winnerrs: Stamp you love challenge...

I'd like to thank Simon Says Stamp for another great chance to win a $50 voucher!!

The lucky (randomly drawn) winner for the "Stamp you love (but don't use)" challenge is...

13 Debbie R 

Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing May. Now let's talk about the top 3 projects as chosen by the Stamp & Show design team.  This week the honors go to:

34 Claudine C
82 Izzwizz
115 gry anita

Be sure to visit their blogs and check out their amazing entries. So inspiring! Congratulations to each of you on a challenge well done! Please email May for the Top 3 Blinkie.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the challenge. It is always a joy to see what you create. I'd also like to say thank you again 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 drawing!

Challenge: By the numbers...

 

Design team member Dan said to me one day, why not a challenge about numbers? I couldn’t help but be intrigued. I could challenge myself to use a specific number of items, use number stamps, stencils, paper with numbers on it, create a layout with a top five list, journal my top ten favorite things - and on and on my mind spun! I could use a ticket stamp, color-by-number with some Copic markers, and so much more.

I know I’m inspired to keep numbers in mind this week - and I can’t wait to see what Dan and the rest of the team come up with as well!

 

Sarah decided not to be too literal and went with a trio of both flowers and wording... Here is one of two cards she created with numbers in mind.

 They say there is something about odd numbers that works for the eye, and I have to agree. I often find myself working in threes, fives and sevens when playing with flowers and other die cut shapes. How about you? I'm still really enjoying myself playing round with inky masterboards and letting them evolve. These Wendy Vecchi flower stamps are still some of my all time favourite florals and are just perfect for stamping onto any surface. Here I've loaded up a sheet of Ranger Specialty Paper with Dylusions Inks before playing with stencils, splats, bottle top rings and more Wendy leaves. I've added textural stitching to both the flowers and card, added some Tim words and for some reason decided to chop off one corner! Go with the flow I say.

 

Adding her trademark texture and dimension is key in this dimensional canvas from Tracy.

I found this piece really therapeutic, cutting out all those metal flowers using the Tattered Florals die from Metal Foil. There is nothing I find more fun than creating when there are no time constraints and this was one of those pieces that I enjoyed from start to finish. I love the face image from the Stampers Anonymous Classics 5 set, there is something about her stare. I have given her a numbered backdrop using Memory Box Large Classic Number Set painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint in Mermaid and Beach Hut.

Trace found number inspiration from Facebook.

When I saw this list of Life Rules, I immediately knew my Dylusions Art Journal would be the perfect place for it; as a daily reminder. My goal for this page was to just play like a kid, so I decided to finger paint as much of it as possible! To guide me in that, I thought the graphic background from my Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap Paper was just what I needed; and it was easily adhered to the page with Studio Multi-Media Matt. A bit more finger painting with Faber-Castell Gelatos, Studio Gesso, and Pan Pastels through my Dylusions Number Jumble stencil; formed the perfect graphic background for my list.

Ashli's decided that this week's theme of numbers was a great prompt to scrap about her three girls!

Three girls, family of five, 2 dogs... it's all in the numbers! I love the idea of taking the "numbers" approach to scrapbooking my family. We have been blessed with more children than we thought we would have and would love to have more. This week my layout is about just that! To create my circular embellishments, I simply grabbed some number Thickers, collaged them up and painted them with Claudine's Blank Canvas. A quick run through the Sizzix with my Bigz Circle Die and they were ready to go! After layering up some Crate Paper On Trend gorgeousness, I added in my number embellishments and tucked in my journaling... all about our family size. What a great story to have in my album.

I (May) went poking around my stash and found that I have several Dylusions products that have numbers to add into this challenge entry.

Funny, but I never noticed that my birds and flowers Dylusions stamps are decorated with numbers. Almost like a secret (crafty) code is there, just waiting to be called upon for this very challenge! You might also notice that my background seems to have some hidden numbers lurking as well thanks to my trusty number jumble stencil and mist. It was a lot of fun looking around my stash to see where numbers lurked, and making note of just how many numbers are hiding in plain sight right here in my craft room.

Candy created this intricate Wendy Vecchi meets Shabby Chic style wall hanging/key holder.

Numbers, numbers everywhere!  Can you tell that I like using numbers in projects?  My inspiration for this piece was house numbers.  So, why not add the Art Parts Residence to go with it?  The Mini Numerals covered in Red Pepper Paint Dabber and then Clear Embossed remind me of old chipped enameled house numbers.  The intricate top of this Film Strip Arts Parts Base show how Tim Holtz' and Wendy Vecchi products compliment each other so well.  Tim's Little Labels numbers are the focal point of Wendy's Borders and Bottles Art Parts Stars.  Add a Blossom Bucket Front Door, and it's Welcome Home!

Sandra Mouwen found her way back to her art journal, where she played with lots of numbers.

It's been a while since I done some art journal pages, and this challenge brought me back to it. I do like numbers and that it represents all kinds of things in all different ways. We live by numbers and these pages represent that. I was in a messy mood, and that's a good thing for art journaling. So I covered the pages with some Claudine Helmuth Studio Gesso. On the edges I dabbed some Hazelnut Paint Dabber with the Bricks Stencil. On top of that I smeared the edges with Terra Cotta and Pool Paint Dabber. I really love the Numero stamp set and had lots of fun playing with the Number Jumble stencil and using Modeling Paste that I colored with Classic Teal Studio Paint.

Dan turned to a classic of children's literature for his inspiration this week.

As children I'm guessing that many of you, like me, read "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster.  Even though it was sooooo long ago, I'm convinced that the adventures of Milo on his journey through Dictionopolis and Digitopolis helped to give me the love of wordplay and numbers that I still treasure today.  This piece is my representation of the Mathemagician, King of Digitopolis and lover of numbers.  The sharp-eyed among you can probably spot the Countown and Around the Edge stamp sets, and buried somewhere under that beard is Wendy Vecchi's Well Dressed man.

Suzz was inspired by rulers and  measurements.

I decided to play with a  tag this week. I started by searching through my stamps looking for different numbers.  The ruler on the Stampers Anonymous Attic Treasures caught my eye.  I wanted to create a unique pattern on the background of my tag.  The rulers inspired me to stamp the dress forms and dress them with butterflies at the waist.  I added a Philosophy tag to the twine which seemed appropriate.

From playing banker as a child, to playing musical majors in college from engineering, to mathematics, to accounting, Anita has always had a love for numbers, and uses them often in her projects.

Not only do I love numbers, but I also love to play games. My family and I often play card and board games especially during the holidays. I thought a decorative game box that houses decks of cards and game pads would be a nice decorative touch on our coffee table, and would be a great conversational piece for guests.

After crackling a wooden box, I stamped a slew of number and game themed Stamper's Anonymous images on tissue paper, including the new Tim Holtz and Mario III's Blueprint Mini Game Wheel from #4 and Mini Queen of Hearts from #2, that I decoupaged on. A few lost game items and some Idea-ology Game Pieces found a new home to complete the box.

Anna-Karin planned to do a tag, but this project had its own mind and wanted to be a canvas instead:

This canvas was inspired by one of my favourite series of books, in which numbers, time, and distance play a major role, especially the number '19'. I had fun making a layered background using paints, a transfer technique with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi-Medium, a stencil, lots of Tim Holtz stamps and heat embossing. The door was made by stamping a Remnants stamp and embossing it with Rust powder. As embellishments I used quite a few Idea-ology pieces, a mini canvas, roses made with the Tattered Pinecone die, as well as grungeboard die cuts which were heat embossed or painted.

 

 

Now the question is, what magical number will you use? and what entry number will win the prize? We can't wait to see! Of course be sure to click on our design team's blog links so you can see more photos (and full supply lists) for their projects. for more inspiration too.

 

As always, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $50 gift voucher that will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. To qualify all you need to do is create a new project that ties in (in any way!) with our theme and post it, along with a link back to this challenge, and add a link here. This challenge will end at 11:59pm on Sunday March 10th EST.

For the full rules, read the "challenge rules" posted in the side-bar here on our blog.

 

winners: metal-ology

I'd like to thank Simon Says Stamp for another great chance to win a $50 voucher!! We had an amazing week of entries and if you haven't already I'd strongly recommend checking out the links to our metal-ology challenge. This crafty community rocked it!

The lucky (randomly drawn) winner for the metal-ology challenge is...

110 mikaela  

Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing May with your details. Now let's talk about the top 3 projects as chosen by the Stamp & Show design team. I loved all of the directions from heavy metal to a metallic shimmer or paint that people went with this challenge! It wasn't easy for the team to pick a top three either - this was one of those challenges I wished we could do a top 10, 20, something a lot more! Seriously amazing work that I loved browsing through - every entry was awesome. This week the top 3 honors go to:

49 Chris Warner
129 stacy
138 Sandy Diller

Be sure to visit their blogs and check out their amazing entries. So inspiring! Congratulations to each of you on a challenge well done! Please email May for the Top 3 Blinkie.

I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the challenge. It is always a joy to see what you create. I'd also like to say thank you again 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 drawing!

Challenge: the stamp you love (but don't use)...

Any stamper has at least one, the stamp that they love but don’t use. Or, it could be a stamp you haven’t used, don’t know what to use it on, or otherwise aren’t really using. Maybe it’s brand new, maybe it is years old. The challenge this week is to grab that stamp, and use it some way on a project.

Background stamps make frequent appearances on Ashli's projects. But, she has a whole collection of other stamps that are usually quite neglected that she put to use this week.

Stamps are so much fun, aren't they? They are also fun to buy, collect, hoard... and forget about! I often forget about the fabulous little sets I pick up here and there. For this layout, I grabbed some Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go papers and some of her fabulous stamp sets. That little house has to be one of my favorite images. A little embossing, lots of inking and some punching later and I have a page full of stamped up goodness.

Trace has quite a few stamps that need to be inked for the first time, this is one of them.

I admit it- I am guilty of stamp neglect. This little pretty stamp from Hero Arts called Starbursts had been sitting around on my shelve for about a year! I wanted a cool background to showcase it off, so I choose a fun technique from the Tim Holtz book: A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 1, and used about six different blues and greens from the Ranger line of Alcohol Inks. This neglected stamp was paired with two other Hero Arts stamps I use ALL the time; Envelope Pattern for the background, and Year Round Sentiments.

Candy is so excited about a new stamp set she has had for a couple of months but has not used yet. This is her perfect opportunity to share it with you.

This is a recent purchase of Darkroom Door's "Fun and Games" that I've not had the time to play with until now. I LOVE this entire set! But after I'd stamped every thing out using Jet Black and Vermillion Archival Inks, I struggled with what to put them on. Finally I decided on a 5x7 canvas covered with 7 Gypsies Life Tissue Paper and washed with Studio Classic Teal and Sable Brown. Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 Embossing Paste and Brick Wall Stencil came to the rescue when I had a big bare spot in my design.

Tracy decided to create a quirky card this week using the Hero Arts Birds and Branches stamp.

I spent quite a while looking through my cupboards at stamps I have never used and to be honest I was quite embarrassed and have now decided to put that right beginning with this challenge. 2013 will be the year I use all those neglected stamps! Simon Says Stamp Large Heart Craft Die came to my rescue for my background, spritzed with postbox red Dylusions ink spray adding sea salt into the mix for added interest along with vibrant turquoise to add a second pop of colour. I don't think this bird will be neglected in the future!

There are few stamps in Sandra Mouwen's stash that she really loves and has never used, because she loves to use them as soon as she gets them.

It was difficult to find a stamp I didn't use yet and really love. But I did manage to find two of them that are perfect for this project. The first one on the bottom is from Tim Holtz Classic #6 collection and the second one is an exclusive stamp from Simon Says Stamp - You Can Do Anything set. Can't believe I haven't used them before! I used a #10 Manila Tag and spritzed the brilliant vibrant Dylusion Sprays Bubblegum Pink and Lemon Zest with the Mister Huey's Ampersand Mask as well as a lot of other creative play.

Anita loves all things inky, and stamps are no exception, especially the wood mounted versions.

While I have a few stamps I haven't used yet, one of my oldest wood mount is Tim's Best Friends image. I think this one is just so precious and innocent, and perfect for any project, but here I've used it for a card for my Godson. He and his wife just had a beautiful baby boy! I did tweak the image some. Can you guess how?

Anna-Karin loves stamps, especially rubber stamps, and there were quite a few that were eager to get inky:

I like house stamps a lot, and this Home Sweet Home set from Darkroom Door was still waiting to be inked up. Three houses were embossed on inky paper with Vintage Photo distress embossing powder and given tinned roofs and doors. They found their home on this Sizzix Caddy Bag, with a compartment on each side. It can be used to store, for example, pens or tags, or as a cute gift holder. The caddy was dressed with BasicGrey Serenade papers, more stamping, tattered banners and birds.

Suzz has a collection of bird stamps that she loves but don't get used enough.

I have so many beautiful bird stamps and they don't get used often enough. I decided to create a birdhouse with different rooms to showcase various birds that I have in my collection. The Stampendous Bird Post is one of my favorites and hadn't been inked up yet. I was happy to stamp him and put him in his own nest. I pulled out a couple of different houses for the birds as well with the lovely Stampendous Vintage Birdcage and the Hero Arts Tall Birdhouse. The birds even have their own portraits hanging in one of the rooms framed out in bezels.

Dan channelled memories of his childhood in the USA into his Americana triptych.

Being a Brit, as much as I love Tim's Americana Blueprint stamp set, it's not too surprising that so far it has sat in my craft room unused.  As a kid, growing up in IL and NJ, I can clearly remember 4th of July celebrations and pledging allegiance to the flag every day in school, so the call of this kind of Americana imagery is very strong within me.  It's a little early for 4th of July, but I can keep it in a safe place until then!  Other stamp sets I used included Remnants, Psychedelic Grunge, Odds and Ends and Road Trip.

Sarah loves wooden block stamps and this fabulous Mona Lisa image has been standing on her shelf, without ink for way too long.

With a face and stare like Mona Lisa you really don't want to take away from her beauty so I thought I would go for a touch of Andy Warhol colour and let Mona try out pop art! I picked my brightest Distress Inks to create my card using a sponged background and then a heavier block of colour for a dramatic effect. I just had to go for a few words, I always do, so I picked out four Chit Chat words to accompany this famous smile which could tell a thousand tales I'm sure.

Now it is your turn! Go grab a stamp you haven't been using (or one you just don't get out enough) and create something to share! Also, be sure to click on our design team's blog links so you can see more photos (and full supply lists) for their projects.

As always, Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $50 gift voucher that will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. To qualify all you need to do is create a new project that ties in (in any way!) with our theme and post it, along with a link back to this challenge, and add a link here. This challenge will end at 11:59pm on Sunday March 3rd EST.

For the full rules, read the "challenge rules" posted in the side-bar here on our blog.

Winners: Something Messy

The 'messy' entries came pouring in, and we celebrate another fabulous week here at Simon Says Stamp and Show! I'd like to thank Simon Says Stamp for another great chance to win a $50 voucher!!

The lucky (randomly drawn) winner for the   challenge is...

129 Norma Gomez 

Please claim your prize within the next two weeks by emailing May and letting her know you won this challenge. Now let's talk about the top 3 projects as chosen by the Stamp & Show design team.  This week the honors go to:

 10 Ana K
36 Elly
51 Paula W

Be sure to visit their blogs and check out their amazing entries. So inspiring! Congratulations to each of you on a challenge well done! Please email May for the Top 3 Blinkie.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the challenge. It is always a joy to see what you create. I'd also like to say thank you again 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 drawing!

Tutorial by Janeen at SuburbNgypsy

Our fabulous guest Janeen at SuburbNgypsy is back today, and she is sharing a tutorial for the background of the beautiful Easter project she shared with us. Remember - this week's Metal-ology challenge is still open and details can be found here.

On to the fun!

Simon Says Stamp – Metal-ology Challenge
Designer: The Suburbngypsy
Project: Heavy Metal Easter

Tutorial: Turning paper into metal
I love this look of copper patina, and worked out this very simple technique to transform any chipboard or heavy paper into “copper”.

First I dabbed chipboard letters with my copper Acrylic Paint Dabber, being sure to leave chipboard exposed. It’s really important to leave some areas clear of the paint because….

After the paint dried I spritzed the letters with Turquoise Blue Glimmer Mist. All of the unpainted areas now turned blue-green, like the copper patina. The blue-green color also layers over the copper, dulling it just a touch to antique it.

Turning metal into paper:
You can create great effects on embellished metal by using Distress Inks. For these panels, I first embossed metal sheets by using my Big Kick and an embossing folder from Tim Holtz’s Alterations. Next I covered them with a light coat of white acrylic and set aside to dry.

Once the paint was dry I did a little scuffing and sanding to expose a little of the metal. Then I used Walnut Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks to tint the panels. I worked lightly, doing the Walnut first and letting it set for several minutes.

Then I pressed the Tumbled Glass ink pad directly onto the panels to add the blue tint, and smeared a bit with my finger tips for a more worn look.

I love how Janeen changed the look of products in her stash to create this beautiful project! For more photos of this project you can see Janeen's post on her blog here.

Bio of a Suburbngypsy
It all started long ago before there were scrapbook stores, crop circles, or the internet. Yes the gypsy is that old. I began making scrapbooks of my travels the old-fashioned way – sketch books filled with photos, keepsakes and journaling. Then the industry boomed and along with it the products! I jumped off the page and began altering objects, creating canvases and exploring 3D media, getting covered in ink and glitter in the process. Now 20 years later I teach classes, blog, and am thrilled to be a part of Authentique Paper’s Design Team. It’s been an awesome journey.
When I’m not covering myself with paint, I work full time in marketing (herding cats), chase my Girl Scout troop (more herding cats), wrangle my family (definitely herding cats) and try to walk our Saint Bernard, Loki (not a cat).