All Wrapped Up....

Hello friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week our theme is called IT'S A WRAP!

There are so many interpretations for this challenge and whether you decide to create wrapping paper, gift tags or gift boxes, or even if you decide to wrap something around your project ~ we can't wait to see what you make.

For my project, I decided to create some hand stamped wrapping paper for Halloween and added a dimensional floral decoration that is yep, you guessed it ~ wrapped around my parcel. So, I hope this project will inspire you with some ideas of your own and hope you'll join me for how I created this piece which is perfect for all those tricks or treats...

So let's get started, it's time to begin this week's challenge...

To begin with I took some plain kraft wrapping paper that I bought from my local store. I cut a panel of the paper that would fit around my parcel and laid it out in front of me on my glass media mat.

I then started stamping ~ inking up the Skull & Crossbones stamp from the Regions Beyond Stamp Set with the Black Soot ink from Tim's Archival Pad. I stamped the image across my paper, forming a continual pattern.

Once I was happy with the design, I used the same stamp and stamped the image a couple of times onto a post-it note. I cut around the outline of the stamped image to create two masks. I placed these over the top of the images I had already stamped onto the kraft paper before inking up the web stamp from the Tangled Web stamp set with Picket Fence Distress Ink, (if you prefer or if you don't have the Picket Fence, you can also use Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink which I find gives a really crisp white image against the kraft paper). I then stamped the web directly onto my kraft paper, stamping over the top of the masked images and moving the masks around as I created the continual web design over the entire sheet.

For any areas where the web didn't join up, I just took a white pen and drew the lines in ~ it's that easy! As a finishing touch to the paper, I took a white pencil and just added some feather strokes to create highlights on the skull.

To complete the paper, I took the 'Open If You Dare' stamp and stamped the wording in between the skulls before adding a few paint splatters as a finishing touch. I also used some of the spiders from the Halloween Remnant Rub set and placed these to crawl over the background of webs.

Moving onto the flower bouquet, I began with black rose which is made using Tim's Tattered Florals die. You can see how I create these roses HERE but for this rose, you will need to die the paper or card, whichever you choose to use, using Black Soot Distress Spray Stain followed by a misting of Antiqued Bronze Mica Spray.

Once I had my rose assembled, I then added some Boneyard Findings to the centre to look like spooky stamens.

For the foliage, I used a combination of the leaves ~ the autumnal leaves are die cut using the Fall Foliage die set and then coloured with Distress Oxide Inks in a variety of warm, autumn colours and then I used the Funky Floral 3 die set to die cut the black and gold foliage, cut from Classic Kraft Stash and Metallic Kraft Stash.

I wrapped a piece of hessian ribbon from my stash around the parcel, securing the ribbon with a small strip of tape at the back so that it will slide of the package in one piece and can be kept. I then tied a section of the Halloween twine around the centre of the ribbon.

For the floral arrangement, I started with the autumnal leaves, added some Spanish Moss and then layered my rose and black and gold foliage over the top.

As a finishing touch to the package and for the ultimate, trick or treat ~ I added a Remnant Rub and a 'poison' label.

Now, as an added extra and because every present needs a tag, I created a little matching one made using the smallest size of kraft tag from the Tim Holtz tag set. I stamped the web over the entire surface of the tag using Versamark Ink Pad and then sprinkled it with white embossing powder. I heated emboss the powder and then inked the edges of the tag with Ground Espresso Distress Ink.

I then placed some smaller die cut Fall Foliage leaves over a bed of moss and placed the 'boo' quote chip in the centre of the leaves before adding another Remnant Rub spider.

Attach some twine and there you have your matching tag....

...and all you need to do is wrap up your parcel, write your tag and present the present to someone who will only open it if they dare!!!!!!

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/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Regions Beyond, Tangled Webs
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Fall Foliage, Tattered Florals, Funky Florals 3
Distress Spray Stain: Black Soot

Distress Inks: Ground Espresso, Picket Fence

Idea-ology: Halloween Quote Chips, Halloween Remnant Rubs, Boneyard Findings, Halloween Ephemera

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink, Mica Spray, SSS White Fine Detail Embossing Powder

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavy Stock, Tim Holtz Tags, Classic Kraft Stash, Metallic Kraft Stash
Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink Pad

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun

Spanish Moss, kraft paper and hessian ribbon from my own stash