Merry & Bright

Hello friends....

As another week flies by, it's time for a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week our theme is called ~ Stamp It On!

As many of you know, STAMPtember® is a very special month in the Simon Says Stamp calendar. Its a time for a big crafty celebration with lots of new products being released and different events happening over on the Simon Says Stamp Blog throughout the whole month of September. This week the Monday DT are showcasing some new and fabulous STAMPtember Products and we would love for you to join us in our celebrations and play along! So it's time to start the party and Happy Stamptember...

For my project, I created a Christmas card using the Ornate Ornaments stamp and die set and hope you'll read along to see how I created this project, combining the lovely new SSS products with some of my favourite festive Tim Holtz stamps and dies...

So, let's get started...it's time for the new challenge to begin!

I began by creating all my baubles and using a selection of the stamps from the set, I stamped them onto watercolour card using my Tim Holtz Stamp Platform. The stamp platform is a tool that I could not be without when I stamp onto watercolour card, as it allows me to re-stamp the image perfectly (if needed) onto the uneven texture of the card and create the perfect, crisp image every single time.

I then coloured each of them using a variety of Distress Marker Pens ~ Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry and a hint of Fossilized Amber. Once the ornaments were watercolored, I then used the corresponding dies to cut each of them out and added a touch of Wink Of Stella over the top for a subtle shimmer.

I inked the edges with a touch of Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and then placed a small gem in the centre of the starburst ornaments before placing these to one side to work on the background.

Starting with the kraft card background and the first layer, I cut a piece of the card, and then inked up one of the Tim Holtz Mini Swirly Snowflake Stamps with a Versamark Ink Pad. I then stamped the snowflake all over the background before sprinkling gold embossing powder over the top. Tap away the excess powder and then heat emboss until the powder becomes molten.

I inked the edges of the embossed card, machine stitched a border around the outside and then matted the layer onto classic kraft stash, another layer of kraft card and then mounted this onto my white card blank.

Moving onto the next layer and the inner panel, I started by cutting a panel of cream card and once again used the Versamark Ink Pad to ink up the Holiday text stamp which I stamped directly onto the card using my stamp platform.

I sprinkled the gold embossing powder over the top, heat embossed the text and then inked the edges before adding a machine stitched border around the outside.

I matted this card onto copper metallic cardstock, followed by a layer of pink Classic Kraft Card and a layer of gold metallic kraft card.

To create the hanging baubles, I arranged the die cuts onto my embossed text panel and used foam pads to secure them into place and create dimension.

I then added some twine to the ornaments, threading some through the little die cut holes at the top and securing it at the back of the panel. I also added some twine bows onto the remainder.

Using foam pads on the back of the panel, I mounted this onto the centre of my covered card blank, adding a grouping of sequins amongst the arrangement, placing them in the bottom right hand corner.

To complete the bauble arrangement, I added the Merry & Bright Metallic Quote Sticker over the top of the ornaments.

As the final touch to my card and to give it a real feel of Christmas ~ I added some die cut foliage using the Mini Holiday Greens die set from Tim Holtz. I cut each individual piece from Classic Kraft Card and then added a kiss of Picket Fence Distress Paint to the ends. Once the paint is dry, I brushed a small amount of Collage Medium over the top and then dipped it into Rock Candy Dry Glitter before arranging the foliage onto my card and adding three small Baubles to the centre. For the final embellishments, I added some Nuvo Crystal Drops onto the foliage and then placed two Hex Fasteners in the top right and bottom left hand corners.

So, that completes my card to celebrate the beginning of Stamptember and I hope you've enjoyed the creative process behind this piece and how it all came together....

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:

Simon Says Stamp: Ornate Ornaments Stamp and Die Set

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Mini Swirly Snowflakes, Stripes and Holiday

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Mini Holiday Greens

Distress Paint: Picket Fence

Distress Inks: Frayed Burlap

Distress Marker Pens

Idea-ology: Hex Fasteners, Metallic Holiday Talk Stickers, Baubles Findings

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Jet Black Archival Ink, Gold Embossing Powder, Versamark Ink Pad, Nuvo Crystal Drops, Rock Candy Dry glitter

Surfaces: Classic Kraft Stash, Kraft Card, Metallic Kraft Stash, Cream Card, Watercolour Card

Hemptique Twine

SSS sequins, Little Things From Lucy's Jewels

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Tim Holtz Stamp Platform

Heat Gun