That's Life: Black Coffee...

Hi everyone and welcome to a brand new week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is all about "FOOD AND DRINK" and the DT are hoping to inspire you with some gourmet delights and if you would like to join us and play along, then all the details of how you can do this are below! We're looking forward to seeing your makes...

For my project, I created a tag all about one of my favourite cities in the world...Paris, and the wonderful café society. So with this in mind, I wanted to create a vintage style piece that was inspired by the frontages of the cafés and created these using Tim Holtz and Sizzix dies. Also, how could I resist the temptation of not using the brand new Distress colour that Tim launched on his YouTube Live on Saturday! If you haven't checked it out yet, then what are you waiting for because it is the most gorgeous shade of blue called Prize Ribbon and I combined this with other Distress Spray Stains including Ground Espresso which had the food/drink link!

So let's get started ~ it's time for me to share this project and here's how I made this piece...

To begin with I used a Size 8 Etcetera Tag, but I didn't create my background directly onto the surface! Instead I used the same sized Mixed Media Heavystock tag for this.

I then cut a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card using the Bubbling Thinlits Die.

I started by adding colour to my tag and the die cut and chose a combination of Prize Ribbon, Ground Espresso, Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stains, together with Salvaged Patina and Speckled Egg Oxide Sprays.

I sprayed the Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays directly onto a tag and the panel, both of which had already been lightly misted water. I allowed for the inks to blend and create the colour I wanted, which was a rich, indigo denim blue.

I then adhered the die cut bubbles over the tag to create the textured layer and also added a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the surface to seal the inks.

I allowed for the tag to dry before rubbing Walnut Stain Distress Crayon over the top, blending out any of the harsh lines with a semi dry baby wipe.

Finally, I spritzed a very light misting of Speckled Egg over the tag and just allowed this to dry on it's own.

Once the tag was thoroughly dry, I then added some rusty colours around the edges and for this I used Crackling Campfire, Antiqued Bronze, Black Soot and Ground Espresso Distress Paints which I applied one at a time, drying in between layers to build the colour and create the rust finish.

With the tag ready, I machine stitched a border around the edge and then attached it to my Etcetera Tag with Matte Collage Medium.

Now for the embellishments and I used the Cafe Colorize Thinlits Die Set for my 'coffee cup'. I cut each individual piece from Mixed Media heavystock card and coloured them with a combination of brown Distress Inks to build up the layers. The only colour I used was Tumbled Glass for the band. I applied the inks directly to the card with a blending tool. To add a bit more intensity of colour, I added shading with Polychromos Pencils before I assembled the cup and the plume of steam.

I wanted to sit my cup on a ledge and used two Etcetera pieces to create an 'L' shape. I used the smallest and narrowest Pinked Etcetera Trim and added a straight edged trim which is in the Webs Trims.

On the pinked trim, I used a strip of paper from the Backdrops Volume 2 and chose this piece because of it's restaurant/cafe theme and using the Decorative Trims Thinlits Die set, I cut the specific section that I wanted to use.

I attached my die cut trim to the Etcetera Trim and cut away the excess before applying a layer of Matte Collage Medium to seal it.

I then added some rusty crusty layers to each end of the trim using Translucent Grit Paste and placed a Hardware Head onto either end, sinking it into the paste. I only applied a small amount of the paste as I don't want it to become to heavy, it's just to add texture to the smooth paper.

Once the paste was dry, I used the same colours of Distress Paint as I used around the edges of the tag and then applied a light touch of Gilding Wax over the top. This is from my own stash...

I attached the trim across my tag and then attached the cup using foam pads and placed this onto a small piece of Mummy Cloth that I dyed with Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen Sprays.

To complete the coffee cup, I added three metallic droplets around the die cut plume of steam.

All that's left to do is the wording. I cut the word CAFE using the Alphanumeric Bold and the word Paris using the Stretch Lower Thinlits Die set. All the letters are cut four separate times and layered over one another to resemble the thickness of chipboard.

I wanted to create a worn look to the lettering but also create an enamelled finish and so I used Embossing Glazes and gold embossing powder.

CAFE: Speckled Egg, Walnut Stain and Gold Embossing Powder

PARIS: Antique Linen, Walnut Stain and Gold Embossing Powder

I applied Tim's Embossing Dabber over the surface of the lettering and then applied each layer of the Glazes one at a time, reapplying the dabber between layers. I recommend to always start with a solid layer of the palest colour of glaze to begin with and then a sprinkle of the Walnut Stain over the top. I heat embossed the powders until molten. This will build up the thickness of the glaze and create a beautiful enamelled effect. I then finished with a sprinkling of gold embossing powder over the top which I heat embossed.

With the letters ready, I added the CAFE lettering onto gold metallic kraft stash to add a shadow and attached it to the left of the cup, running vertically down the side.

I attached the Paris lettering beneath my ledge, allowing it to slightly overhang the bottom.

Finally, I added a hinge clip, altered with Distress Paints, Speckled Egg, Picket Fence and Crackling Campfire, hung a Hook Clasp from it and added a Thought Token on the end, which I altered with Picket Fence Distress Crayon to accentuate the wording.

...as always, if you make anything, or been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to win. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....