Gold Rush

Hello friends and Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend and as we head into another week, it's time for the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge to begin.

This week our theme is all about FUN WITH FOIL and all you have to do is create something that uses some kind of foiling ~ whether that is using hot foil plates or just adding metallic card, there's so much to choose from to make your projects shine and we would love to see them all!

For my make, I chose to use Metallic Flakes from Prima Marketing and combined these with the gorgeous new poinsettia in the Sizzix Brushstroke 3 Thinlits Die Set by Tim Holtz to create a focal point for my 1920's Hollywood glamour inspired Christmas card.

So let's get started, and I hope you enjoy how I created this card...

To begin with I made a card blank to measure 11 x 19cm before adding my base layers and for these I cut a panel of black card, 10 x 18cm and spritzed the surface with Decayed Mica Spray before heat drying it thoroughly and adding a machine stitched border around the outside. I then mounted the panel onto a piece of gold brushed metal cardstock. I then mounted the panels onto my card blank.

TAG AND LAYERS

Now to start building up the layers for my card and the first layer is created using the largest sized die in the Framed Tags Thinlits Die Set by Tim Holtz.

This is such a clever concept and really does create a beautiful effect and apart from the die, all you need is a brayer, embossing ink and gold embossing to create the debossed double border that you can see around the edge of the tag.

...and the best thing about it, it's so simple to do!

I began by inking the brayer with Simon Says Stamp clear embossing ink and then gently rolled the brayer over the surface of the die with the cutting edge. Place a panel of black card over the inked die and then place into your die cutting plate sandwich and die cut your tag.

Carefully remove the die cut tag from the die and then sprinkle the inked debossed tag with gold embossing powder. Tap away the excess and then heat emboss until the powder become shiny and molten. Flick Decayed Mica Stain across the surface of the tag and allow to dry.

I matted the tag onto a further piece of brushed gold card before mounting it centrally, onto the front of my card blank.

For my next layer, I used a piece of Distress Woodgrain card, 6 x 12.5cm and machine stitch a border around the outside before mounting the panel onto pearl card.

Mount the panel onto the card front using foam pads.

SENTIMENT

I cut a panel of the black card, 8.5 x 3cm and I inked up the sentiment, "Best Wishes For The Holiday Season" from the Stampers Anonymous ChristmasTime 3 stamp set in clear embossing ink and stamped the sentiment onto the centre of the card panel.

I then sprinkled with gold embossing powder, tapping away the excess and heat embossed the powder until molten.

After machine stitching the sides of the panel, I matted it onto gold cardstock and then mounted the sentiment strip onto my card blank using foam pads.

BRUSHSTROKE FLOWER

To create the poinsettia arrangement, I began by cutting the flower. I added a layer of an adhesive sheet to the back of a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card and cut the flower and it's layers, twice.

With my die cut pieces in front of me, I removed the backing sheets from each piece and applied Metallic Flakes over the surface of each of the die cut layers. Rub the excess flakes away, before removing any of the remaining flakes with a brush. I then assembled the flower by attaching and adhering all the tiny layers using Matte Collage Medium.

Once the flower is dry, I then ran my Gathered Twigs Crayon over the layers to give them shading and definition.

In the centre of the poinsettia, I added a gold Metallic Droplet.

For the foliage, I cut a selection of the pieces from gold and silver metallic kraft card.

I wanted to add the same flakes to these pieces but not add a complete coverage, so for this I used Prima Marketing Gilding Glue and roughly applied the glue with a brush to the surface of each piece of foliage.

The glue is ready to use once it's dry but tacky and at this point I applied the flakes, again rubbing away the excess and buffing any remaining flakes away from the surface.

I now have all my pieces ready, and just needed to arrange them onto my card just above the sentiment strip. I shaped and adhered each piece to add height and dimension.

In the centre of the poinsettia, I added a Metallic Droplet.

So that's my card finished and I hope you love this week's inspiration and the piece I've created.

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 and if sometimes I miss it ~ just keep nudging me!

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 ~ stay safe and keep well.

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Sizzix: Big Shot Foldway, Brushstrokes 3, Framed Tags, Gold Surfacez Opulent Cardstock

Stampers Anonymous: Christmastime 3

Simon Says Stamp: Ultra Fine Gold Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Ink

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Distress Mica Spray Stain: Decayed

Distress Crayons: Gathered Twigs

Tim Holtz idea-ology: Metallic Droplets

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Metallic Kraft, Black Kraft Card, Black Card, Distress Black Woodgrain Card, Adhesive Sheets

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, Metallic Flakes, Prima Marketing Gilding Glue,

Tools: Glass Media Mat, Tim Holtz Paper Trimmer, Heat Gun, Brayer

School Days....

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

This week our theme is BACK TO SCHOOL and we'd love for you to join us and play along and create a project inspired by anything that is school related.

For my make, I used an idea-ology square vignette box to create my project and packed it full of everything I could find that had anything to do with this theme, from backdrop papers and rulers, to ephemera to paper dolls ~ it all came together perfectly to tell the story of one little girl who's favourite lesson was art...so, ring the bell, because it's time for class and here's how I made my vignette box...

VIGNETTE BOX

To begin with I covered the square vignette box, and this is the largest sized box of the set of 3. I cut a panel of backdrop paper, from Vol. 1 and cut the top section showing the Lestershire Public Schools heading.

I ripped and tore the edges of the paper, before machine stitching a border and adhering the panel onto the box which I flipped over to show the flat side uppermost. 

On the sides of the box, I chose another piece of paper, this time from Backdrops Vol. 3 and this showed a classroom of kids and their teacher. I'd used the reverse side on a previous project, so only had a portion of this paper left but it fit the sides and bottom edge of my box perfectly.

I adhered each of the panels into place, across the bottom...

This is the right hand side of the box....

...and this is the left.

On the top of the box, I used another strip of the Lestershire Public School paper. After applying a coat of Matte Collage Medium over the top of all the papers to seal them, I ran the Gathered Twigs Distress Crayon around the edges, and blended out any harsh lines before I splattered a little Black Soot Distress Paint over the top and front, and set it to one side to allow it to dry thoroughly.

With my box covered, I moved onto the next stage...the collage section on the front.

COLLAGE

As I mentioned, I sorted out all my school related idea-ology pieces and then just played with them to create the focal point.

I started with the stencil card that sits behind my image, and for this I used a stencil card. I roughly tore the bottom section of the card, to reveal a raggedy edge and then I applied a little bit of Sterling Foundry Wax over the surface, concentrating on the edges. After heat setting the wax, I flicked some Speckled Egg Oxide Spray across the surface, heat dried the droplets before using a blending tool to apply Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I then misted the card with water, dabbing away the excess.

I matted my stencil card over the top of some Worn Wallpaper and then mounted this onto the front of my box, placing it on the left hand side.

Next comes the rulers and the ephemera pieces...

I broke two rulers into pieces, and coloured them by swiping a Walnut stain Distress Ink pad across the surface. I then blended the ink with a baby wipe before I arranged them across the box, together with some Snippets Ephemera pieces that I placed at the top and bottom of the arrangement. All the ephemera is inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink to add more of a vintage feel to the paper.

Now for the star of the school and I used my favourite Portrait Paper doll ~ I just think she is adorable and I've been waiting for the right project to use this one.

I applied colour to the paper doll by first adding a layer of clear gesso over the surface and then once dry, I watercolored the image with Distress Crayons and a water brush.

I then mounted the paper doll over the top of the rulers using foam pads to add a little more dimension to the piece and placed some threads of Mummy Cloth around the base of the image.

You can see the dimension in the photo below.

Together with a piece of torn design tape, I added a final ephemera piece to the background ~ placing the enclosure sticker just behind her head.

On the opposite side, I adhered a Numbers Strip, Form 153. Once again I inked these with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then smeared a little Prima Burnt Sienna Liquid Acrylic Paint over the top. To complete this section, I added the "red swoosh" which is a die cut from the Postale Thinlits Die Set. I already had this cut and it was on my desk, and it was the perfect finishing touch to the collage.

To the left of the portrait, I added a gold star. I altered the largest sized Star Adornment with Gilded Foundry Wax and once I'd heat set the wax, I attached it to my ruler and then just beneath the ruler, I applied a Labeled remnant rub, #95 Level.

To complete the collage, I added a Metallic Sticker Quote "Create Art" and placed this on a piece of linen, before attaching it across the bottom of my portrait.

We're nearly there and all that's left is the finishing touches...

DETAILS

I placed a pen nib in the bottom right hand corner of the box, which I altered with white gesso and a little Mushroom alcohol ink and adhered with matte collage medium. I placed a memo pin above, sticking it into one of the foam pads to secure it into place.

Finally, I added the Mini Hardware knob on the top of my box. Again this is altered with gesso and Mushroom Alcohol Ink and attached to my box, together with Hardware Heads either side.

I completed the box by wrapping some twine around the neck of the knob and hanging a story stick.

So that's my project finished for this week and I hope you've loved what I've made and been inspired by the ideas.

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 and if sometimes I miss it ~ just keep nudging me!

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 ~ stay safe and keep well.

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Sizzix: Big Shot Foldway, Postale Thinlits Die Set

Distress Spray Stain

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Distress Crayons

Tim Holtz idea-ology: Backdrops Vol 1, Backdrops Vol 3, Numbers Strips Ephemera, Stencil Cards, Snippets Ephemera, Labeled Remnant Rubs, Metallic Sticker Book, Paper Dolls, Mummy cloth, Star Adornments, Mini Hardware, Odds and Ends, Hardware Heads, Memo Pin, Story Stick, Worn Wallpaper, square vignette boxes, Portrait Paper Dolls

Mediums: Burnt Sienna Liquid Acrylic Paint, Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, White Gesso, Gilded Foundry Wax, 

Tools: Glass Media Mat, Blending Tool, Tim Holtz Paper Trimmer, Heat Gun, Collage Brush, Waterbrush

Let It Snow...

Hello everyone...

Happy Monday and welcome to the start of a brand new week over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week our theme is celebrating ANY HOLIDAY OCCASION and the DT are showcasing Visible Image products within their makes, which I combined with Tim Holtz!

So as we say a sad goodbye to Halloween, it's time to start concentrating on all things Christmas and yes, the weather outside is truly frightful, at the moment we have rain, rain and more rain and the wind is howling but here in my own little crafty space, it's time to let it snow and with this in mind, I decided to create an Stampers Anonymous Etcetera tag that features the gorgeous Mr Frost and his little feathered friend, Woody the Woodpecker!

So let's get started and here's how I created my tag to celebrate the start of the festive season...

To begin with I'd like to introduce you to Mr Frost and Woody...

To make this I cut all the pieces of Mr Frost from Distress Watercolour card. I assembled the pieces adding colour to the layers as I built them up. On the base layer, I used Speckled Egg Distress Ink to add a touch of blue, layered the next die cut piece over the top. 

For the next layer, which has the little die cut eyes and buttons cut into it, I applied some of the Snowfall Grit Paste over the surface to create a snowy icy look and once dry, I placed the die cut over the top of my assembled layers, but don't attach it just yet ~ at this point, I just wanted to see where I needed to add some Black Soot Distress Paint so that they show through. I used a paint brush to apply the paint and then once dry, I attached the die cut over the top, before applying Glossy Accents over each of the black holes to add some shine.

Moving onto the hat, I painted this with Black Soot Distress Paint, and the band with Salvaged Patina before assembling it and attaching it to my snowman.

The arms which I cut three times, just to make them a little thicker and more substantial are inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, then attached to either side and now all that's left to do is add the carrot nose, inked with Spiced Marmalade and Fossilized Amber and attached at a slight angle.

Now, no snowman is complete without a scarf and you can of course use the die cut one that comes with the die set but I wanted a little more texture, so I created a Mummy Cloth scarf. Cutting a strip of the cloth and dying it with Candied Apple Distress Spray Stain. Once the cloth was thoroughly dry, I wrapped it around the snowman's neck and tied it with a knot, allowing the scarf to drape.

I then added a touch more grit paste around the nose and the armband also added some to his hat, together with Mica Flakes to create a frosty, icy feel.

For the adorable little woodpecker, I used the Cozy Winter Thinlits Die set and cut all my pieces from Mixed Media Heavystock card before inking and watercoloring them with Distress Inks and Distress Paints. Walnut Stain and Speckled Egg Distress Ink on the body, Candied Apple on his tail feathers and plume and Black Soot.

I assembled the little bird by layering all the coloured die cut pieces together and perched him on the snowman's arm, supporting him from behind with a little bracket so that he has dimension and really stands alone without bending.

Now that we have Mr Frost and woody finished...

...it's time to create the background and for this I used Mixed Media Heavystock card cut to the same size as the Mini Etcetera Tag. After I spritzed the card with a light misting of water I began misting the following sprays over the surface and blending them with another misting of water:

Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stain

Ground Espresso Distress Spray Stain

Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain

Frayed Burlap Distress Spray Stain

Tumbled Glass Oxide Spray

Speckled Egg Oxide Spray

After heat drying the background thoroughly, I machine stitched a border around the edge of the panel and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

For the next step, I stamped the Christmas wording across the top and for this I used the Visible Image Classic Christmas Stamp Set and stamped just the Christmas stamp in Versamark Ink across the top of my panel. I then sprinkled with SSS Fine Detail White Embossing Powder over the top, tapped away the excess and heat embossed until molten.

I adhered the background to my tag with Matte Collage Medium and then to add the light dusting of snow, I applied Grit Paste through the Speckles Layering Stencil, adding it around the Christmas wording and then allowed it to dry.

Now to create those icy snow drifts and for this I used the die from one of Tim's older Sizzix sets, Home For the Holidays and I cut four layers of the hills from Distress Watercolour card. I then layered each of these over one another, slightly offsetting them to create more dimension and attaching each one with foam pads before attaching them along the bottom edge of my tag.

For the icy look to them, I used a combination of Mica Flakes and the Snowfall Grit Paste from the Holiday Texture Set and applied the paste along the tops of the hills, allowing this to dry before adding the Mica Flakes over the surface of each hill, attaching them with a thin smear of Matte Collage Medium.

At this point, I also added some Mica Flakes along the top edges of the tag, attaching them with Glossy Accents.

I nestled Mr Frost into the snowcapped hills and added Woody, attaching him to one of the snowman's arms, and placing a little support behind him for extra stability.

I added some die cut snowflakes to the background, once again these are from the Cozy Winter Thinlits set and cut from metallic kraft card. I then attached them with matte Collage Medium and added a gem to the centre of each flake.

To complete the scene, I added a clippings sticker, Let It Snow and placed this on the right hand side, adding a small touch of Grit Paste onto the top edge.

All that's left is to add the clip at the top.

For this I used one of the Vintage Clips. Finally, I wanted to use one of the gorgeous clips at the top but it needed a little bit of altering, so I started by adding a Star Adornment to the centre of the clip, attaching it with Matte Collage Medium. I then applied some Prize Ribbon Distress Paint to the surface, removing some of it with a paper towel but allowing hints of the remainder to add colour to the metal. Once dry, I then added a final touch of colour using Alchemy Waxes applied directly to the surface ~ I used Vintage Gold, Rusty Red and Pearl White.

So that completes today's project and I hope you love what I've made....it was such a fun make and I absolutely adore Mr Frost, he will definitely be coming back for a return appearance on a future project!

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 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 ~ stay safe and keep well.

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Visible Image: Classic Christmas Stamp Set

Stampers Anonymous: Mini Etcetera Tag

Sizzix/Tim Holtz: Mr Frost, Cozy Winter, Home From The Holidays from my own stash

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber, Speckled Egg

Distress Spray Stain: Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stain, Ground Espresso Distress Spray Stain, Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain, Frayed Burlap Distress Spray Stain, Candied Apple

Oxide Sprays: Speckled Egg Oxide Spray, Tumbled Glass Oxide Spray

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Candied Apple, Salvaged Patina, Prize Ribbon

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Mummy Cloth, Vintage Clips, Star Adornments, Christmas Clippings Stickers

Mediums: Opaque Grit Paste, Vintage Gold,  Rusty Red and Pearl White, Old White Alchemy Wax, Versamark Ink Pad, Matte Collage Medium, Glossy Accents, Holiday Texture Set, Mica Flakes, White Embossing Powder

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Metallic 2 Kraft Stash, Distress Watercolor Card

Glass Media Mat

Tim Holtz Detailer Waterbrush

Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine

Heat Gun