Monday, February 28, 2011

Simon Says Stamp and Show some Ephemera

Hello Everyone! We had a great response to last week's challenge ... Thank you for playing along ... The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your lucky week! We will also be introducing the new Design Team members ... so hopefully you will join us to welcome them to the team.
This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... some Ephemera! I know we have many nationalities taking part in our challenges and I am  not sure how well the word translates ... so I did a bit of research and the best definition I could find is ... "A Class of collectible items not originally intended to last for more than a short time, such as tickets, posters, pamphlets, postcards, or labels". As always ... interpret the theme however you like!
If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... create something that ties in with our theme ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! To start you on your way... take a look at some inspiration from the Design Team ...
To Nancy, ephemera means bits of things - antique-ish or otherwise - that are to be collected and perhaps used, but mostly fawned over. Although this is not the true definition of ephemera, Nancy's collection includes anything 7 Gypsies and Crafty Secrets such as this drawer and photo carousel that can be decorated with Crafty Secrets images and 7 Gypsies tags. Add a bit of Hero Arts and Stickles and Nancy's ephemera is complete!



Lynne Forsythe
Lynne is an avid collector of vintage postcards/greeting cards so it wasn't hard for her to find a piece of "Ephemera" to work with. She began with Echo Park ~ Be Mine papers, stamped with her Fabulous Flourish stamp and Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. The chipboard heart was painted with Picket Fence Crackle Paint, colored using her Spun Sugar Distress Stain and wrapped with a bit of metal mesh. For the finishing touches, she added a little Prima Bling and an Accoutrement!
For the ephemera in this piece Dan chose to use ticket paper from Tim Holtz's Lost and Found paper stack and the tickets stamp from his Classic Collages stamp set. He also used the umbrella man from the Creative Muse stamp set, as well as Sailboat Blue and Sunset Orange Colorwash sprays.

Since Nancy spent most of last week out of town, she wasn't able to create anything new for this week's challenge, but wanted to participate since a major, fun part of her stash is ephemera. Who doesn't love vintage postcards & ledger pages & photographs? So, with a walk down memory lane, Nancy's sharing this page she made in December 2008 - and commented how different it would look if she created it today! This layout shows, though, how Nancy was using Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Silver Stickles & Basic Grey Wassail papers even as she renewed her papercrafting journey back then.


You can't get more ephemera-ish than 7 Gypsies Mini Ephemera packs and Graphic 45 Transatlantique! That's what Lori chose to use on this weeks project to make a five page chipboard book, along with a few of Tim's On The Edge dies!


One of Linda's favorite types of ephemera is vintage advertisements and vintage shoe ads became the theme of her project for this challenge. She altered an old cigar box, painting it with gesso followed by a coat of Adirondack acrylic paint. The designer paper and ephemera was adhered with Claudine Hellmuth Multi-Medium Matte. Her brand new Hero Arts French Post stamp was stamped with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. Be sure to stop by Linda's blog to see more photos of the outside and the beautiful inside of the box, including...of course...a shoe!

Terry did not know, at first, what to make and struggled with the challenge. Took a while but then she knew....once upon a time and the year was 1996...she made a journey with the love of her life..to America, his homeland ...so Terry made a XL Tag with her Journey on it. She used Forest Moss and Vintage Photo to Distress all the parts of her Tag, worked on the images with the paper distresser too, to give it that Ephemera feel. She used the EK Succes Punch on the side and placed some roses and pearls. If you want to see more detaills visit her blog.

Kim
Kim was inspired to create a vintage box frame, she painted the box with cranberry paint dabber first then adorned with grungepaper roses, all inked with Victorian velvet distress inks. Kim then filled it with a collection of ephemera tickets and paper goodies created using Tim's Pappillon stamps for the butterfly and background then for the ticket's and the postcard. Kim has also included some real dried pressed flowers. Finished off with a shimmering of Heirloom gold.
 
I just needed any excuse to play with my new Distress Stains this week and the canvas was the perfect place to start. I used Vintage photo on the background and on the Tissue Tape... Fired Brick; Dusty Concord; Broken China; Peeled Paint and Wild Honey on Tim's muse stamps ... added a ticket ... and some corners to finish off. The background stamp is one of Tim's new Reflections stamps.
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 Monday 7th February 2011 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!
Have Fun!



Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Winners-Day!

Hello everyone ... here are the results for the Tag challenge ... the winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is
6   Helen
Congratulations Helen ... Please email 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 art work with the most votes gets a fabulous blinkie! This week ... the Design Team wanted you all to know that they were blown away with the standard of entries ... the bar really was set very high and picking just three was really really reeeeeeeally difficult! After much discussion I can announce the three winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are ...
12 Candy Colwell
89 Sarah
95 Peggy Lee
Congratulations to each of you ... your work was truly amazing! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! We really did have lots of fabulous entries so Thank you to everyone that took part.
Don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... we have a wonderful $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher to give away!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Simon Says Stamp and Show some Stripes!

Hello Everyone! We had a great response to last week's Design Team Call. We hope to work our way through all the applications this week and let all the fabulous applicants know the outcome by next weekend! Good Luck to you all and Thank you for taking the time to apply!
Back to the challenges ... Thank you for playing along last week ... The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your lucky week! This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... some Stripes!
If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... create something that ties in with our theme ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! To start you on your way... take a look at some inspiration from the Design Team ...
Dan made this piece to fit a frame he found in a drawer, and now he's finished it he can't find the frame! The mat behind the card was made with mitred strips from the Retro Grunge card stack. Other goodies used included the Tiny Textures, Spills & Splatters, World Traveler and Winged Things II stamp sets, a Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad, Walnut Stain and Barn Door distress ink pads and a Snow Cap white paint dabber.
With a bad case of Spring Fever attacking her.....Lynne began dreaming of green grass and a fresh cut flower bouquet. Pulling out a pad of Graphic 45 Le Romantique and a yard of muslin...she began to create diecut Tattered Floral pieces parts. During the creative process of coloring the muslin flowers with Distress Reinker Mixtures, Multi Medium and Distress Stickles, she received a box with the NEW Distress Stains in it. She used the Wild Honey and Vintage Photo to accent the paper flowers (and in her opinion that new product is FANTABULOUS!)

Some old pics from the '50's were Nancy's inspiration for this layout featuring Graphic 45's On The Boardwalk. Cut edges were inked with Black Soot and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks using Ranger's Ink Applicators.


Like Nancy, Lori chose to feature some Graphic 45 paper with stripes for her altered wooden box. She used the Renaissance Fair paper, the Tattered Florals die, some clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and a Melting Pot, and Studio Multi Medium Matte to adhere all the pieces together!


Nancy needed to create a quick greeting card for a friend and while looking through images in her stash, this rose on Crafty Secrets’ Birds & Blossoms Creative Scraps caught her eye. See the papers behind the vintage ledger scrap? Both are from Basic Grey’s Wassail paper pad – just goes to show how versatile papers created for specific holidays can be!

Terry decided to make a Spring card, with lots of stripes. The stripes and therefore the papers are from Graphic 45, Once upon a springtime and that is exactly the meaning behind this card. Everything is distressed with Vintage Photo and Forest Moss distress inks. The borders are worked on with the EK Succes Punch. The flowers are inked up too and worked on with Distress rock candy and Glossy Accents to give it that extra look.
Wallpaper inspired strips and corrugated cardboard provide the background for a sweet vintage image on Linda's wall hanging.  Chipboard covered with kraft packing paper stamped with the Tim Holtz "Creativity is" stamp make the base.  The corrugated cardboard was painted with a Snowcap Adirondack Paint Dabber and ink distressed with Vintage Photo.  The Spellbinders die cut frame was stenciled with Picket Fence distress crackle paint.

Kim
Kim used this fabulous Hero Arts stamp and created a resist by heat embossing with clear powder over a pale striped patterned paper and inking with walnut stain distress inks to bring out the silhouette.
 The Tattered Flower has been created by adhering striped patterned paper to Wendy Vecchi clearly for art film. Kim then heated to form the petals, and added an acroutrement to the centre, she has applied this same treatment to the vine.

Lucky ole me got to play with Tim Holtz's new stamps; Idea-ology sprockets; Embossing Folder and Weathered Wood Distress Stains ... and if that was n't enough ... there was Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts and some of her pin stripes and butterflies. It was a week where the text stamp spoke to me and hopefully I have managed to capture 'boundless' imagination and the 'limits' of reality in this piece ... and if I did n't ... well making it was the best fun!

Please stop by The Design Team's individual blogs for more detailed pictures and further information on their work... Just click on their names! Fancy becoming a Design Team Member yourself? Well read on ...


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 27th February 2011 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!
Have Fun!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Winners-Day and a Design Team Call!

Hello everyone ... here are the results for the Embossing challenge ... the winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is

43 Blackdragon
Congratulations ... Please email Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying stash :0)
The three winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are ...
42 Eileen
93 Myrto
94 Alison-CraftyTrog

Congratulations to each of you ... your work was amazing! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! We had lots of fabulous entries so Thank you to everyone that took part.

Don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... we have a wonderful $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher, and ... we are also looking for a tenth Design Team member! Fancy joining us???

Monday, February 14, 2011

Simon Says Stamp and Show a Tag!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone ... Boy, do we have an exciting week for you! But more of that in a moment! Thank you for playing along with last week's challenge ... The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your lucky week! This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... A Tag! 
If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... create something that ties in with our theme ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! To start you on your way... take a look at some inspiration from the Design Team ...
Dan
As the song says, "there ain't too much sadder than the tears of a clown", and that's what Dan had at the back of his mind while he was creating this tag. Dan drew from several different stamp sets for this creation, including Tiny Textures, Ultimate Grunge, Mona's Sketchbook, The Big Top and It's More Flower Art. He also used a white paint dabber and a key from the Word Keys set.
With Valentines Day right around the corner, Lynne decided to sneak in one more "LOVE" item!! She made an "extenda tag" it's 1.5 times normal size (see the right side covered with Picket Fence and Black Soot Distress Ink??) She created one of her signature flowers using the Tattered Floral Die and Linen. She cut multiple pieces and colored them with Distress Reinkers, Aged Mahogany, Victorian Velvet, Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar with each layer stiffened using Multi Medium. Oh and that Flourish is by Hero Arts. She added blingage with Prima and Vintage Glitter Glass to show....All things "DO" grow with Love!!


Kim
It all started with Kim trying some cork sheet with Tim's Tag & bookplate die, she backed the cork with some card first, then continued to embellish with a few Studio 490 stamps... for the sentiment, the Background, the leaves & tag, The leaves were covered with rock candy crackle paint. Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die was used to create the huge flower, each flower stamped with designer woodgrain using distress inks... Finished with a shimmering of copper perfect pearls. The heart is hanging from a jump ring attached to a memo pin which is secured into the corkl. The ribbon is Websters pages.


Nancy says she loves stamping because there are a million ways to use one stamp. The tag she made for this week's challenge uses several Stampers Anonymous stamps including Going Somewhere, Mini-Classics, Artful Mosaic and Fleur with Script. With the addition of the tags, Distress Inks, Copic Markers, Idea-ology tags, spinners, lockets and clips, a mini-book was added to the larger tag. More photos including the inside of the mini-book may be found on Nancy's blog.

Lori chose to collage the tag with 7 Gypsies Conservatory paper. She brushed a coat of beeswax on straight from the melting pot. A little bling was added using a pearl bauble.
A roof from chipboard cut with Tim's On the Edge Scallop die, ran through a Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder, and treated with various paints, sanding and inks completes the tag!

Terry couldn't wait untill she could use her new paperpack from Graphic 45, Steampunk Debutante. The Tag's background is Distressed with Forest Moss, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo Distress inks and embossed with the fabulous Tim Holtz Sizzix Postcard & Sheet Music Texture Fades Embossing Folders. The embossed parts are worked on with glossy accents to give it that extra look. The lace is from her own stash just like the Die from the flowers. On top of the flowers there is glossy accents and distress rock candy. Some of the borders on the images are worked on with the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch.


Nancy needed a bit of whimsy this week – her head’s been so full of numbers & forms! All of her thoughts of time with friends & play time outside the office can be seen in all of the cut-outs from Tim Holtz’s Lost & Found and Seasonal Stash paper pads – all of which are bursting out of Tim’s The Look stamp. “Whistle While You Work” reminds Nancy to remember to find fun in every day, no matter where you are – hope it does you, too!
Linda started her vintage tag by stamping from Urban Grunge, Flights of Fancy and Mini Holidays in Aged Mahogany, applied Tim's Rusted Enamel technique over the entire tag and treated the edges to a bit of gold UTEE.  The glittered oval frame was cut with a Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Oval die and distressed with Tattered Rose ink.  The frame was embellished with Spellbinders Floral Accent die cut which was painted with Tattered Rose crackle paint and crowned with one of her enameled roses.  
My inspiration came from Day 9 of Tim's 12 tags of Christmas! I ran my tag through Tim's sheet music embossing folder. I then spritzed it with Butterscotch; Cranberry and Red Pepper Colorwash. Next I swiped the tag with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. I embellished with a Bauble; Upon a time letters and Tim's Rosette to finish!

Please stop by The Design Team's individual blogs for more detailed pictures and further information on their work... Just click on their names! Fancy becoming a Design Team Member yourself? Well read on ...
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!
SSS$50

The prize will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday 21st February 2011 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!
**Design Team Call** 
Okay then ... Do you want to be part of this hot Challenge Blog?
We are looking for one more fabulously talented designer to join us and inspire folks to be part of our weekly challenges.
We ask that you be an active blogger and be willing to commit to creating art for each week's challenge and post it on your blog. We are asking for a 6 month commitment with possibility of extension. You will be responsible for actively joining our team in visiting our participants' blogs.
In return, we will offer you a Design Team pack every 6 weeks. You will also receive a DT discount on all of your purchases from the Simon Says Stamp store. You, your work, and your blog will receive a tremendous amount of exposure! Lots more fun goodies may be in store for you too!

TO APPLY, Please email the following to me, Linda Elbourne  with the statement SSS DT SUBMISSION in the subject line.
The DEADLINE for applications is Sunday, February 20th, 2011.
Name
Address
Email
Blog URL/ Website URL
What message boards or craft sites are you active on?
What other Design Teams are you on right now?
What Design Teams have you been on in the past?
Write a few sentences about your style of crafting...
Please enter this week's challenge and email photos of at least 2 more of your projects.
Explain in a few sentences why you wish to be considered as part of this Design Team, and what you think you can contribute...

Good Luck with your applications everyone and have fun with this week's challenge!


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Winners-Day!

It's Wednesday people, and as always ... without further ado ... here are the results for the Love challenge ... the winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is
Number 77 Linda Carson
Congratulations Linda ... Please email Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying stash :0)
The three winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are ...
48 Susan Killam-Creative
152 Isa Norris
158 Gini Cagle
Congratulations to each of you ... your work was amazing! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! We had lots of fabulous entries so Thank you to everyone that took part.

Okay guys ... that's it for now ... don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... we have a wonderful $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher, and, as always, we cannot wait to see what you make :0)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Simon Says Stamp and Show Some Embossing!

Hello Everyone ... It's Me ... Linda ... back from gallivanting in L.A. Thank you for playing along with last week's challenge ... The winners will be announced this Wednesday .... so don't forget to check back ... this could be your lucky week! This week Simon Says Stamp and Show ... Some Embossing! 
If you want to join in the fun ... all you need to do is ... create something that ties in with our theme ... pop it on your blog ... and come back here and link up so everyone can see what you made! To start you on your way... take a look at some inspiration from the Design Team ...
I took a small box and covered it with Ranger Manilla Cardstock which had been embossed in Lord Tim's  Patchwork Folder and sprayed with Red Pepper; Butterscotch and Espresso Colorwash. I then swiped the raised areas with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and spritzed with a bit of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls mist
Dan
Dan could have easily submitted this richly textured card for last week's "Love" theme, but his creative use of Embossing Folders more than qualifies it for this weeks theme too! In addition to his trusty Cuttlebug Machine, Dan used Red Pepper Color Wash spray, Walnut Stain and Fired Brick Distress Inks and 1" and 5/8" circle punches.


Embossing it is....or at least that is one of the techniques Lynne used on her frame! She embossed a few different mediums....Grungepaper, Cork, and Metal, A LOT of Black Soot....in multiple forms and various embossing folders. All of the shapes were adhered to the Charcoal Black painted frame with Multi Medium.


Nancy's newest love is to use Spellbinders with a Big Shot, one of the easiest ways to cut paper and dry emboss. This card was made to look vintage-y with the intricate Fleur de Lys die that also embosses. With the addition of Tattered Rose Distress Ink, the embossing really pops!

Experimenting is how we learn, right? Nancy embossed Tim Holtz's "To My Valentine" from Love Struck on muslin with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink & clear embossing powder, which she'd never done before - then she layered that onto Basic Grey's Cappella papers, which she then put onto a "one sheet" box she made - and she'd never made one of those before - so, a little embossing, a little inking, a little experimenting - voila!


Terry made a wedding goodie box with the fabulous paperpack from Graphic 45 Le Romantique. She used the EK succes swirl slim edger punch with the pretty vintagy swirls on it. The complete background is embossed with The Tim Holtz Sizzix Postcard Sheet MUSIC Texture Fades Embossing Folder . Everything is distressed with Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo and Dried Marigold. The flowers are worked on with Glossy Accents and Distress Rock Candy and last but not least the vintage lace with the string of pearls are from her own stash.

It's been a while since Lori has worked with Ten Seconds Studio metal and molds, so she thought this would be a GREAT opportunity to use those products to complete this challenge. She covered up a journal that needed a little pick me up, using the Time Expressions Kabuka mold, and the Peacock color metal. Rock Star Black metal was used for the spine, which was run thru Tim's On the Edge Ornate die first. A Black paint dabber was lightly swiped over the embossed areas, just to tone it down a bit.



Linda loves all kinds of embossing and hardly ever makes a piece without some sort of embossing.  Here is the cover of a little February calendar she made for her desk.  She used the Cuttlebug Victoria Embossing Folder for dry embossing and brayered Aged Mahogany distress ink over it.  She just bought a Melting Pot for UTEE and used it to create enameled roses using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  



Kim
Kim has included heat embossing; distress embossing and dry embossing on her card. Lots of Wendy Vecchi stamps were used throughout, with heat embossed edges on these flowers, coloured with distress inks and background stamp. A stamped butterfly, Tim's on the edge die with woodgrain texture fade for some dry embossing. The edges of the patterned paper have been treated with a little frayed burlap distress embossing.The sentiment from this set was stamped over this Background, the frame was already embossed and Kim simply applied distress inks directly to it!
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! Drum roll required here ... Because our wonderful site sponsor Simon Says Stamp is once again giving away a $50 gift voucher! Oh yes people $50!!
SSS$50

The prize will go to a random entry chosen by Random Generator. The challenge will close at Midnight Eastern time on Sunday 13th February 2011 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! And who knows ... if you don't win this prize ... your work may be selected for the much sought after Top Three Blinkie.
Have fun everyone :o)


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Winners-Day!

Sorry I am late this week guys ... I was flying home from L.A when this post was due. Anyways without further ado ... here are the results for the Childhood challenge ... the winner of the randomly drawn $50.00 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher is

Number 19 Elizabeth
Congratulations Elizabeth ... Please email Linda with your details so we can arrange for you to start buying stash :0)

The three winners that have been selected to join the elite club of vintage artists that can proudly display our top three blinkie are ...
3 Neil Walker
9 Kathleen F
12 Sarah
Congratulations to each of you ... we LOVED sharing your memories! Please email Linda and she will send you the Top 3 Blinkie! We had lots of fabulous entries so Thank you to everyone that took part.

Okay guys ... that's it for now ... don't forget to check out this week's Challenge ... we have a wonderful $50 Simon Says Stamp voucher, and, as always, we cannot wait to see what you make :0)