That's Life: vintage

Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts

Monday, 6 April 2026

Men At Work...

Hello everyone...

Hope you've all had a wonderful Easter and the Easter Bunny left you some treats...

As always on a Monday, it's time for the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week our theme is called ANYTHING BUT A CARD. and we are showcasing the amazing products of the one and only, Tim Holtz. If you'd like to join us, then all the details are at the bottom of this post and we would love to see what you create...

For my make, I created a Tim Holtz idea-ology Mini Clipboard and used some of the brand Neutral 8 x 8 Palette Paper Collection for the background to this masculine project all about skilful workmen. The idea for this came from the famous 1932 photo showing 11 ironworkers eating their lunch of a steel beam above NYC, and with this in mind...I chose to use a Paper Doll couple, sitting on a ruler that stretches across the clipboard and over the edge....

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

COVERING THE CLIPBOARD

To begin with I removed the metal clip from the board itself by unscrewing the screws on the back. Set this to one side.

I painted the board with Black Soot Distress Paint and whilst this was drying, I cut a panel of paper from the Neutral Palette paper pack. I chose the paper with the horizontal strips, showcasing the various different designs in the pack. I cut slightly smaller than my board, so that the finished piece will have a black border showing around the edge.

At this point, I did add an additional strip of paper from the collection, as I didn't want the black blueprint design to sit prominently at the top of my project, so I cut a separate, lighter strip and adhered this to the centre of the dark band.

After machine stitching a border in black cotton thread around the outside of the paper, and adding some rips and tears around the edges, I adhered the panel onto my board using Matte Collage Medium.

I splattered Black Soot Distress Paint across the surface and then used the Gathered Twigs Distress Crayon around the edges of the paper, blending out the colour towards the centre of the covered board.

CLIP

Firstly, I attached a star adornment to the centre of the clip before adding texture to the surface and then changing the colour of the clip. For this, I used Translucent Grit Paste and Distress Paints.

I began by applying the paste to the surface of the clip, adding it randomly and not paying too much attention to where I placed it. Once the paste is dry, I added the colour ~ I used a brush to apply a combination of Black Soot and Crackling Campfire Distress Paints.

I added the Crackling Campfire first, allowed for this to dry and then dry brushed Black Soot over the top, allowing the brush to lightly kiss the surface with the paint and not adding too much. Once I was happy with the combination, I applied some Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint over the top of the textured areas to add some highlights.

Once the paint was thoroughly dry, I re-attached the clip to the board.

FOCAL POINT

With my board complete, it's time to move onto the scene and we'll start with the circle that sits at the back of the men.

For the base of the circle, I used the inside pop out section from one of the Etcetera Facades. You can also die cut or cut a circle of mount board to create this.

I covered the circle with another design from the Neutral Palette Collection and then cut a slightly smaller circle from the same design. I machine stitched around the edge of the circle before matting this piece over the top of the larger circle.

I then used foam pads to attach a target ephemera piece, which is from the idea-ology Urban Layers pack that is now sadly retired. If you don't own this pack, then you can always die cut the layers from card....

In the centre of my circular layers, I added a Junk Drawer Baseboard piece.

To add some texture around the edges of the large circle, I used more of the Translucent Grit Paste, applying it around the outside.

Once the paste was dry, I mounted my circles onto the clipboard with foam pads and placed some Screwheads around the outside. I altered the metal and the Translucent Grit Paste with a combination of Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze and Crackling Campfire Distress Paints.

Beneath the circles, I needed to add my beam and for this, I used a Ruler Piece, covered with a Paper Strip and a Pinked Etcetera Trim, that sits underneath to support the ruler piece.

To cover the Etcetera Trim, I used the Decorative Trims die from Sizzix/Tim Holtz and cut a piece of the paper from the pack. I adhered it to the trim with Matte collage Medium, and also applied the medium over the top to seal the paper, before I applied Gathered Twigs Distress Crayon to the surface, blending out the colour with my finger tip.

For the ruler piece, I broke each end carefully snapping them off and then covered the ruler with a Paper Strip. I then applied Matte Collage Medium over the top and used my Gathered Twigs Crayon to age this piece.

I attached the Etcetera Trim underneath the Ruler Piece, allowing the pinked edge to show and then attached this to my project, placing it directly beneath the layered circles. The ruler is attached so that it overhangs the right hand side of the clipboard.

I then attached one of the Paper Doll Poses figures to the project using foam pads and placing it on the left of the clipboard.

To colour tint the paper doll, I used Distress Crayons in, Faded Jeans, Rustic Wilderness, Gathered Twigs, Scattered Straw, Tea Dye and Aged Mahogany.

Finally, I added clumps of moss along the ledge and hammered a couple of Nail Tacks into the ruler, placing them on either side.

FINISHING DETAILS

For those all important final touches, I added a Quote Label Chip in the bottom right hand corner...

...and then attached a swivel clasp to the clip. I then added some extra chain and attached a Junk Drawer Baseboard piece with the number 35 to the end of the chain...

Finally, I added some Cello Stickers around the edges of the paper, where it's attached to the back board.

So, that's my make finished for today and I hope you love the piece I've made and inspiration behind it...

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!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Crackling Campfire, Antique Bronze

Distress Crayons: Gathered Twigs

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Mini Clipboard, Cello Sticker Tape, Screw Heads, Quote Chip Label, Neutral 8 x 8 Paper Collection, Junk Drawer Baseboard, Paper Strips, Paper Doll Poses, Ruler Piece, Swivel Clasp, Star Adornment, Nail Tacks

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, Translucent Grit Paste

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Pinked Etcetera Trims, Etcetera Facade

Sizzix/Tim Holtz: Decorative Trims

Saturday, 11 October 2025

Simon Says Stamp Sugar and Spice Blog Hop ~ Day 2

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 2 of the Sugar and Spice Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to be joining this hop, and you might have arrived here from Lisa Addesa'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 used the beautiful Narrow Holly Cluster die set and the Christmas Stamps and Dies Label Slides to create a vintage style Christmas card, which I hope you love.

So, here's how I created this project...

To begin with I made a 18.5 x 14cm (7¼" x 5.5") card base from Tim Holtz's Heavystock Kraft card.

I matted a layer of Midnight Green card over the top, cutting it slightly smaller than the card blank.

BACKGROUND

Moving onto the background and I began by cutting a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card, 16.5 x 11cm and inked up the Sparkles stamp from the Stampers Anonymous Sparkles and Christmas stamp set using Frayed Burlap Archival Ink and stamped the design in the centre of the panel.

To add more layering to the background, I then stamped again, this time with Vintage Photo Archival Ink, using the music score stamp from the Department Store Stamp Set. I didn't want a solid stamped image, just hints of the score here and there, so with this in mind I rolled the stamp across the surface, just catching the cardstock where it touches.

I inked the card using Old Paper Distress Ink, and Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the edges, before adding splatters of Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and Gold Acrylic Paint, across the surface.

Once dry, I used the SA/Tim Holtz Post Card stamp set to stamp the Post Card wording at the top of the panel in Black Soot Archival Ink.

I added a frame of Design Tape around the edge of the stamped panel and then machine stitched a border around the outside.

With the background complete, I matted it onto gold metallic cardstock, followed by a layer of red Kraft card from the Warm Kraft Stash by Tim, each time leaving a narrow border of the previous card layer showing.

In the top right hand corner of the card panel, I added some Ephemera and a postmark. This piece is from the 2025 Christmas Ephemera pack, and I attached it with Matte Collage Medium. I then added the postmark ~ I used a Christmas Remnant Rub from my stash, which is now sadly retired but you can use the postmarks from the Holiday Postmarks stamp set.

Set this to one side to work on the die cutting.

HOLLY CLUSTER

The background is now ready for the Narrow Holly Cluster die.

I cut all my pieces, including extra singular leaves, from using Watercolor Cardstock and then inked the leaves and stem with Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness, Forest Moss Distess Inks before adding Candied Berries and Lumberjack Plaid DI to the berries.

After inking the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I attached the cluster by placing it across my stamped card panel, adding some shape and dimension, so that it doesn't sit flat to the card itself.

I then added some of the extra singular die cut holly leaves and the extra berries, tucking these pieces into the branch and layering others over the top of the previous lease to add more dimension.

Finally, I applied Glossy Accents to the berries, before adding some all important sparkle and frosting to the cluster. I used the Ranger Ink Snowflakes glitter which contains glitter and Mica Flakes which I adhered into place with Glossy Accents.

SENTIMENT

Moving onto the sentiment and I used the Stamps and Dies Label Slides Christmas Set to create this. I cut the largest label slide and then stamped the sentiment, Season's Greetings onto the centre of the slide, using Fired Brick Archival Ink.

I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then attached some Christmas Jute String, so that I can wrap this around my background card panels, securing the ends at the back of the cardstock.

I then mounted the completed layered panels onto the front of my card blank using foam pads.

FINISHING DETAILS

I tied some more of the Jute Twine into a bow and attached this on the left hand side of the label slide, before attaching a Holiday Bell in the centre using a tiny safety pin. The bell was painted with Lumberjack Plaid Distress Paint, applying it directly onto the metal surface.

I added some pieces of Cello Sticker Tape on both sides of the panels....

...and to complete the card, I stamped the No.5 (from the Correspondence stamp set) in the bottom left hand corner and placed some Metallic Droplets around the cluster.

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, 15 October and all winners will need to contact/email Simon Says Stamp to claim their prize.

Also, don't forget that you have until the 12th October at 11:59 EDT or whilst stocks last, to grab yourselves the exclusive and not yer release Warm Thoughts stamp set which will be automatically added to your cart.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and see you soon, love Emma x

HOP ORDER

Simon Says Stamp Blog

Click HERE to shop for products

Simon Says Stamp: Stamps and Dies Label Slides Christmas Set, Narrow Holly Cluster

Stampers Anonymous Stamp Sets: Sparkles and Christmas, Department Store, Postcards, Correspondence

Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Frayed Burlap, Candied Berries, Lumberjack Plaid, Old Paper, Walnut Stain, Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness, Forest Moss

Distress Paint: Lumberjack Plaid

Mediums and Adhesive: SSS Precision Glue, SSS Foam Squares, SSS Tape Runner, Black Soot Archival, Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo Archival Ink, Glossy Accents, Snowflakes

Surfaces: Kraft Card, Distress Watercolour Card, Midnight Green Card, Metallic Kraft Stash

Tim Holtz idea-ology: Christmas Ephemera, Cello Stickers, Christmas Jute String, Metallic Droplets, Holiday Bells

Tools: Blending Brushes, Blending Tool

Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat

Sizzix Big Shot Foldaway Machine

Monday, 1 September 2025

Countdown to Autumn...

Hello everyone and HAPPY STAMPtember...

As we celebrate the start of this exciting month, it's time for a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and this week we are showcasing the wonderful products of our very own Simon Says Stamp brand and the theme is called STAMP IT! So, however you choose to use stamps, we can't wait to see what you create and hope you'll join us and play along!

For my make, I started the countdown for my favourite time of year ~ AUTUMN and I chose to use Tim Holtz's Nature's Wonder stamp set together with the Simon Says Stamp co-ordinating die set. I love that these dies cut the images perfectly and there's no more fussy cutting which is definitely something to celebrate!

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

To begin with I used two Etcetera Tags which I layered ~ the Mini Etcetera Tag and the Size 8 Etcetera Tag.

CREATING THE BACKGROUNDS

I started with the larger tag, and began by applying Design Tape around each of the four edges. I then cut a piece of decorative paper from the Halloween Backdrops pack and added rips and tears to the edges. I machine stitched a border and then adhered the paper to the tag with Matte Collage Medium, adding more tears and curling the corners to create a gnarly, vintage feel to the piece.

After applying a coat of Collage Medium to the surface of the paper, I then took my Walnut Stain Distress Crayon and used this to add colour to the rips and tears. I also added a small Cello Sticker Tape to the edge on the right hand side of the tag.

Moving on to the smaller, Size 8 tag I created my own background. For this I used a Size 8 Mixed Media Heavystock tag and the Numeric Mini Layering Stencil. I placed the stencil so the numbers would be in the centre of the tag and then applied Translucent Grit Paste through the stencil.

Remove the stencil and whilst the paste is still wet, I sprinkled Pumice Stone Distress Glaze over the top, tapping away the excess and then setting it to one side to dry.

Once the paste is touch dry, (or near enough) I then heat embossed the glaze until molten and created a faux enamel effect. Remember to not settle on one area for too long as you only want to melt the glaze and not create bubbles in the paste.

To add colour to the tag, I used a combination of Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays:

Distress Spray: Black Soot, Frayed Burlap, Speckled Egg, Antique Linen

Oxide Spray: Speckled Egg

After misting the tag with water, I layered the sprays until I was happy and then allowed the tag to dry. The stencilled area will resist the colour, and if there is any residual ink, just wipe it away once the tag is dry.

To complete this, I machine stitched a border and then attached it to my Etcetera Tag with Collage Medium, before mounting this tag onto the centre of the larger tag, again using the medium to adhere it.

I added some flicks of Antique Linen

LEAVES

Now to create the leaves for this piece and create those beautiful colours of Autumn.

As mentioned, I used Tim's Nature's Wonder stamp set by Stampers Anonymous and the co-ordinating die set by SSS.

I stamped each of my leaves onto watercolour card using Black Soot Archival Ink and then watercolored them with a selection of Distress Watercolour Pencils in Aged Mahogany, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint, Crackling Campfire, Carved Pumpkin.

Once happy, I then used the co-ordinating dies to die cut each of the stamped leaves and then inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I used a total of 8 leaves for this make and shaped each of themes that this will create dimension on the finished piece.

PHOTO BOOTH IMAGE

With the leaves ready, I colour tinted the PhotoBooth image using Distress Crayons and a water brush. I chose this particular photo as I wanted someone wearing a coat and smiling ~ someone who looks as if they're embracing the season. I also wanted to keep the colours that I used to colour tint, quite warm, so chose similar colours to the ones I used on the leaves and added a blue background.

I added some rips and tiny tears to the edges of the photo, and then attached a piece of idea-ology Cello Sticker Tape to the left hand side before machine stitching some detail onto the photo.

I attached the photo to a piece of felt that I cut with Pinking Shears from my own stash, and then mounted the felt onto a piece of mountboard. The mount board will create a stable base once the photo is stuck into place.

To complete the photo, I added the Oct 18 remnant rub from the Labeled set.

LAYERING THE LEAVES AND MOUNTING THE PHOTO

It's now time to create the focal point to this piece and I attached the photo into position with foam pads. I then arranged the leaves to cascade across the tag, by placing these on either side of the image.

I then tucked in some pieces of Spanish Moss, that I have in my stash but can be found in floristry departments. The moss creates more interest and texture to this arrangement which I love.

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left is those tiny details that add so much more to a piece than you think.

Firstly, I clipped a Large Hinge Clip to the top. This clip was painted with a combination of the Lumberjack Plaid Distress Paint, Antiqued Bronze and Black Soot for a beautiful vintage finish.

I added the 'Merchandise" ephemera piece which is taken from the Field Notes Snippets pack and attached this just below the Hinge Clip. I also attached a Machinery Head to cover the hole in the top of the smaller tag. I painted this piece with Lumberjack Plaid Distress paint for a chippy vintage look.

Beneath the photo arrangement, I added a Theories Quote Chip, "Focus On The Good". I sanded the edges of the chip and then inked them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink before attaching it to my tag. On either side of the chip, I placed a Large Fastener. To add the dents and "dings" to the surface of the fastener, I used the Texture Hammer.

So, that's my make finished for this week and I hope you love the story behind this piece and all the tricks and techniques I've used to create the project.

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!