Make It A December To Remember...

Hell friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is called 'B" is for...and we want you to create something that begins with the letter B! So whether you choose B for ~ blue, birthday, balloons or box, we can't wait to see what you create! The DT are also showcasing Brutus Monroe within their designs but the isn't something that you have to do to play along...

For my project, I chose 'B' for BOOK and altered a book cover, creating a planner journal for the month of December using Brutus Monroe Glass Pebbles as the baubles on my tree! I also designed the planner so that it would be freestanding on my workspace and I can flip the pages to look at the recipes, card list etc that I'll be popping inside.

So, let's begin the brand new challenge and here's how I created my project...

 

To begin with I used a spiral bound notepad with a plain kraft cover, that I bought from a local shop for £1. To prep my cover, I painted it with a coat of gesso and then heat dried it before then applying a coat of Black Soot Distress Paint. I actually painted all the covers, back, front, inside and outside, so that they would be consistent throughout the book and all match perfectly.

Once the paintwork was dry, I then added some dry brushed around the edges with Brushed Pewter Distress Paint to create a more worn, vintage feel to the cover.

Setting the book to one side and moving on, I cut a panel of the gorgeous foliage design paper from Christmas Paper stash, machine stitched a border around the outside before matting it onto red card. To get the perfect match for this project, I actually painted white card with Festive Berries Distress Paint before inking the edges.

I then mounted my layers onto the cover of the painted book.

Taking a Christmas Baseboard, I sanded the edges and then gave it a coat of Vintage Collage Medium before running the Gathered Twigs Crayon around the edge. Blend the crayon out with a semi dry baby wipe.

I then mounted some Christmas Ephemera pieces onto my baseboard, the poinsettia, stamps and Special Delivery label and adhered these into place with Matte Collage Medium. Attach the baseboard onto the cover.

Moving onto the tree, I took the large Woodland tree which I sprayed with Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain. Once the tree was thoroughly dry, I then used my fingers to dab Matte Collage Medium onto the tips and dusted it in Rock Candy Dry Glitter.

For the baubles, I used Brutus Monroe's Clear Acrylic Bubbles and painted them with a variety of Distress Paints, which take so well on the acrylic surface! I used Festive Berries, Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters before adding a touch of shimmer over the top using Unicorn's Hair Sparks Paint from Prima.

When the bubbles were dry, I attached them to my tree with collage medium before popping the tree into a painted thimble.

Once the tree was all stuck together and wasn't about to move, I attached it to the left hand side of the book cover, placing it onto a wood slice. So that the slice would fit against the book cover, I just cut a small amount away to give a straight edge. Allow for the adhesive to dry before touching it again...

The little Paper Doll girl on the right hand side is coloured with Distress Marker pens and then layered over a bed of foliage that I die cut from Classic Kraft Card, using the Mini Holiday Greens dies. I added some Picket Fence Distress Paint to the tips of all the dies cut pieces and then frosted them with some more glitter.

I then arranged all my die cuts behind the paper doll, together with a couple of wood slices which would act as a support for the figure and at the same time creating some dimension to the piece. I then applied some Grit Paste onto the tops of the wood slices to create the look of fallen snow which I glittered with some more of the Rock Candy Dry Distress Glitter.

I added some cheesecloth at her feet so that it would ground her and she wouldn't float and then applied Autumn Red Nuvo Crystal Drops onto the berries of the foliage behind her.

We're nearly there and after placing some frosted baubles around her feet and around the base of the tree, I added the December Quote Chip.

Finally, I hung a story stick from a hinge clip painted with Candied Apple Distress Paint...

...and placed another couple of the painted Brutus Monroe Pebbles in the top left and right hand corners.

So, that completes this week's project which I hope will inspire you with some ideas and of course, you don't have to use these on a book cover, you can create a tag or a festive scene to display in your home!

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....

See you very soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Brutus Monroe Acrylic Bubbles
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Mini Holiday Greens

Distress Spray Stain: Antique Linen, Peeled Paint

Distress Marker Pens
Distress Paint: Black Soot, Brushed Pewter, Picket Fence, Festive Berries, Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters

Idea-ology: Christmas Quote Chips, Hex Fasteners, Large Woodland Trees, Thimbles, Christmas Snippets Ephemera, Baubles, Wood Slice, Christmas Paper Dolls, Christmas Baseboards, Hinge Clip, Christmas Story Stick

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Vintage Collage Medium, Rock Candy Dry Glitter, Unicorn's Hair Sparks Acrylic Paint

Surfaces: Christmas Paper Stash

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun

Book and cheesecloth from my own stash