That's Life: AALL & Create

Showing posts with label AALL & Create. Show all posts

Monday, 6 July 2026

School Days...

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!

Can you believe how fast time is flying!?!? It's going so quickly and it's already that time of the week when we welcome a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week's theme is all about BACK TO SCHOOL and the DT are also showcasing the products of 49 & Market.

For my make, I created a card, and a matching gift box that was made using Tim Holtz dies from Sizzix and some beautiful products from 49 & Market. If you haven't checked out this company, then do it now and if you love all things vintage, then you definitely have to look for the Faded Memory Lane collection ~ it's a huge wow from me!

The set that I've made today can be used as a thank you card and gift for a teacher but the reason that I made this was because of a more personal memory. At the start of every school year, my Mom would always write me a note, just a little note of encouragement to tell me how proud she was of me and she would pop these notes in my school bag, or hand it to me on the first day of the new term.

I still have all those notes in a box ~ precious memories of a very special Mom!

So today, I thought I would make a set that can be used for the very same purpose because every kid needs encouragement and support from their parents and those few words will stay with them for life!

So, let's get started, it's time to create!

CARD

I made a 15 x 11.5cm card blank from brown cardstock and matted a layer of 14 x 10.5cm Kraft card, onto ivory card, leaving a narrow border around each layer to create the base.

I then used the largest of the AALL & Create Quirky Post Dies to die cut a piece of Mixed Media Heavystock Card. Once cut, I inked the edges of the card with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, and then smooshed Old Paper Distress Ink onto my craft mat, misted the ink with water and dipped the card into the inky droplets. Once happy with the colour, I heat dried the card and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

This die set comes with a die that creates a matt that will fit perfectly inside the postage frame and I used this to cut a piece of the 49 & Market Faded Memory Lane paper. About 6 weeks ago, and knowing I had this challenge in my schedule, I bought the 6" x 8" paper pad from SSS but unfortunately this pad doesn't seem to be available any more, but they do have the 12" pack ~ so, this could be used but please bear in mind the images will be larger and your card measurements might need to be slightly adapted.

Anyway, back to my make and after cutting one of the papers from the smaller pack with the die, I inked the edges and then added some zig zag machine stitching around the edges. I matted the die cut panel onto a piece of grey cardstock before mounting the layers onto the postage stamp die cut and then using foam pads to attach the layers to my card blank.

Finally, I flicked some white acrylic paint across the surface of the card and allowed this to dry.

Now to create the ephemera layers which are all from 49 & Market. I began with a postage stamp layer from the Faded Memory Lane Ephemera Pack and then placed the clock from the Chipboard pack over the top. I then adhered these layers onto my card front using foam pads.

I added the 'special' ephemera strip down the side of the postage stamp, complete with a Cello Sticker Tape piece...

...and also the number 5 in the top left hand corner, complete with an idea-ology Tiny Clip.

TIME TO STAMPING

We're now ready for the hero of this card, the stamped image of those three little birdies.

This stamp is from the Stampers Anonymous Tiny Things Stamp set by Tim Holtz. I stamped the image onto watercolour card using Black Soot Archival Ink and coloured it with Distress Watercolour Pencils. Once dry, I used the co-ordinating die set to cut the image before inking the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I layered the birdies onto the centre of the chipboard clock using foam pads and adding a piece of Mummy Cloth that I dyed with Frayed Burlap Distress Spray Stain, and just placing this underneath to ground the stamped image and add some texture.

I then stamped the "Don't Forget To Fly" sentiment from the Tiny Text stamp set and once again, used the co-ordinating die set to cut a perfect banner that I placed onto my card with foam pads and adding it just underneath the birdies.

So that's my card made....now for the gift box!

PILLOW BOX

For the box, I cut a panel of the Faded Memory Lane paper. The quality of this paper is so good and it is a perfect weight for the construction of the box.

You need two separate die cuts to make this box and after folding along the scoreline, I adhered the pieces together to form the box. I then inked the edges before hand cutting a separate panel of paper from the pack which I attached to the front of my box. I also added machine stitching to this panel and added a Faded Memory Lane Ephemera piece in the top right hand corner, and a Mini Pin.

So that box will be sealed tightly, I used Crinkle Ribbon wrapped around it lengthways.

I cut a strip of the ribbon and then misted it with water before adding my colour, using Victorian Velvet and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stains. Scrunch the ribbon into a tight ball and allow to dry before wrapping it around the box and finishing it with a messy bow at the top.

For the topper on the box, I began by cutting a strip of paper from the pad, approx 1" in width and I wrapped this strip around the box to get the correct measurement and folds. You need the strip to be approx 1cm longer in length so that you will be able to attach the end to form the belly band.

Once I had the belly band in place and it slides nicely into position on the front of the box, I cut my topper.

For this I used the Sizzix Interchangeable Seal by Tim Holtz to cut a piece of metallic Kraft card stash but if you don't own this, any circular die will be fine for the job.

I then used the SSS Stitched Circle die to cut a piece of the Faded Memory Lane paper, which I matted in the centre of the seal before I attached the topper onto my belly band.

To complete the topper, I used the little bee from the Tiny Things Stamp Set. As with the birdies, I stamped this onto watercolour card and coloured it with Distress Watercolour Pencils before die cutting it with the co-ordinating stamp set.

Together with the stamped and die cut sentiment 'choose to shine', I attached my bee to the topper.

So, that's my project for this week completed and I hope you love the pieces I've made and the story behind them.

As always, if you make anything, or if you've 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 next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...see you soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

49 and Market: Faded Memory Lane Paper Pack, Faded Memory Lane Ephemera, Faded Memory Lane Chipboard

AALL & Create Quirky Post Dies

Sizzix: Vault Pillow Box and Bag, Switchlits Embossing Folder/Interchangeable Seal

SSS and Tim Holtz Tiny Things Die and Stamp Bundle and Tiny Text Bundle

SSS Stitched Circles Die Set

Sizzix: Big Shot

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen, Old Paper

Distress Spray Stains: Antique Linen, Victorian Velvet

Distress Watercolour Pencils

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Mini Pins. Tiny Clips, Cello Stickers, Mummy Cloth

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Classic Metallic Kraft Stash, Distress Watercolour Card, Ivory Cardstock

Mediums and Adhesive: SSS Foam Squares, SSS Tape Runner, Black Soot Archival

Friday, 20 March 2026

Simon Says Stamp In My Heart Blog Hop ~ Day 1

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 1 of the In My Heart Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to be joining this hop, and you might have arrived here from Miriam Prantner's blog, but if not, and you want to catch up with everyone who is participating in this hop, then don't worry because you can head back to the beginning, by clicking HERE and if you would like to see the entire product release, then pop on over to HERE.

For my card, I was inspired by watching the flowers come to life in the garden, and knowing that spring is finally on its way. But of course, spring also brings another special occasion ~ Mother's Day and with this card, I wanted to celebrate all those special Moms out there who deserve to be made a fuss of. And even though my Mom is a bright star in the sky, that would never stop me celebrating and honouring her and I used some of the gorgeous products from the release, together with a few Tim Holtz products to make a very special card for my best friend, my mom!

So, let's begin ~ it's time to share how I created this card and the arrangment of flowers.

CARD BLANK and LAYERS

I started by making a card blank from Kraft card measuring, 17.5 x 13.5cm.

I then cut a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card, and lightly misted the surface with water before applying Speckled Egg, Bundled Sage and Pumice Stone Distress Spray Stains. After another mist of water to blend the inks, I heat dried the panel.

I then inked up the 'dots" stamp from the Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Dots and Floral stamp set using Peeled Paint Archival Ink, and stamped onto the panel. For a panel of this size, you will need to re-ink the stamp and repeat to get a continuous pattern.

After machine stitched a border around the edge of the stamped panel, I mounted it onto the centre of my card blank.

I then cut a panel of green card from the Cool Kraft Stock Stack measuring, 14.5 x 10.5cm and matted this onto a layer of mixed media heavystock inked with Mustard Seed Distress Ink, and a second layer of the green card, each time leaving a narrow border showing around the outside.

Attach the panels to the centre of the covered card blank to form the base layers for the floral centrepiece.

EMBOSSED PANEL

For my next layers, I used the AALL & Create Quirky Postage Dies and cut a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock using the largest size of postage stamp, together with the inner solid layer.

I inked the die cut cardstock with the same sprays as I previously used on the background, heat dried the inks and then inked the edges of each piece with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Taking the inner die cut layer, I placed this inside the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Intertwined Embossing Folder and ran this through my Big Shot.

I then added a machine stitched border before attaching this piece to my postage stamp die cut and wrapping a piece of velvet ribbon around the bottom section of the panel, securing the ends at the back.

On either end of the ribbon, I added two idea-ology Mini Clips.

Using foam pads, I attached the layers to my card front.

CIRCLE OF FLOWERS

For the circle itself, I used the SSS Stitched Circles die set, approx 8.5cm in diameter and the SSS Basic Circles Die Set. Using the Stitched Circle die, die cut a piece of Kraft heavystock. You only need the solid section from the die cut, discard the remaining waste or you can use it as frame for another project.

I then took the next size down in the Stitched Circles die set and using a circle, slightly larger in size, I placed this on the outside of the Stitched Circle die. Run this through the Big Shot and you will be left with a frame and a solid circle. You need both of these. Repeat this process three more times but this time I cut the pieces from gold metallic Kraft card. You should now have one solid large circle in Kraft, one smaller circle in the mixed media heavy stock and four frames. Place any leftover circles to one side for another day.

Ink the edges of the Kraft circle with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then layer the frames over one another to form a raised edge to the circle.

Add colour to the remaining solid mixed media heavystock circle, using the same Distress Stray Stains as used on the background. Once dry, attach the solid circle to the centre of the frame.

To create more of a vintage feel to the gold metallic frame, I lightly sanded the surface and then used Crackling Campfire, Antiqued Bronze Distress Paints and a light touch of Black Soot Distress Paints. Apply these in layers directly onto the metallic surface, building up the colour to create the rusty look to the frame.

Attach the circle to the card front with foam pads.

FLORAL CENTREPIECE

The flowers and stems are die cut from Distress Watercolour Card using the Jaunty Stem Die Set.

I used two layers for each flower and then coloured the petals and stems with Distress Inks in the following colours:

Flowers: Fossilised Amber, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed and Saltwater Taffy

Stems: Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Rustic Wilderness

Once all my die cuts were watercolored, I layered the pieces to create double petals, added the centres and completed each flower with some white pen work. I then attached all the die cuts to my circle, arranging them to fill the circle and using foam pads to add height and dimension.

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left is those finishing details....

Using the Mom set of EZ Strips, I cut the "To the best mom ever', which I matted onto Kraft card and 'I love you" from the sheets.

I attached the first sentiment across the bottom of my circle of flowers.

With the other sentiment, I placed this into a die cut label frame. The label is cut from metallic cardstock using the dies from the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Specimen Die Set and I attached a screw head to either side of the frame. I then altered the surface using the same technique as I used on the circle.

The label frame is attached to the centre of the velvet ribbon strip using Matte collage Medium to secure it into place.

Finally, I added some Cello Sticker Tape pieces around the edges of the card...

...pinned a Mini Pin to the corner of the background layer, which I folded back, and completed the card by placing a Snippets Ephemera Piece, '5 For' to the top right hand corner.

So, that's my card finished and I hope you love what I've created and enjoyed the techniques I've used.

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the blog hop from the blog comment section! So, this means you can leave a comment here and on every stop along the way to increase your chances. Winners will be notified and they will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, 25th March and all winners will need to contact/email Simon Says Stamp to claim their prize.

Also, don't forget that you will have the not yet released Simon Says Stamp Beautiful Day 3x4 stamp automatically added to your card that contains any purchase from the In My Heart Collection. The gift with purchase will expire on the 22nd March at 11;59pm EDT or whilst stocks last.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and don't forget to go and check out Day 2 of the hop tomorrow!!!

See you soon, love Emma x

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog

Emma Williams <<<you are here

CLICK HERE to shop all products used to make this card

Simon Says Stamp: Basic Circles Die Set, Stitched Circles, Jaunty Stem, EZ Strips Mom Set

Sizzix/Tim Holtz: Intertwined Embossing Folder, Specimen

AALL & Create: Quirky Post Dies

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Dots and Floral

Distress Spray Stains: Pumice Stone, Speckled Egg, Bundled Sage

Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Walnut Stain, Fossilised Amber, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Saltwater Taffy, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Rustic Wilderness

Tim Holtz Distress Paints: Black Soot, Crackling Campfire and Antiqued Bronze

Mediums and Adhesive: SSS Foam Squares, SSS Tape Runner, Black Pen, Matte Collage Medium

Surfaces: Kraft Card, Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Distress Watercolour Card

Tim Holtz idea-ology: Mini Pins, Kraft Stock Stack Cool, Hardware Heads, Cello Sticker Tape, Snippets Ephemera, Tiny Clips

Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat

Sizzix Big Shot

Now, it's time to hop to the next stop...

Kim Hamilton

Monday, 2 February 2026

Let's Fall In Love....

Hello everyone...

Hope you all had a good weekend and you're ready for the week ahead, and a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is all about ADDING SOME TEXTURE and the DT are showcasing the products of AALL & Create. If you'd like to join us, then all the details are at the end of this post and we would love to see how you interpret this week's fun challenge...

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I couldn't help but feel that love is in the air and for my make, I chose to create a tag using AALL & Create Papers that add plenty of texture to the background, together with many layers of Tim Holtz products.

So, let's get started because it's time to share how I created my tag...

TAG

To begin with I used two separate designs from the AAll & Create Distressed Dreams Timber Tints paper pack and began by covering a Mini Etcetera Tag using one of the designs from the pack. I did add some stamping using one of Tim's stamps to some areas of the paper before machine stitching a border around the edge, and also added some stitching and texture to the patchwork design of the paper itself. After inking the edges, I adhered the paper to my Etcetera Tag using Matte Collage Medium, adding a coat of the medium over the top to seal the paper.

Using a second design from the paper pack, I created a size 8 tag. Once again, I machine stitched a border around the outside before inking the edges, and mounting it onto the centre of my larger Etcetera Tag using foam pads to add dimension.

CENTRAL FOCAL POINT

Now to start building a focal point to this piece and for this, I used Tim Holtz idea-ology products and built them up to create more texture and of course, create the focal point to this make.

I began with the metal pieces and chose to use a Photo Frame and the corner pieces from the Flourish Adornments pack. You will need two packs of these Flourishes to create this piece but with three pieces in each pack, it means you will have plenty of extras for future projects.

To alter all the metal pieces, I began by applying some Foundry Wax, and applied a layer of Statue Wax before heat setting it with a heat tool. I then applied a very thin layer of Sterling over the top, using my fingertip, or you can use a brush but just touching the raised areas, making sure that I didn't go too heavy with the medium. Once I'd heat set this layer, I then used Distress Paints directly onto the surface to add a little more colour and create the tarnished, rusty effect I wanted. I used the following colours:

Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Crackling Campfire and Vintage Photo

Build up the layers of paint, drying each layer before adding the next and always add the Black Soot sparingly.

Once I was happy with the finish, I allowed the paint to dry before applying Lisa Horton waxes with my fingertip, As with the paints, I build up the layers to achieve the finish I want.

To create the frame, I attached a piece of scrap paper from a Tim Holtz paper pack behind the aperture and then attached the flourishes at the top and the bottom, attaching them with Matte collage Medium. Set this to one side to dry completely whilst working on the remaining layers.

Behind the frame, I added some cotton calico which I have in my stash. After cutting two separate pieces that are slightly larger in size than my frame, I used Distress Spray Stains, Vintage Photo and Frayed Burlap, to dye them. Spritz the fabric with water and heat dry the cotton before fraying the edges.

I machine stitched the two pieces together before adhering them to a mica tile from my stash and then mounting the layers onto the centre of tag, placing it onto the smaller tag. Attach the frame over the top of the fabric. In the photo below, you can see the dimension that I've created by building up these layers.

In the centre of the frame I chose one of the vintage images of a couple from the Photo Booth pack and distressed the edges of the photo, adding small tears to the corner. I then cut a piece of felt using pinking shears and machine stitched the image onto the felt. Once I'd attached the photo in the centre of the frame arrangement, I added a Labeled Remnant Rub in the top left and a piece of cello sticker tape over the top.

To add some detail and even more texture to the fabric, I ruffled it and then pinned it on either side using Mini Pins

Beneath the frame, I added a Theories Quote Chip. I wrapped red cotton around each end of the chip and then mounted this onto my tag using foam pads,

To complete the tag, I added some screwheads, altered with the same paints and waxes that I used on the frame.

CLIP

On this piece, I used one of Tim's Vintage clips, and created a rusty finish to the metal. This is so easy to achieve and you can see a tutorial on how I do this by clicking HERE.

To alter this clip, I used exactly the same process as I used in my earlier post, but I omitted the Salvaged Patina Paint on this particular piece.

In the centre of the clip, I attached a Heart Adornment that I altered with more of the same colours of Distress Paint as I've used throughout and painting the tiny heart with Lumberjack Plaid. I then added some twine around the clip before clipping it onto my tag.

To complete this project, I attached a swivel clasp to the clip and hung an idea-ology lock and key to the chain, again altered for a more rusty, vintage appearance.