Friday, June 29, 2012

Introducing the new members of the stamp & show team!

Greetings! First of all, let me just say that I was absolutely astounded and blown away by the talent, passion, and creativity of the Simon Says Stamp & Show readers who applied for our design team. You made narrowing it down very difficult and I wish we could invite each and every one of you to join the team! Now the good news is, everyone can always join in the challenge fun by entering and sharing their work – so I’m really looking forward to seeing all that you create and getting to know this wonderful community more. Who am I? I’ll introduce myself in a moment but first the announcement you really want to know about.

After many long hours pouring over the entries, visiting and re-visiting blogs, and considering all of the various factors that go into choosing design team members we are excited to announce that four talented crafters will be joining our team!

Let me share a bit more about them [as pictured above, left to right]

Suzanne Czosek is a crafter living in the Midwest (USA) that balances a busy home life with a love of paper crafting. I love her attention to detail and use of texture in her work, not to mention what a wide range of looks that she creates from very aged and vintage to downright adorable.

Next up, Anna-Karin Evaldsson joins us from South Africa, where you can find her inking up a storm. Her layered stamping and her wide range of projects will have you inspired to break out more ink, that’s for sure. I look forward to reading about her creative process, as well as seeing what she dreams up next.

Perhaps you wonder if first time applicants who have no previous design team experience ever get picked – absolutely! This is the case with Sandra Mouwen who joins us from the Netherlands. She creates cards, tags, and so much more. I find myself re-visiting her blog often and looking at her fantastic projects over and over again.

Across the Atlantic Ocean in the southern United States you’ll find our fourth new team member Ashli Oliver. She has an amazing way of sharing her ideas, posts incredible project process photos on her blog that let you into her creative mind, and is totally fearless about getting ink, paint, and generally making a mess.


I think you’re really going to be inspired by each of them in different ways, both with the projects they share here and the detailed looks at their projects and creative process on their personal blogs. Please join me in welcoming them all!

Now that I’ve introduced them, I’ll take a minute and introduce myself! My name is May Flaum, and I’ll be leading up the team as well as dreaming up the challenges and doing all the behind the scenes stuff here at Simon Says Stamp & Show now. I love all things vintage, I can never have too many buttons or trims, and I do enjoy a good book. I’ve worked a lot of jobs in the craft industry over the last decade – currently you can find me teaching classes on-line, doing freelance design work, and almost daily you can find me at www.mayflaum.com. In fact this summer I’m hosting a prize and idea filled (FREE) blog event called “Camp Scrap” that is going on now!

I am really looking forward to seeing your amazing creations, sharing new challenges and ideas with you, and to be working with such an amazing team. I will be making my project debut this week, and you can watch for our new members to begin joining in challenges in the near future as well.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Winners-day...

It's Wednesday, and that means it is time to announce the winners of the "Show a bit of brown" challenge. You blew us away with all of the amazing creations, and you have me inspired to grab my frayed burlap and brushed corduroy distress ink pads and add some extra brown to my next project!

Before I get distracted, let's get to the good stuff! First up, we have randomly drawn the winner for the $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher and that goes to...

 51 Meihsia Liu

Congratulations! Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing May with your details.

Now for the top 3. Each week the Design Team nominates their favorites and the three entries with the most votes get a fabulous blog blinkie! Gotta love those bragging rights. This week the winners that have been selected are...

17 Deb Neerman
118 Mark
185 Gabrielle

Congratulations to each of you ... your work was stunning! Please email May and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie. 

I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the challenge. There is so much creative inspiration happening around here - so you don't want to miss this week's challenge "depth of distress" .

Thanks to Simon Says Stamp for their generosity - each week we give away a $50 gift voucher to the shop that you can use to buy all kinds of fabulous stamps, inks, and paper crafting supplies. Remember - you just need to enter the challenge each week to be entered into the draw!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Challenge | Depth of Distress

Don't distress - our Design Team call is open until Wednesday morning - see all the details here - and  you still have time to apply if you'd like to be considered!
Now, our fearless leader Linda has departed for a new adventure, but she left us with an intriguing challenge titled "Depth of Distress". What does that mean to you? How will you interpret the challenge? Will you write in your art journal about a most trying time? Will you scrapbook a distressing event, or create a card for someone in distress?

Somehow, with this blog, I suspect the word distress will more likely trigger everyone running for their Tim Holtz inks, stains, stickles, crackle paint, reinkers, and markers of the distress variety. Luckily, www.simonsaysstamp.com carries all things in the Distress line, including the brand new summer set of colors. The challenge is open to you to interpret however you would like. Let's take a look first at how the design team interpreted this challenge: 

Sarah Engels-Greer teamed up the best of Tim's Distress with the loveliness of Wendy Vecchi.
  She used a fabulous mix of Distress Inks, Distress Stains and Dylusions Sprays on Sticky Back Canvas to create her bright and flowery stamped triple tag.

Tracy Evans pays homage to PaperArtsy with her distressed inky tag.
She combined images from Hot Pics 1005 and the Hot Pick Xtra. Lots of layers of Distress Stain and Distress Ink Broken China, Faded Jeans and Vintage Photo add great depth to the background and add to the charm of this piece.

For Candy Colwell "Distress" is synonymous with Tim Holtz!
Candy's piece is all about Tim - her large Matchbook is distressed inside and out.  Metal Foil Sheets embossed with Tim's Subway and Stencil Texture Fade and distressed courtesy of Pitch Black, Gold and Juniper Paint Dabbers create such a dimensional cover.  Add a distressed Ornate Plate adorned with a Crackled Numeral and you've got DEPTHS OF DISTRESS!

Dan thought it was time to give a distressed update to the ancient Japanese proverb of the 3 Wise Monkeys.
"Scary clown alert!  I cut these '50s businessmen with up-to-date accessories from a sheet of Kraft Resist paper and coloured it with blended Distress Inks.  The grimy background was achieved with splashes of coloured and white Distress Stain.  Now all I have to do is avoid meeting them in a dark alley."
Terry was thinking of creating a Thanks Tag for her departing colleque.
For her background she used the Chequered Dots Dylusion Stencil, worked on it with Milled Lavender and Crackle Distress Paint. The bottom of the Thanks Tag is worked on with the Tim Holtz Springtime Background and Borders Set. And distressed with Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender,


To see more photos and detail of any of the design team member's creations, simply click on their name (above the photo of their project) to visit their blog.

Now that we've shared their creations - we're ready to see yours! As always, Simon Says Stamp is once again giving away a $50 gift voucher that will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday, July 1 and the winner will be announced during the following week. To qualify all you need to do is create a new piece of work that ties in with our theme and post it to your blog, then add a link here.
For the full rules, read the "challenge rules" posted in the side-bar here on our blog. We can't wait to see what you make.


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Congrats to Sarah & family!

It has been an all-around busy week, but none busier or happier than our own design team member Sarah and her family, as they welcome their newborn daughter Ruby!


Congrats to Sarah - and welcome Ruby! Such a sweet little girl we all wish you the very best!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Winners-Day!

Hello Everyone ... Here are the results for the Anything Goes Challenge! The winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is
368 Annie G
Congratulations Annie ... Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying yummy goodies!
Now for the next bit ... every week the entire Design Team nominate their favourites and the three pieces of art work with the most votes gets a fabulous blinkie! This week the winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are...
77 Paula Whittaker
87 Stampersuzz
198 Shelly Hickox
Congratulations to each of you ... your work was Fabulous! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! Thank you to everyone that took part last week. Don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... this week we want you to see a Bit of Brown! ... and we have another $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher to give away!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Design Team Call



Simon Says Stamp & Show is looking for a few inspiring crafters to join our design team. We are looking for all kinds of people who love vintage styles as much as we do – from anywhere in the world!

Design team members are expected to post weekly to the challenge blog and their own blog, as well as comment on participant blog entries, and promote the Stamp & Show blog through social media outlets. Members receive product, discounts, and other benefits that will be detailed to individuals who are invited to join the team.

Do you love a good challenge? Are you always interested in creating something new and sharing it? Do you love to blog what you craft? We’d love to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered for this team, please email may.flaum@gmail.com with “DT call” in the subject line, and include only the following information in your email:

Name

Blog address

Have you participated in the SSS challenge blogs in the past? If so, please link to one of your projects/blog posts with an entry.

Why would you like to join the Stamp & Show team?

If you could only use one ink pad, which color (and type) would it be?

Attach an image to the email with a single photo of your latest (favorite) creation, and in 3-4 sentences explain why you love it.

Is there anything else we should know about you?




The deadline for this call is Wednesday June 27, at 10am Eastern time. All entries will receive a reply so that you know yours has been received. The new team members will be invited to join by the 30th of June, and new members will be announced on July 23rd, along with the debut of their first projects.

New members to the Stamp & Show team will receive detailed instructions, information, and specific compensation information when invited to join the team.

Simon Says Stamp and Show a Bit of Brown!

Hello Everybody! Thank you for playing along with our last Challenge! The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your winning week! This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... A Bit of Brown! If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... make something ... anything ... with some brown on it ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made!

Before you take a look at what the Design Team came up with... I just wanted to Say a big Thank you ... This week will be my last post here on the Challenge blog ... I have had a wonderful few years here ... so Thank you to the amazing Heidi and her wonderful team at Simon Says Stamp ... Thank you to my fabulous and inspiring DT members ... past and present and Thank you to everyone that has taken part in our challenges and made them so much fun ... I have had a lovely time!
You will be pleased to know that an uber talented, amazing and creative artist is already working hard behind the scenes to continue bringing you your weekly challenge and will be announced very soon ... so watch this space!
Sarah Engels-Greer
Sarah decided it was high time to play with her Alcohol Inks and Steampunk Stamps. She perused her Compendium of Curiosities 2 book and went for Tim's stamping onto metal foil and glass fragment to portray her Eccentric Gent adding that bit of brown with coloured Idea-ology and Sepia Archival Ink. 
An inky background combined with the Woman Filmstrip from PaperArtsy are showcased in Tracy's artsy piece this week.  Distress Inks broken china, faded jeans, chipped sapphire and a touch of vintage photo set the background scene.

Candy Colwell
Candy's Bits of Brown creation is a combination of brown inks, stains and texture.  The marbleized background was achieved using Wild Honey, Vintage Photo and Picket Fence Distress StainsGathered Twigs Distress Ink provides the distressed look on the corrugated tag background. Even the silver metal Ideaology embellishments take on a brown tone when lightly touched with Gold Alcohol Ink.


Terry
Terry created a bouquet of flowers in a vase using all the different colours of Distress stains and Distress inks. For her vase and flower backgrounds, she used the amazing Luscious Leaves and Chequered Dots from Dylusions with The Wendy Vecchi's Art from the Heart text. All of the roses are created with the Spiral Blossom One die and are distressed with touches of brown, just like the vase. Finally, Terry finished off with lots Crackle and Glimmer mists.


Dan
When Dan read the title of this week's theme it made him think of old sepia-toned photos, which in turn led him to consider the fragility of memory and ephemera.  This tag is the distillation of all that thinking!  Products he used included the Mixed Media, Artful Artifacts and Creative Muse stamp sets, the tiny attacher, a Coffee Archival ink pad and Claudine Hellmuth gesso.
I had great fun with Distress Stains ... Distress Inks ... Paint Dabbers and my Bind-it-all this week to making my screen! The stamps are all PaperArtsy Hotpicks ... I just LOVE those daisies!
Please stop by The Design Team's individual blogs for more detailed pictures and further information on their work...Just click on their names! We are looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this theme! Our wonderful site sponsor Simon Says Stamp is once again giving away a $50 gift voucher!
The prize will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday, 24th June 2012 and the winner will be announced during the following week. To qualify all you need to do is create a new piece of work that ties in with our theme ... post it on your blog ... with a link to this site and then pop a link below so everyone can come see what you made!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Winners-Day!

Hello Everyone ... Here are the results for the One for the Texture Challenge! The winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is
21 Hanna Nilsson
Congratulations Hanna ... Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying yummy goodies!
Now for the next bit ... every week the entire Design Team nominate their favourites and the three pieces of art work with the most votes gets a fabulous blinkie! This week the winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are...
7 MsPlum
86 Happy Days
151 Mark
Congratulations to each of you ... your work was Fabulous! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! Thank you to everyone that took part last week. Don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... this week we want you to see anything you make! ... and we have another $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher to give away!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Simon Says Stamp and Show ... Anything Goes!

Hello Everybody! Thank you for playing along with our last Challenge! The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your winning week! This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... Anything Goes! If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... make something ... anything ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! Before you start take a look at what the Design Team came up with...
Sarah was feeling rather British after seeing the Olympic Torch run past her street so she decided to create three funky and patriotic cards using the fabulous Loverly London and London Underground stamps from Artistic Outpost. She used Ranger's Pool and Red pepper Alcohol inks, Glossy Cardstock and Black Archival Ink.

Tracy has gone for a real industrial feel to her decorative heart using Tim's Riveted Patchwork technique from A Compendium Of Curiosities Volume ll along with masses of Metal Foil Tape and Alcohol Inks ginger and pitch black.

Candy Colwell
Candy was inspired by Graphic 45's Old Curiosity Shoppe papers to create this whimsical cabinet filled with all sorts of curiosities! Covered in those fab papers and given Tim Holtz' Pulley Wheels, this unfinished wooden box comes to life. The glass doors were heat embossed using Tim Holtz' Pencil and Paper and Artful Artifacts Stamp Sets. Doesn't this make you CURIOUS?

Terry was in a store, found these fabulous photo-frames and just had to alter them! She used lots of Gesso, Distress Stains, Distress Crackle Paint and Crackle Rock Candy as well as Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo and Weathered Wood inks. Hand-made roses lie on top of  Foliage leaves from The Tim, and last but not least, she added a fabby Rosette to finish off her project. 
Dan
Dan was very numerically minded this week, inspired partly by the Cavallini and Company numbers paper tape.   Other products he used included panels taken from the Lost and Found paper stack, a Tim Holtz Numeral and the Ultimate Grunge and Creative Musings stamp sets.
Linda Elbourne
I made a tag this week. Building up with lots of layers starting with Picket Fence and Faded Jeans Distress Stains. More layers were added with Olive Archival; Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a Gold Dabber. The stamps I used were Tim Holtz Steampunk; Shabby French and Bitty Grunge.
Please stop by The Design Team's individual blogs for more detailed pictures and further information on their work...Just click on their names! We are looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this theme! Our wonderful site sponsor Simon Says Stamp is once again giving away a $50 gift voucher!
The prize will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday, 17th June 2012 and the winner will be announced during the following week. To qualify all you need to do is create a new piece of work that ties in with our theme ... post it on your blog ... with a link to this site and then pop a link below so everyone can come see what you made!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Winners-Day!

Hello Everyone ... Here are the results for the One for the Boys Challenge! The winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is
7 Alison
Congratulations ... Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying yummy goodies!
Now for the next bit ... every week the entire Design Team nominate their favourites and the three pieces of art work with the most votes gets a fabulous blinkie! This week the winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are...
97 Marjie Kemper
109 Kate
130 Antonia
Congratulations to each of you ... your work was Fabulous! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! Thank you to everyone that took part last week. Don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... this week we want you to see your projects with texture! ... and we have another $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher to give away!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Simon Says Stamp and Show Some Texture ...

Hello Everybody! Thank you for playing along with our last Challenge! The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your winning week!

Before I set out the details for this week's challenge I have some more sad news. The lovely Lynne Forsythe has been with the Simon Says Stamp and Show Design Team from Day One and this week is her final project ... it is time to say goodbye! I am sure you will all join me; the Design Team and the entire Simon Says Stamp family by saying a huge THANK YOU to Lynne for all her hard work and wonderful inspiration! We are going to miss you Lynne and we wish you the best of everything!

This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... Some Texture! If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... make something ... showing some texture ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! Before you start take a look at what the Design Team came up with...
Sarah loves indulging in torn cardboard layers, gesso and shabby fabric to create texture, so she created a card with all three using the wonderful images from Artistic Outpost's Think and Wonder stamp set. She also used lots of Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Gesso and touches of Viva Decor Old Gold and set her layers on Tim's Kraft Resist Paper Stash base.
Tracy is encouraging us to Dream A Little Dream this week with her original piece using Tim's Dream A Little stamp combined with lots of texture from torn masking tape, rusty elements and stitching. Adding a little dimension with a Large Bottle Cap.

Lynne Forsythe
Did somebody say TEXTURE.....'cause Lynne just loves that word! She created a texture packed ATC for this weeks challenge. She began with a Watercolor ATC and added tons of color to the background. Wrapped it with Tissue Tape and added some Tissue Paper adhered with Multi Medium. She topped it off with a rose made from Grungepaper!

Candy Colwell
TEXTURE...so fun to play with! Candy has created a texture rich trinket box. She began with Claudine Hellmuth's Gesso, Dyan Reaveley's 5x8 Diamond of a Border, Dotted Flowers, Letter Jumble and Luscious Leaves Stencils to create much of the texture on the top. Embossed Ranger Foil Sheets embellish the sides of the box.  A Juniper Paint Dabber helps patina the finish and the metals.  Melted Clear UTEE give the flowers a faux porcelain look.

Terry

Terry made a textured ATC as she loves to play with Wendy Vecchi's stamps and her favourite Just Flutterby Butterfly of course. She used Spring Seasonal Distress Inks, Distress Stains and Crackle Rock Candy. Rock Candy and Glossy Accents were used on the butterflies to create a different texture. A Sprocket Gear adorns the Rosette, the Hope word stick is from The Tim and the back was finished with lots of colour and lace too.

Dan
Dan used the Stars embossing folder to add texture to his shadow frame, before blending Gathered Twigs distress ink onto it.  He then rubbed an Aged Mahogany pad over it to bring out the raised detail on the stars and filled the recessed areas with a white pen.  He stamped the balloon onto acetate and coloured the rear side with Distress Markers.  Other products he used included the Elements of Time, Mixed Media and Remnants stamp sets and a piece taken from the Destinations card stack.
Linda Elbourne
When I hear the word texture ... I grab the Grunge paper! I upcycled my Chip Coaster with lots of Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Stamped Grunge paper! Of course all my elements just had to be coloured with Distress Inks!
 Please stop by The Design Team's individual blogs for more detailed pictures and further information on their work...Just click on their names! We are looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this theme! Our wonderful site sponsor Simon Says Stamp is once again giving away a $50 gift voucher!
The prize will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday, 10th June 2012 and the winner will be announced during the following week. To qualify all you need to do is create a new piece of work ... post it on your blog ... with a link to this site and then pop a link below so everyone can come see what you made!