Little Stars, Choose To Shine...

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is called ~ STENCIL IT and with so many fabulous stencils available right now, there are plenty of techniques that you can use with them. So, whether you ink, spray, use embossing paste or even create your own backgrounds and stencils...whatever you decide to do we will be looking forward to seeing what you create!

For my project, I used one of my favourite Tim Holtz Layering Stencils, Mosaic to create my own background paper in the style and colour that would work with my vintage style layout. I also used stencils with Grit Paste to create layers and texture before adding gorgeous ephemera pieces which I used to create the look of an open book, a paper doll and some stamped butterflies.

 

...and here's how I created the project!

To begin with I cut a piece of canvas paper to measure, 18 x 24cm.

I usually add a layer of a neutral coloured Distress Paint to begin with and for this project, chose Old Paper, blended with a little Pumice Stone. Once I'd covered the surface of the paper, I dried it thoroughly and then took my Mosaic Layering Stencil, laid it onto the top left hand side of paper and started to add the colour. I used Weathered Wood Distress Paint and applied very small amounts of paint through the stencil using a blending tool. Don't overload your tool as the paint will have a tendency to leak underneath the stencil ~ less is more! 

Once you have finished the first section, you can move the stencil down to complete the lower left hand side of the card ~ just line up the pattern and apply the paint onto that area.

Now it came to the right hand side of the panel and because the stencil itself doesn't create a continual receptive pattern, I laid the stencil onto the right hand side but found there was a slight gap between the two stencilled areas but that's fine because I found a way that I can get around that. I continued to cover the paper by applying the paint through the stencil and then drying the surface thoroughly.

As I mentioned, there is a gap down the centre of the paper but by cleverly applying strips of Tissue Tape and various Design Tapes, (all listed below) directly over the top of the stencilled background, this can be hidden and you don't know it's there.

For the next stage, I applied Grit Paste through the Grid Dot stencil concentrating on the central area of the panel of card. Allowing the paste to dry, I then applied some Weathered Wood Distress Paint over the top, blending it out with my finger. To add more depth, I used the Pumice Stone Distress Crayon over the top, then added drips of Ecoline gold watercolour paint.

To complete the background I machine stitched around the outside and then added a few paint splatters in white, gold and black paint.

For the focal point of this piece and to tell the story of my layout, I used one of the Collector Ephemera pieces to create the look of a book for my background layer. I stitched down the centre of the piece before distressing the edges.

I gently curved each side of the piece for the book effect and then when I attached it to the background panel, I used foam pads to create the dimension and look of an open book and layered it over the top of some cheesecloth dyed with Weathered Wood Distress Spray Stain.

I then added Botanical Layers, Snippets and a Paper Doll, coloured with Distress Markers to the open book and completed it with an Index Clip. I also attached a couple of Melange Pebbles painted with Alchemy Paints and a touch of Alchemy Wax.

To add even more dimension, I used the gorgeous Flutter Stamp Set and stamped two butterflies onto watercolour card, then painted them with Distress Marker Pens before die cutting them with the corresponding Sizzix dies.

These dies actually don't cut around the stamens but don't worry about that, I just added some twists of wired attached them to the bodies.

Finally, I added a Clippings Sticker, "The Little Stars" and a quote chip, "Choose To Shine"....

...together with some Mirrored Stars coloured with Mushroom Alcohol Ink to complete the panel.

I really hope you've loved today's project and I've given you some inspiration on how to use stencils to add different looks to your work...

As always, if you do need any further inspiration, then you need look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members 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 see you again very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Die: Flutter
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Flutter

Distress Paints: Old Paper, Weathered Wood, Pumice Stone
Distress Spray Stains: Weathered Wood
Distress Marker Pens
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil: Grid Dot, Mosaic
Distress Crayons: Pumice Stone, Black Soot
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Paper Dolls, Botanical Layers, Collector Ephemera Layers, Index Clips,  Symphony Tissue Tape, Snippets, Quote Chips, Mirrored Stars, Journey Design Tape, Aristocrat Design Tape, Butterfly Design Tape, Clippings Sticker
Tim Holtz Watercolor Card
Mediums: Collage Medium, Grit Paste, Jet Black Archival Ink, Gesso, Mushroom Alcohol Ink
Prima Marketing Acrylic Paints: Blue Gold
Ecoline Gold Watercolour Paint
Melange Pebbles
Old Silver Alchemy Wax

Ranger Craft Sheet

Mini Blending Tool

Big Shot

Heat Gun
Canvas paper and cheesecloth from my own stash

Planet Earth...

Welcome to a brand new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog where this week, we ask you to be...Inspired By A Song! Whether it be a current song that you just can't get out of your head or maybe, it will be your all time favourite tune, we can't wait to see what song you will be inspired by and look forward to all your wonderful creations!

For my project, I was inspired by my favourite band, Duran Duran and their very first single, which was called Planet Earth. I've been a lifelong fan of this band and seen them numerous times in concert, so how could I not use them as my inspiration and of course, their first single was just the perfect place to start and I quickly knew exactly what I would use ~ yes, my favourite globe die has made another appearance and I hope you love what I made...

I started with two canvas panels, one 8" square and the second, 6 x 4". I used the larger of two panels and with a paintbrush applied a base coat of Hickory Smoke Distress Paint across the surface of each. I then added a very small amount of Picked Raspberry and used a baby wipe to blend the colours together. Once I was happy with the blend, I heat dried the background before spritzing the surface with Black Soot Distress Spray Stain. Once the mist has dried completely, I then added some paint scratches in white gesso and some flicks of Color Bloom Gold Spray Mist before setting it aside to start work on the second layer.

For this layer, I once again started with a layer of Hickory Smoke Distress Paint and then blended some Black Soot and Peacock Feathers over the top. After a spritz of Black Soot Distress Spray Stain, I then dried the panel thoroughly.

You will need to ensure that the paint is completely dry before moving onto the next stage, where I added a small amount of glitter to the background. For this, I applied a smear of Transparent Texture Paste to random areas and then sprinkled Vintage Glamour Dust over the top. Leave to dry before using a soft, dry brush to brush away any excess glitter.

At this point, I also used my fingertip to rub a small amount of Treasure Gold Gilding Wax around the outside of both canvas panels.

Now, it's time to start building up those layers and I began by tearing a section of corrugated card from the Textured Surfaces pack and painting it with Picket Fence Distress Paint before inking around the edges. I attached the card with Multi Medium, placing it across the centre of the larger panel before adding my second smaller panel over the top, placing the canvas on the left hand side of the square canvas and using foam pads to attach it.

Once in place, I then die cut some gold circle loops from gold Metallic Kraft Core Core'Dinations card stock and attached these onto my background. These dies are a must have and are so pretty and delicate but create such an impact to any project.

Next, I added some Glass Glitter and Micro Beads to the corrugated card for a little more texture.

I then moved onto the globe which I die cut from silver Metallic Kraft Core Core'Dinations card and layered over the top of a circle of silver Deco Sheet, which created a shimmery but not too glittery effect as a background for the globe. When mounting my globe onto any background, I like to use foam pads to create a realistic, domed effect to the central area of the globe.

I also used a sander over the top of the silver card to create a more worn, vintage look to the cardstock.

Mount the globe, using more foam pads, to the smaller panel, placing it over some torn pieces of cheesecloth and slightly offsetting it before attaching a small talk sticker, (so perfect for the theme of this canvas), mounted on gold card.

For the final addition of embellishments, I added die cut stars, glittered with Vintage Glitter Dust. Scatter the stars around the globe, using foam pads to create dimension and layers...

...before adding moonshine sequins and some studs to each corner of the canvas.

...and here's the finished piece ~ where you can see all the layers and the hopefully, even though it wasn't the easiest piece to photograph, you can also see the beautiful shimmer that this project has!

As always, if you need any further inspiration for this challenge, then you need look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members 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 all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Globe, Stacked Stars

Simon Says Stamp Circle Loops Die

Distress Ink: Ground Espresso

Distress Paint: Hickory Smoke, Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers

Distress Spray Stains: Black Soot

Mediums: Ranger Multi Medium, Gesso, Prima Art Basic Matte 3D Gel

Color Bloom Gold Foil Spray Mist

Idea-ology: Small Talk Stickers, Tim Holtz Distress Vintage Glitter Dust

Surfaces: Canvas Panels, Metallic Kraft Core Core'dinations Card, Deco Sheets, Textured Surfaces

Embellishments: Gold Rush Glass Glitter, Silver Micro Beads, Moonshine Sequins

Treasure Gold White Fire Gilding Wax

Ranger Craft Sheet

Blending Tool

Heat Gun

Big Shot

Foam Squares

Cheesecloth and 8" square canvas panel from my own stash

The Power Of Love...

"The best thing to hold onto in life, is each other" ~ Audrey Hepburn

Hello everyone and welcome to my third and final Valentine's Day project of the week!

I really hope you've enjoyed all the makes I've shared and thank you so much to everyone who has popped by to leave a comment or take a look!

I also had a wonderful surprise yesterday morning when I woke up to find that I was one of Tim Holtz's Valentine Blogworthy Links for my Love Is In The Air ATB! As you can imagine, I was over the moon to get this honour and so thrilled to be amongst so many wonderful, and worthy artists. You can check out Tim's post HERE but from the bottom of my heart ~ thank you so much Tim and Mario!

Okey dokey, now back to today's card which is all about a passport to love and is a tri fold style card, with multiple pages for you to decorate and maybe, even write personal messages for your loved one!

You can read all about how I created this card in the February issue of Making Cards Magazine  which should be available as a back copy, HERE!

On the front of the card, I used the heart from the Tim Holtz Love Struck die and after painting it with Festive Berries Distress Paint, I added a layer of Rock Candy Crackle paint to give this gorgeous crackled effect and layered a brass key over the top.

I gave the Prima die cut gears a rusty effect using Distress Paints and embossing powders and added these to the dictionary pages together with smaller die cut hearts, tissue tape and a date banner.

To complete the card, I stamped the message on the back panel and added small wooden hearts and an arrow!

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

See you soon ~ love Emma xxx

Christmas Ornament ~ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and this week is all about Ornaments! From simple paper designs to mixed media masterpieces, stamped ornaments to something you create to be ornamental ~ we want to see how you are inspired by this week's challenge!

For my project, I decided to make a start on some home decor pieces for Christmas and what better place to begin than with the gorgeous Luminary Die from Tim Holtz. As always, I hope you love what I've made.

To begin with, I used the Luminary die to die cut some Manila Card. I find this card perfect for using with this die, as it really is a good weight of card and it makes the luminary itself a very substantial piece.

I then gave each of the die cut pieces a good coat of Black Soot Distress Paint. Heat dry the paint before dry brushing a layer of Brushed Pewter Distress Paint over the top to give the effect of metal. Once this layer of paint is dry, spritz all the pieces with Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain and once again heat dry.

For the frosted windows, I cut 4 pieces of acetate to size and then covered each piece with some Frosted Film before attaching them to the inside of the luminary.

Construct the luminary as per the instructions.

Once you have done this, you can now start decorating and for this, I used the Festive Greenery Strip Die to die cut some more Manila card which I then inked with various colours of Distress Ink. Heat set the inked die cut pieces and then spritz each piece with Picket Fence Distress Spray Stain to give the appearance of a frosty snow effect on the foliage.

I then arranged and added the foliage to each corner of the luminary, together with some dried moss and some red pearls, that I coated in Picket Fence Distress Paint.

To create the snowy, icy effect on the corners of the lantern, I used my hot glue gun to add small amounts of glue and then covered them in Crystal Glass Glitter.

For the top of the luminary, I used the Tattered Pinecone to die cut kraft card. Once I'd inked the card with some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, I then made up two pinecones, coated the tips in Glossy Accents and dipped each of them into some Rock Candy Distress Glitter to give a bit of sparkle.

I added some more die cut Festive Greenery pieces to the arrangement, together with crinkle ribbon bow, that I dyed using Festive Berries Distress Stain, some twine and I added jingle bells and decorative pins. The bells were originally silver but I wanted a more rustic look so to create this, I dabbed on some Treasure Gold to change the colour.

To complete the piece, I added some Chit Chat stickers to the front section.

To complete my ornamental decoration, I made a couple of brush bottle trees using the trees from the Woodland Trees and Wreath set. Each of the trees are spritzed using Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains in Tarnished Brass and Peeled Paint. I then rolled the trees in Glossy Accents to pick up some of the adhesive before dipping them into mica pieces and Rock Candy Distress Glitter. I added faux pearls to each before mounting them onto cotton spools. Each cotton spool is painted gold and has Tissue Tape wrapped around the centre. As a finishing touch, I added small amounts of mica flakes around the base of each tree, where I've attached them to the spools.

Finally, add a battery operated tealight to your luminary and watch it glow!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's post of how I created my Christmas Ornament and if you're looking for some more great ideas and inspiration for this challenge, then you need to look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Luminary Die, Festive Greenery Strip Die, Tattered Pinecone

Distress Ink: Iced Spruce, Forest Moss, Gathered Twigs

Distress Stains: Festive Berries

Distress Spray Stain: Tarnished Brass, Brushed Pewter, Peeled Paint, Picket Fence

Distress Paint: Picket Fence, Brushed Pewter, Black Soot

Glitter: Prima Pearl Glass Glitter, Rock Candy Distress Glitter, Prima Frosted Mica Flakes

Treasure Gold Renaissance Gilding Wax

Idea-Ology ~  Crinkle Ribbon, Woodlands Trees and Wreath, Merriment Tissue Tape, Seasonal Chit Chat Stickers

Embellishments: Cream Pearls, Green Pearls, Blue Pearls, Red Pearls, Bells, Twine

Surfaces: Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Kraft Card, Frosted Film

Ranger Craft Sheet

Big Shot

Hot Glue Gun

Glossy Accents

Decorative pins, cotton spools, acetate and dried moss from my own stash