Here Comes Summer...

Hello friends...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and Happy Monday! As always, the start of a brand new week means that we have a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week, our theme is all about VACATION and however you choose to interpret this challenge, we hope you'll join us and play along!

For my make, I chose to create a vintage style tag all about friendship, sea and sand and was inspired by a photo from Tim Holtz's Snapshots pack and I just thought it incapsulated everything about going on vacation and creating wonderful, happy memories that can be treasured for many years to come.

So, it's time to fasten your seatbelts, we're going on vacation and here's how I created this project....

For this make, I used a Mini Etcetera Tag as my base...

COVERING THE TAG SURFACE

I began by applying Design Tape around the edge of my tag before cutting a panel of paper from the Backdrops Vol 2 that measures the same size as the tag itself, and then inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I then ripped and tore the edges of the paper, scrunching up the corners to create folds before I machine stitched a border around the edge.

I adhered the paper in place using Matte Collage Medium, applying a coat of the medium over the surface to seal the paper.

I then ran the Walnut Stain Distress Crayon around the edges to add the 'oldy worldy' vintage finish to this piece.

To complete the tag, I applied some crackle paste to the hole reinforcer piece and once the paste was dry, I accentuated the crackle with Walnut Stain Distress Crayon, and then fixed it into position.

The final detail was to add some script to the top left hand corner and I used a torn piece of Photographic Collage Paper, and just adhered it into position using Matte Collage Medium before I threaded some rope through the hole itself.

EMBOSSED PANEL

For the next layer, I used the Swirls Embossing Folder to emboss a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card. I always spritz the card with a light mist of water before running it through the machine as this will break down the fibres of the paper causing less cracking to the surface.

Once embossed, I added the colour and used the following Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays:

Spray Stains: Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough, Faded Jeans

Oxide Sprays: Speckled Egg

I spritzed the cardstock with the sprays before adding a mist of water to blend them and create the colours of the ocean.

I cut the panel down to size to fit onto my tag, and mounted it onto burlap before attaching it to the tag using foam pads and then added a Remnant Rub from the Labeled set, placing it in the top left hand corner.

PAPER ROLLS

Now to start bringing the scene to life and we'll begin with the paper rolls.

These rolls are various lengths and are all made using offcuts of papers from the Backdrops Packs and I just selected a few that would be the perfect colour match.

I took each piece of paper, and tightly rolled them around a pencil, securing them with a line of red line tape to hold them in position. I ripped and distressed the ends of each paper roll, before I applied some crackle paste to add texture. Once the paste was dry, I just ran the Hickory Smoke Distress Crayon over the surface, blending out the medium with a damp brush.

I then placed each roll side by side, attaching them with Matte Collage Medium before wrapping string around either side.

I attached the rolls across the embossed panel on my tag.

PHOTO

There was never a doubt which photo I would use for this make, I just love this one but wanted to create more of a vintage vibe. So to do this, I began by applying a coat of Matte Collage Medium over the surface to seal the photo and then cut the edges using Tim's Deckle Edge paper trimmer. I then added small tears before inking the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

The photo itself was colour tinted using Distress Crayons, applied directly to the image with a waterbrush.

Once I was happy, I mounted the photo onto some mountboard to create more stability before I added a small Remnant Rub, 'Jul 9', in the bottom right hand corner. I attached the photo over a piece of Mica Tile and then adhered it over the top of the paper rolls and added a Tiny Clip to the top left hand corner.

FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE

For the flowers, I used a selection of Floral Adornments and to create the enamelled effect, I applied the Embossing Dabber to each flower and then sprinkled Distress Glazes over the top to add the colour. I used Kitsch Flamingo for the larger flowers and Fossilized Amber for the smaller ones and heat embossed each piece until the glaze became molten and shiny.

Be careful when heat embossing metal as it will become very hot!

I layered the smaller flowers in the centres of the large ones and then added a pearl to each before setting them to one side so the adhesive would set.

The leaves and foliage are all cut from Mixed Media Heavystock card using dies from the Large Funky Florals dies set. The card panels are coloured with Rustic Wilderness and Peeled Paint Spray Stains, and once dry, I cut each leaf before blending Forest Moss around the edges. I shaped each leaf and then arranged them together with the flowers, placing them onto the paper rolls and around the photo.

To add some more texture, I placed curly moss into the arrangement. This moss is from my stash but can be bought from many craft stores.

To complete this arrangement, I added a small ephemera piece underneath the photo and then placed a Mini Flair Pin, '54' onto the right hand side.

FINISHING DETAILS

Underneath the photo arrangement, I added a quote. I place a quote chip label inside a label frame and attached it over the top of a ruler ephemera piece, taken from the Memoir Ephemera set.

Finally, I attached a Hook Clasp complete with a Thought Token to the left hand side of the tag by looping the chain around the tag and attaching the ring fastener through the chain to secure it into position.

The thought token is coloured with Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Ground Espresso, Crackling Campfire Distress Paints and then I applied Picket Fence Distress Crayon to accentuate the wording.

So that's my project complete for this week and I hope I've inspired you with this make and you've enjoyed your time by the beach...

As always, if you are inspired by anything you see on my blog, don't hesitate to message me or tag me on any social media platforms or leave me a message here and I'll pop by to take a look ~ I'm always so humbled and honoured to see what you've been making after visiting my blog.

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

Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: Mini Etcetera Tag

Sizzix/Tim Holtz: Swirls Texture Fade Embossing Folder, Funky Florals Large

Distress Spray Stain: Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough, Faded Jeans, Rustic Wilderness and Peeled Paint

Distress Oxide Sprays: Speckled Egg

Distress Crayons: Walnut Stain, Hickory Smoke

Distress Inks: Walnut Stain

Distress Glaze: Kitsch Flamingo, Fossilized Amber

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Ground Espresso, Crackling Campfire

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Snapshots 2, Mini Flair Embellishments, Backdrops Vol 2,  Hook clasp, Thought Tokens, Memoirs Ephemera, Quote Chip Labels, Label Frames, Floral Adornments, Labeled Remnant Rubs

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads. Crackle Paste

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock

Glass Media Mat

Blending Tool

Tim Holtz Paper Trimmer

Tim Holtz Deckle Edge Trimmer

Heat Gun

Rope and moss from my own stash

Hold On Tight To Your Dreams for Simon Says Stamp

   Hello friends and Happy Sunday!

Today, I'm so happy to be back on the Simon Says Stamp Store blog to share my latest project with you all and if you love the sneak peek below and want to see more of this piece, then you can head over to their blog, CLICK HERE to check out the step by step process of how I created this piece!

Hope you love what I've made and as always, I can't wait to see if you've been inspired by this make and if you are, then please tag me on social media or here on the blog and I will pop by to see your wonderful makes!

Thanks so much for stopping by and see you again soon!

Love Emma x

Life's Like Poetry....

Hello friends and welcome to this week's brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Our theme for the start of a new month is called EMBOSS IT and we are showcasing the fabulous products of our very own Simon Says Stamp within our makes ~ so, if you'd love to join us and play along, then we're excited to see what you create.

For my make, I used embossing techniques on many of the pieces I've used to create a vintage style product inspired by the Art Deco era and of course, I couldn't resist using some of the amazing new products from Tim Holtz's brand new 2023 idea-ology collection.

So, let's get started because it's time to share how I created my project for this week.

To begin with I flipped a Mini Sized Etcetera Tag upside down to use as my base and I covered the edges on the left and right hand side with some Design Tape before moving onto that background. This particular design is one of Tim's older sets of tapes, but I can't remember which set it came from but you can use any you choose or have to hand.

BACKGROUND

To create the background for my tag, I began by cutting a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card and the spritzing it with a very light mist of water. I then added my colours using Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays ~ Rustic Wilderness and Black Soot Spray Stains and Rustic Wilderness and Cracked Pistachio Oxide Sprays. I layered the colours to create the blend I was happy, adding more water if needed before I allowed the inks to dry thoroughly. You can use a heat gun to set the inks before moving onto stamping and embossing the background.

Once the inked cardstock is dry, I used clear Embossing Ink to ink up the Simon Says Stamp Parallelogram stamp which I stamped directly onto the background. I then sprinkled gold embossing powder over the top and heat embossed the powder until molten.

Because the background is slightly longer in length than the stamp, I repositioned the stamp and stamped a repeat pattern to cover the whole panel of card.

After I cut the panel to the shape of the tag, inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I machine stitched a border around the outside edge and then adhered the panel to my etcetera tag.

Where I repeat stamped the background, the image doesn't match up completely, so to hide this I cut a strip from my background and attached this across the join, adding Design Trim Tape, top and bottom.

PHOTOGRAPH AND FRAME

We'll start with the photograph and for this I used an image from the Photomatic set of a beautiful lady from the 1920's/30's era.

I applied a coat of clear gesso onto the surface of the photo, allowing it to dry before applying the colour using Distress crayons and a water brush.

Once I was happy, I then allowed the photo to dry before dabbing a clear embossing ink pad over the surface. For this particular techinque and because I've painted the photo and don't want to smudge it, I find it's better to use this way of adding the ink rather than using the dabber but for all other applications, I like the embossing dabber.

Whilst the ink is still wet, I sprinkled Frosted Crystal over the top, tapped away the excess and then heat embossed the powder until it melted.

This leaves the most beautiful finish to the image and also seals the colours.

Setting the photo to one side, I moved onto the frame and this is one of the gorgeous new metal frames from the idea-ology release. These come in a pack of 4 and in two sizes, I've used the larger one and they match the Photomatic images perfectly, so can be used in conjunction should you choose to do so.

I altered the metal by adding a smear of gesso, wiping away the excess and then dribbling some Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top. I then finished by applying Rust Alcohol Ink and Black Soot Distress Paint to create a worn finish to the metal frame.

I attached the frame over the image and then layered this over a piece of linen, dyed with Frayed Burlap Distress Spray Stain and cut with my Nan's old pinking shears.

I adhered the layered frame onto my tag using Matte Collage Medium.

To the right of the frame, I added a separate piece of linen. This was an offcut that I rolled and then attached to the edge of the frame.

I then clipped a mini pin to the material and hung a Hook Clasp complete with a word key, "Heart' hanging from the end. The key is altered using the same technique as I've used on the frame in the next stage.

METAL FLOURISHES AND FLOWERS

Moving onto the metal flourishes and flower arrangement, and for these I combined the new Foliage Adornments with Flourish and Floral Adornments but altered the metal for each piece, in exactly the same way.

To do this I took my selection of metal and then applied a small amount of Foundry Waxes over the surface. I used a combination of Statue, Sterling and Gilded, layering each colour one at a time and heat setting the wax between applications.

TOP TIP: You don't need to apply a solid coverage when applying each layer as this won't give you the variation in colour ~ just allow your finger to touch areas and then move onto the next layer. Less is more and you can always add if you need to.

With my metal nearly ready, all I had to do was add some of the definition back into each piece and for this I used Mushroom Alcohol Ink and Walnut Stain Distress Crayon. Apply the alcohol ink first, just allowing it to pool onto the surface and dabbing away the excess before then rubbing the crayon over the top and blending out any harsh colour with a soft cloth.

I arranged the metal to cascade around the frame, adhering it with Matte Collage Medium and adding foam pads if I needed a little extra height.

You can see how the three sets of new and old, blend together seamlessly and that gorgeous leaf sprig on the left is the perfect finishing touch.

QUOTE

We're nearly there and all that's left is the quote and the final details.

For the quote, I used one of the new Quote Chip Labels and after lightly sanding the edges and inking them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I placed the chip inside a Label Frame, again altered with little of the Foundry Waxes. The chip fits perfectly with inside the frame ~ I love Tim and Paula's attention to detail to bring us these pieces that work so well together!

I attached the framed chip to my tag, placing it beneath the arrangement of metal.

FINISHING DETAILS

For the finishing details, I added a Machinery Head on the left hand side of the frame and metal arrangement. I altered this using the same technique to apply colour as I've used on the frame.

Finally, I added a label, Style No.302 in the top right hand corner. This is cut from the Collage Strips set and just adhered to the corner to complete the project.

...and that is my project finished for this week, and I hope you love what I've made and the embossing techniques that I've used.

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 ~ stay safe and keep well.

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Simon Says Stamp: Parallelogram Stamp, Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Ink

Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: Mini Etcetera Tag

Distress Paints: Black Soot

Distress Spray Stain: Rustic Wilderness, Black Soot Frayed Burlap

Distress Oxide Sprays: Rustic Wilderness, Cracked Pistachio

Distress Inks: Walnut Stain

Foundry Wax Bundle

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Photomatic, Photo Frames, Foliage Adornments, Flourish Adornments, Machinery Heads, Floral Adornments, Quote Chip Labels, Label Frames, Collage Strips, Hook Clasp, Word Key, Design Tape Trim

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads,

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock

Pearls

Glass Media Mat

Blending Tool

Tim Holtz Paper Trimmer

Heat Gun

Linen and Design Tape from my stash

Ink & Paint Dept. 1926

Hello there...

Well by now if you are a Tim Holtz Addict like myself, you will have seen the amazing new idea-ology 2023 collection and all the inspiration from the makers. If you did miss the LIVE then don't worry because you can catch up with it HERE on Tim's blog! 

When these products arrive, I always like to spread them out on my desk, to find that lightbulb moment from something that is in the collection and this time for both of my makes, I was inspired by photos and one photo in particular stood out ~ the photo of the workmen, shading together outside a building. This photo is exactly the same as a photo I have of my Great-Grandfather and I also have a similar one of my Grandfather. They were both in the building and engineering industry and my Grandad is a huge inspiration to me, so much so my family have always said that I'm a little 'mini him' in character and that I owe so much of my imagination and style to my Grandad, (and my love of arts and craft, well that's down to my Nan). So, with my beloved Granddaddy in mind, the story unfolded of the Ink and Paint Dept, 1926 and the products just came together seamlessly to create my Divided Vignette Box...

There is quite a lot of detail to this piece but I've added a list of all the idea-ology products, together with the rest of the products that I used, at the end of the post.

So gather your stash and let's start creating...

PREPPING THE DIVIDED BOX

To begin with I covered the outside of my box using one of my favourite papers from this entire release, and taken from the Backdrops Vol 4.

I cut the panels to fit, adhered them in place with Matte Collage Medium. adding a coat of the medium over the top to seal the papers. I then added some Crackle Paste, paying particular attention to the corners. I allowed for the paste to dry and do it's thing before applying colour using a watered down solutions of Gathered Twigs, Vintage Photo, Black Soot and Walnut Stain Distress Paint which I layered individually and applied with a brush. On each side of the box, I added Hardware Heads to run down the length.

Now to make the front and you will notice that this box has a slight difference and that's because I added a solid section, centre left.

For this I used a Vignette Box that had actually arrived broken, the top had come away and yes, it was easily fixable but imagination took over and I knocked out the opposite side of the box to match. The amazing new texture hammer came in useful for this...

With the top and bottom sides removed, the box slotted into the central section horizontally, with ease and I just glued it into place and left it to dry.

I covered each section of the box, back and sides, using papers from the pack and sealed with Matte Collage Medium and then added design Trim Tape along the edges on the front.

To add more of an 'oldy world' look to the piece, I ripped small pieces of paper that I adhered to the corners of each of the divided sections. I then applied Crackle Paste over the paper, allowed that to dry before applying a watered down solution of paint in exactly the same way as I did on the corners on the sides. You can see the effect in the photo below...

The box is nearly there and after running the Gathered Twigs Distress Crayon along each of the edges to give them the finish I wanted, all that's left is to cover the back...

....and even though I will be attaching Tiny Lights, I always like to finish the back of anything I make, it just goes that extra mile and I just cut more of the papers from the pack, this time using the Palette design and an extra sheet and adhered them to fit across the whole back section of the box.

The final detail on the box is on the top and I added a knob that I layered over the top of a sprocket gear. The metal was altered with Distress Paints and adhered with Matte Collage Medium before I wrapped some chain around the knob.

Around the base of the knob, I added some Grit Paste which once dry, had the same paint treatment as I used on the crackle pasted corners.

ATTACHING THE TINY LIGHTS and the LANTERN

After sealing the papers on the back of the box with Collage Medium, I made a hole for the tiny lights to be threaded through and attached the battery box.

We now need to paint that lantern and create the patina to the surface, which I did by using Salvaged Patina Distress Paint. I applied the paint to the metal and allowed it to go slightly tacky. Once that had happened, I took a soft cloth and removed some of the paint. Using my finger, I rubbed a light coverage of Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint over the metal, just allowing my finger to touch the surface, accentuating the edges and for the paint to catch in random areas.

Finally, I smeared a little Black Soot paint onto the metal to complete the lantern.

Add the lights inside the lantern and then cut away the excess, you only need two or three of the bulbs in this. I secured the lantern in place and then clipped a chain onto the handle, leaving it to drape down the side before adding the Fragile label, from the Palette Ephemera Pack. I adhered this to a piece of chipboard, and stained the edges before attaching it inside the compartment, placing it above the lantern itself.

Below is the box with the lights turned off...

PHOTOGRAPH

To create the photo section, I took my favourite image from the pack and began by creating the deckle edge using Tim's trimmer. I adhered the photo to my solid box front with collage medium.

I wanted to keep the photo black and white, I love colour tinting but also adore b&w images but this is vintage, so I took my paint solution that I've used on the box and I added the colour around the edges.

Beneath the photo, I attached a Ruler Piece. I broke one end from the ruler and then swiped the surface with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, before sanding the edges.

Adhere the ruler across the bottom of the photo.

Attached to the ruler is one of the large word plaques, and of course this had to be altered and began by painting the plaque with Black Soot Distress Paint. I allowed the paint to dry slightly before wiping away the excess and allowing the paint to sit in all the nooks and crannies.

I then took Antiqued Bronze and Salvaged Patina Distress Paints, pounced the paint over the top of the metal plaque and once again removed any paint from the wording.

Finally, I took a combination of Sterling and Gilded Foundry Wax and smeared this over the lettering to highlight it the wording. Heat set the wax before attaching to the ruler, adding two Hardware Heads either side of the plaque.

Now all that's left is to fill those compartments and bring the story to life....

GEARS and BOTTLES

The top section is filled with rusty old gears, paint brushes and laboratory bottles, splattered with paint and corked vials filled with colour that is spilling over the tops.

Recipe of idea-ology

Industrial Gears, Corked Vials, Tiny corked Vials, Factory Tags, Hardware Heads, Laboratory, Paint Brushes, Mummy Cloth, Date Dial, Curator Ephemera

Each of the corked vials have twine tied around their necks, and Curator Ephemera labels added. To add the paint inside the bottles, I just poured a small amount in, emptied the remaining and allowed to dry.

The paint brushes were new out the pack, I bought them from a local £1 shop but with a little alteration, a few breaks and a lot of paint dipping ~ they took on a whole new world and were added to the assemblage.

The gears are all altered with Distress Paints and then layered and attached with Collage Medium.

I added the "Ink & Paint Dept 1926' Factory Tag, leaning it against the gears to complete this section.

BOTTOM LEFT

In this compartment, I made a shelf using a Pinked Etcetera Trim that I cut down to size. After painting the trim, I attached it and then loaded the compartment with goodies.

You can see one of the new Figure Stands, I used the star that I painted with Barn Door Distress Paint. I also added some tiny books made from the covers in the Memoir pack of Ephemera. Underneath the shelf is another tiny book complete with bookmark, a mini clip, crumpled ephemera pieces and a pen nib.

I completed this section with the Perfection label, cut from the Collage Strips...

... and a couple of Machinery Heads adhered to the back wall.

Recipe of idea-ology

Figure Stand, Memoir Ephemera, Pen Nib, Tiny Clip, Machinery Heads, Clippings Stickers, Collage Strips

BOTTOM RIGHT

Finally we come to the bottom right hand corner and this contains a matchbox, painted with Black Soot Distress Paint and complete with a label from the Palette Ephemera Pack and a tiny word tag, clipped to the box with a mini pin.

I finished the compartment with scrolls, rolled and made using offcuts of paper from the Backdrops Vol 4 pack and tied with twine.

Recipe of idea-ology

Palette Ephemera, Word Tag, Mini Pin, Backdrops Volume 4

So, that completes my box, inspired by a hero, my granddaddy and created for the Tim Holtz idea-ology 2023 live!

As always, thank you to Paula, Tim and Mario for EVERYTHING and for inviting me along for this part of the 2023 journey and thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today ~ I hope you love this piece as much as I loved making it.

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Figure Stand, Large Word Plaques, Backdrops Volume 4, Snapshots Vol.2, Mini Hardware Knobs and Handle, Divided Vignette Box, Vignette Boxes, Tiny Lights, Corked Vials, Tiny corked Vials, Factory Tags, Ruler Piece, Hardware Heads, Laboratory, Mummy Cloth, Date Dial, Memoir Ephemera, Pen Nib, Tiny Clip, Machinery Heads, Clippings Stickers, Collage Strips, Matchboxes, Palette Ephemera, Word Tag, Mini Pin

Distress Paint: Barn Door, Salvaged Patina, Black Soot, Rusty Hinge, Antiqued Bronze, Ground Espresso and Vintage Photo, Crackling Campfire, Speckled Egg

Distress Crayons: Walnut Stain, Gathered Twigs

Distress Inks: Walnut Stain, Antiqued Bronze and Black Soot

Foundry Wax

Stampers Anonymous: Pinked Etcetera Trims

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Crackle Paste, Grit Paste

Glass Media Mat

Tim Holtz Deckle Torn Edge Trimmer by Tonic

Heat Gun

Twine and chain from my stash