Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Use at Least One Stencil!

It's the last Monday of February so that means it's my last week in the Designer Spotlight for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. It was a great honor to be included with such talented designers and I was challenged to use some things that were out of my comfort zone. Thank you to Lols and the blog team for allowing me some space on the Monday blog!

This week's challenge is "Use at Least One Stencil". A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamp!
You have 1 week to enter the challenge-please visit the blog (click on the image above) to read the details and enter there!

I used only 1 stencil for my card. As you can see from the photo below, the Simon Says Stamp Peony and Leaves stencil is quite large, approx. 6" x 9". When you have a big and beautiful stencil like this, you only need one!

I inked blended Distress Oxide inks in Wilted Violet, Salvaged Patina, Fossilized Amber, Ripe Persimmon, and Picked Raspberry onto Distress Mixed Media Heavystock. I knew I'd be using ink, a bit of water and Gina K's Glitz Glitter Gel on this card front, so it's important to use a paper that can take it all without falling apart.

I took the inked paper and placed the stencil over it, on top of the stencil I placed a baby wipe. I ran this through my Big Shot, using a silicone embossing mat and the recommended sandwich for the machine. (I saw this on a Jennifer McGuire video.) The result is below, some of the areas are lighter, some of the colors mixed a bit. The image is also embossed into the paper. I liked it but thought it needed some shine!

I let the panel dry. I took the stencil and sprayed it with Pixie Spray. Pixie Spray is low tack and keeps the stencil in place, this is really important with a detailed stencil. The Pixie Spray washes off the stencil with soap and water.

I carefully repositioned the stencil onto the panel, it's easy to match up over the raised areas. Using a palette knife, I spread a thin layer of Glitz Glitter Gel over the entire card front. I immediately washed the stencil in a sink full of soapy water, rubbing off the glitter gel and the Pixie Spray while the card front dried.

I cut the Fancy For You die by Altenew 3 times and stacked them together. I pressed the diecut onto an embossing ink pad, poured clear embossing powder over it and heated it. Not really necessary but it's a nice detail. I adhered it to the panel and put a heavy book over it to be sure it dried in place. I attached the panel onto a white card.

Supply List with clickable links:

Simon Says Stamp Peonies and Leaves stencil

Altenew Fancy For You die

Gina K Iridescent Glitz Glitter Gel

Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Ink

Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide Ink

Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide Ink

Ripe Persimmon Distress Oxide Ink

Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Ink

Distress Mixed Media Heavystock

Pixie Spray

Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you take the time to visit the Simon Says Stamp Blog and see what the talented designers created, you won't be disappointed! I hope you enjoyed seeing my February challenge makes as much as I enjoyed creating them. Challenges are such a good way to get out of any creative ruts you may encounter.

                                                            Have a great week! 

                                                                    Susan

                                                    Susanbcards @Instagram

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Art Journal!

I am so honored to be a guest in the Designer Spotlight for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for the month of February! Thank you to the Blog Team!

This week's challenge is "Art Journal"! A randomly selected entry will receive a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamp! You have 1 week to enter the challenge, go to the blog and get all the details!

I'll be honest with you, when I received this challenge, I felt, well, challenged. The Dylusions art journal is filled with 

8.5" x 11"mixed media pages but they are BLANK. I sat and stared at the page for several minutes. I looked on Pinterest and YouTube. I tried several things that were just not me. And in the end, I did a larger version of a card I would probably make. I'm actually happy it's in this bound journal, now I can keep it for myself!

Here are my steps, not the best photos but a good look into my process. I first splattered and dipped my page into Distress Inks in Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen and a few drips of Ground Espresso. I diecut the smaller bird from the  Tim Holtz Feathered Friends set from already inked red and brown scraps. I always have lots of inked Distress Heavystock on hand.

The bird needed a little greenery behind it, so I took the Tim Holtz Glorious Bouquet stamp and randomly stamped some of the leafy sections in Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron Distress inks. Originally I was going to add another of the same birds but decided it needed a larger image, so I added the cardinal. This die was a Simon Says Stamp Diecember 2020 gwp and is no longer available.

Here is a cardinal I made awhile ago using the larger bird in Feathered Friends and some creative cutting to make a cardinal. I try to think up new ways to use my dies.

I stamped the sentiment from the Tim Holtz stamp set called Observations in black Ranger Archival ink. (The No. 365,302 is from the Tim Holtz Field Notes stamp set and the script stamp is from the Dearly Departed set).

I diecut inked Distress Heavystock with the Tim Holtz Garden Greens dies and added a few Idea-ology Bouquet flowers and Thrift Shop ephemera.

Supply List with clickable links to Simon Says Stamp!

Thanks so much for visiting! Please stop by the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and see what the talented designers have created, you'll be inspired to pull out your art journal! 

I can also be found on Instagram @Susanbcards

Have a great week!

Susan

 

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Food and Drink!

YES! I am fortunate to be a guest in the Designer Spotlight for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog! It's a wonderful honor, I can't thank the Blog Team enough!

This week the challenge is "Food and Drink". You have 1 week to create something using the prompt (you can enter up to 5x). A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamp!  Please visit the blog for all the details and to enter!

I love a good challenge, I don't have many food or drink dies and always admired Sizzix's Cafe designed by Tim Holtz, so, I decided to buy it. Part of a challenge is thinking of something new, you don't have to buy something new. I thought of making a box to put some candy (food) in or making a wine tag (drink) but in the end decided to splurge. 

I always have inked Distress Mixed Media Heavystock paper on hand, so I diecut the teacups and the word 'Friends'.

Did you see my card for last week's challenge? I used Simon Says Stamp's Blossom Field embossing folder again this week but in a different way. I happen to have a piece of white cardstock already embossed with that folder on my desk. I used some purple Distress Oxides for last week's card and had leftover ink on the blending brush. I rubbed it all over the cardstock, no waste. I took a smaller blending brush and applied Villainous Potion Distress Oxide over the flowers, Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide over the leaves.

Last week's card

I cut a piece of vellum the height of my letters but didn't bother cutting the width of the vellum. I trimmed it after gluing on "Friends". It's easier to center the piece of vellum on the card front rather than trying to center the letters onto a small piece of vellum. I folded the excess vellum and attached it to the back of the panel.

I clipped 2 flowers off the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Bouquet and colored them with Distress Ink, dried and glued them onto the teacups. The "True Friend" sticker is from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Clippings Sticker Book. 

That's it, a lovely card to send to a good friend!

Supply List with links to Simon Says Stamp!

Thank you for visiting, I hope you stop by the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and see what the talented designers created and leave them a kind comment!

Thank you!

Susan

Susanbcards @Instagram

 

 

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Love is in the Air

I am so honored and excited to have been asked to be a guest in the Designer Spotlight for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog! Thank you to the Blog Team!

This week's challenge is "Love is in the Air" using Simon Says Stamp products (but you can use whatever you have). A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamp! You have 1 week to enter the challenge-Go to the blog to read all the details and rules.
A randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp! Good luck!

    

Love is in the Air with Valentine's Day a week away! For my Valentine, I embossed a piece of acetate(4.25" x  5.5") with Simon Says Stamp's "Blossom Field" embossing folder. Next I painted the backside of the acetate, where the leaves and flowers are recessed using a small tipped paintbrush and gold acrylic paint. I painted this with 2 coats so the brushstrokes wouldn't show through.

 

I blended 3 shades of purple Distress Oxide Ink on cardstock, from light to dark in "Victorian Velvet", "Seedless Preserves" and "Villainous Potion" and carefully glued the edges of acetate to the cardstock.

I used gold metallic cardstock and diecut the XOXO from CZ Designs' "Trio of Love", the Simon Says Stamp, "Wreath of Love" and a frame the size of the card panel. I carefully took the heart diecut and embossed it with the same "Blossom Field" folder. I took another piece of cardstock the size of the "Wreath of Love" heart and ink blended this in reverse order, dark to light in the same Distress Oxides and diecut the heart. I glued just the metallic outline of the heart on top of this ink blended heart and glued it onto the acetate. The 2 layers give the heart some dimension. I centered the XOXO in the heart and attached the gold frame. This acetate card front was glued onto a regular 4.25" x 5.5" white card. I used Distress Collage Medium in the bottle to attach the acetate. It works great and dries clear.

Supply list with links to Simon Says Stamp!

Thanks so much for visiting! Please go visit the Simon Says Stamp Blog  and see what the talented designers created and leave a message of love, it is almost Valentine's Day!

Gratefully,

Susan 

Susanbcards @Instagram