding a wash of Wilted Violet Distress Crayon over the top, together with a scraping of gesso. Finally, I added a few splatters of Black Soot.

Setting the background to one side, I then started creating my layers. I found this weather related ephemera piece in the Collector's Layers pack and attached it over the top of a torn piece of corrugated card, that I painted gold using a combination of Gold Rush and Steampunk Copper Alchemy paints. I placed a couple of hex fasteners into the bottom left and right hand corners.

I attached the layer using foam pads and placed this over the top of Design Tape strips and some Film Ribbon. I also used one of the Ticket Booth Stamps and added this to the layering. The ticket was stamped onto  a piece of card inked with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks and just tucked underneath the corrugated panel.

Now for the main star of the show...the umbrella man. I cut the image twice from chipboard and then layered them together to create one image which is nice and thick and substantial.

After giving the die cut a coat of gesso, I then painted it with Black Soot Distress Paint. Once it was dry, I then added applied Copper and Aged Brass Alchemy Waxes over the top to create this bronzed look to the surface. To complete the man, I added a scarf made from cheesecloth dyed with Pumice Stone and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain.

I attached the completed die cut to the project with foam pads to create more dimension and another layer.

To ground the die cut image, I placed him onto a quote chip ~ Find Joy In The Ordinary and also added another small torn piece of cheesecloth.

As the finishing touches to this project, I added a hinge clip, a Nailhead Finding and some Sprocket Gears to the layers and painted them with the same paints as I used on the corrugated card to create the look of rust.

To complete the panel, I added a Clippings Sticker ~ "Under Cover of the Rain" and I also added some Melange Pebbles to create the look of little raindrops....

...and here's another look at the finished project, mounted onto layers of gold metallic kraft card and a panel of chipboard, that I painted with Black Soot Distress Paint with an added touch of Alchemy Wax.

Don't forget, you can find more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog 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 I'll see you very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Umbrella Man
Tim Holtz Stamps: Ticket Booth
Distress Paint: Black Soot, Hickory Smoke
Distress Crayons: Black Soot, Pumice Stone, Wilted Violet
Layering Stencil: Dotted

Idea-ology: Nailhead Findings, Clippings Stickers, Film Ribbon, Collector's Layers Ephemera, Sprocket Gear, Mini Sprocket Gears, Symphony Tissue Tape, Vintage Design Tape, Quote Chip, Hex Fasteners
Prima Marketing Melange Pebbles
Mediums: Gesso, Matte Collage Medium
Alchemy Art Waxes: Aged Brass, Rich Copper
Alchemy Paints: Gold Rush, Steampunk Copper
Surfaces: Metallic Kraft Stash, Textured Surfaces
Ranger Craft Sheet

Heat Gun
Cheesecloth, chipboard and canvas paper from my own stash